Silence...A Good & A Bad Thing

Martin Niemoller once said,"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up". In Niemoller's case, silence destroyed him. Because he stayed in the shadows while others died, he wasted away until his time came. By the time the silent one was picked off, everyone else was already gone. Silence did not save him; rather it conquered him. For others silence can be a weapon used for good. Confucius wrote that "silence is the true friend that never betrays". He is correct, but so is Niemoller. Depending on the situation, silence can be good or bad-sometimes both. Walking into class on the first day of school, kids are used to a nice welcome and noise; however, walking into sociology was a different experience. Change may be natural, but it is also frightening. We did not know how to deal with an extreme change, so the silence became awkward. Words can become awkward too. How things like silence and noise are perceived are all a matter of contention. Perception is a gray area and sometimes silence can be welcoming.

Who am I?

Hi, my name is Sydnie. I am a senior in high school. Wow, senior year. It is a big and important year. This is the year that I will apply to college (one down, five to go) and graduate from high school. Going to college, leaving my family and most of my friends is a frightening thought, but change is a part of life. So now that I've spoken about college, it's time to talk more about me. I love my friends and family. Recently, I cooked an entire meal for my family and cut up an entire raw chicken. Apparently, raw chicken is extremely hard to cut and is usually cooked first. Anyway, the meal turned out great and I discovered that I love cooking and I'm good at it. I work at a daycare center three days a week. It is my third year working there and I love it. At work, I teach cooking, yoga, and jewelry making. Another passion of mine is traveling. I have been to Israel, Canada, Mexico, Italy, France, England, Alaska, Hawaii, and numerous other islands and states. Most of the time, I travel with my family. My brother goes to the University of Illinois, and my sister is a sophomore at the same high school as me. My dad is a lawyer and my mom is a yoga teacher and a homemaker. Hopefully, when I am an adult, I will either be a lawyer or a teacher like my parents (not a yoga but a history teacher). I love to read, watch television, cook, do yoga, hang out with my friends, and spend time with my family (in no particular order). My parents are immense inspirations in my life, and so is Hillary Clinton. I wrote my fourteen page junior research paper on Hillary Clinton's campaign. My goal in life is to be a happy well-adjusted adult, with a good job, amazing friends, and a loving family. Hopefully, my job will be either in family or entertainment law or as a high school history teacher. I also would like to help as many people as possible through my job and community service.