Monday, March 31, 2014

"We are all that we are not"

What does this statement mean?  Does it apply to your life in some way?  Respond to this statement in poetry or prose.  Your piece must be 250 words in length.  It is due at the end of the period.

18 comments:

  1. “We are all that we are not” is tricky because it lacks punctuation. Not every statement needs punctuation to be deep or meaningful, but the punctuation helps decipher the meaning. It helps tell us where to pause and which words are connected in a special way. Without punctuation the statement, or quote, is left to be interpreted differently. Often, people are afraid to interpret such quotes because they are afraid that they might be wrong but there is no wrong with this quote. It is because of this fact that I am unafraid to interpret this today. To me, “we are all” is connected in a special way. It means that society has become one, it is united. While being united is grand, the way society has united is by creating zombies that go after anyone with a hint of individuality. We judge anyone who dresses, or thinks, a little differently; we let superficial beliefs get in the way of letting truly unique people thrive. While many of us will say that we are different, that we are unique, it is not as true as we wish it were. It is believed among a few that our differences are what make us. All that is different in cultures, language, or even food is often rejected. Differences that divide us and give us something we call our own is stricken down and criticized. Since we are afraid to be different, we give in and become one of the mindless zombies. We lose ourselves and therefore we cease to exist…”we are not” anymore.

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  2. To be all that we are not must simply mean that what we think of ourselves may be exactly the opposite of someone else. We may see our flaws, imperfections, impurities. And it is these same characteristics, in which we base our being off of. We, as humans, often believe that such impurities define us and our being, that such impurities are a burden. But what we seem unable to comprehend, is that such impurities are rather a blessing, a way to be defined as an individual. Everyone is designed in a completely unique way, where one personality does not match another perfectly. Everything that we as an individual come together as one, where what we may have, makes up for what we lack. However, the same phrase may very well mean that the things we lack are portrayed vividly throughout the traits that we show to have. There is an equal balance between the traits that one may have and lack, therefore concluding that what we have, is just as good as what we don’t have. I take the term lightly, in that I am happy with what I can do, and happy not being able to do certain things. Everyone has something that they are good at, and something they are not so good at. If someone were to be good at everything, there would be a lot of pressure on them to live up to everyone else expectations of them. It is only fair that each individual has an equal balance, or else certain things wouldn’t be as special.

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  3. I think This statement is true, this statement might not apply to certain people but I think it applys to most people. “we are all that we are not” meaning some people pretend to be something that they are not. Most people focus on what others think or they feel as though they need to be liked by a certain group of people. Most people pretend to be something they are not just to “fit in”

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  4. I do not believe that we are all that we are not, but instead, that we are not all that we appear to be. Because we cannot be something that we are not, but we can pretend. Every single person is this world has more to them than meets the eye, and there is nothing more special in this world than someone letting you see who they really are. What could be more special than someone opening up to you; not only showing you who they are, but trusting you with it?
    Everyone wears a mask in front of people that they don’t know, and why wouldn’t you? Everyone has things in their lives that, for the most part, should be kept hidden. But what about when someone trusts you with your deepest, darkest secrets? When someone shows you that part of them, they’re unspokenly asking you to understand them, and to still love them. Nothing could create a deeper bond, or a stronger loyalty, than knowing someone for who they truly are.
    It is impossible to be something that you are not, but everyday people are tricked by what others make themselves seem to be.

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  5. “We are all that we are not” means that we are what we are for specific reasons, which also goes with what we are not. If there is something that we are not, there’s a specific reason why we aren’t that. Granted it’s very seldom that we know why we are and are not certain ways, but it’s the very things that make us who we are that make us what we aren’t. For instance, if you discover your love for basketball at a young age, then you’ll probably grow to be an avid player and, if you’re good enough, go on to play professionally. However, It’s because of your discovery that you didn’t become a baseball player, or really into art, or something else. Everything that a person isn’t is a result of what they are.

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  6. “We are all that we are not” is a statement that can mean many things depending on how you think about it. The first thing that came to mind for me when I thought about this quote is that, we as humans try so hard to be the person that we want to be and we work hard to strive to be a better us, that at the end of the day we become something other than what we wanted to be. It shows that we end up being the person we never thought we would be. It’s like when we are younger we have goals for ourselves and we set certain expectations that we hope to reach and when we don’t archive our goals we are disappointed. So in turn we become what we are not or never wanted to be. What we are is what we want to be and what we are not is what we actually become. It is a twisted thought that shows how life changes people’s expectations of themselves. We have to realize that we will never become everything that we hope we will, not only because of our own actions but by the actions of others in our lives. We have to understand that no matter what, we will become something extraordinary not only because of what we are but what we are not.

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  7. “We are all that we are not.” To me, that means that we, as people, strive to not be something, rather than to be something. For example, we go to school so we won’t become people who are uneducated in an increasingly competitive world; we work so we won’t have to be people who are poor; we interact with people so we won’t be lonely, etc. Therefore, what comprises us is a sum of all the qualities that we have as a result of our fear of their opposites, instead of a drive to satisfy our natural human desire to better ourselves. But when you think about it, doesn’t that desire only come from that fear? For everything we want, there is bound to be something starkly contrary to it that we don’t want. Such a principle reinforces the universality of fear, as well as how it may disguise itself in our perceptions of what we claim to want. It could take on the image of, for example, a perfect life in which everything would work out in your favor. You would be successful, have a good job, should you choose to work in your utterly perfect life, and pretty much everything else you could ever need. Sounds like something anyone would dream of, right? That is the dream, after all. Well, if you think about it, all of that, all that you strive to be and have, is only a sum of everything you don’t want i.e. to be unhappy, unsatisfied, unsuccessful, or unloved. Therefore, everything that we are and have only comes to us as a result of everything we don’t want.

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  9. My Mother once told me, not to fall in love
    Love is a crazy game that you aren’t yet equipped for
    Love is deceiving
    Love is blind
    It will just lead you to heartbreak and sorrow
    She always said
    My mother would never lie
    So I lived to believe that
    I grew up living life with those few wise words drilled into my head
    Love is a crazy game that you aren’t yet equipped for
    Love is deceiving
    Love is blind
    I was to never fall in love
    I were to box myself up to avoid all chances of falling in love
    It worked for but so long
    It all changed when I met the one
    The one that made me believe in love
    The one that showed me that
    Love is beautiful
    Love is something worth living for
    Love is what I now believe in
    I now take back everything I’ve ever said about never falling in love
    I don’t understand why I hide from this feeling for so long
    I let the fear get to me
    I let the words of my Mother take over my life
    I didn’t learn through my own experiences
    This doesn’t mean that my Mother was not truthful
    It just means that you can’t always go by what others say
    My experiences are oh, so very different then my Mothers
    Love was something so beautiful for me
    And I deprived myself for years because I was scared of what someone else said
    The key is to go and experience things for yourself

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  11. I think of this as a depressing interpretation of how humans see each other. We are defined as what we aren’t; I guess this would be how I would rewrite this phrase. There is that girl who is not athletic or that boy who is not smart. However that doesn’t really make sense to me because I don’t go around thinking oh there is that boy who isn’t a girl. So I guess I don’t really understand what this quote means. I think it is supposed to be poetic and say that everyone is the same, but it’s not true. Someone is always going to stand out and be different. Or perhaps it means that we are all lying about our identities just to have one, but that interpretation is almost assuming a little too much about this quote. I think there is also different punctuation that we can add to this to change the meaning. “We are all—That we are not” which would imply a change in subject. The first part of the sentence is unfinished, a mystery, and the second part implies that something was suggested and the speaker shut it down. “We are, all that we are not”. This version suggests that we does not include everyone in the world, but a more select group of people, perhaps the speaker and the reader. Then there is “We are all that; we are not” which would suggest another interpretation is that this quote is a response to another suggestion. We are all of what you have just mentioned, but we are not what you are implying. I guess most of this is a stretch but I needed something to write about even though I don’t really know what this speaker is getting at.

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  12. "We are all that we are not"

    This statement to me means one thing. We as humans are made up of so many different qualities and characteristics and abilities, the list goes on and on. However, people constantly fail to remember all of our flaws and everything that we are not. The majorities of us are not rich, were not famous, we are average, everyday people. That does not mean that we are of less importance. In fact, it makes us more unique. All of the things we do not have or the traits or qualities that we do not possess make us who we are. So when you are sitting there wondering why your life is not better in some way or you as a person are not better in some way, hold that thought and remember that all you need is what you have. Be grateful for who you are and what makes you who you are. I can guarantee that someone you know is wishing they were you. So this quote, “we are all that we are not,” is showing us that the characteristics we do not have make us just as much of a person as the characteristics that we do have.

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  13. “We are all that we are not” means that even if we try our hardest to prove we are not one thing in reality we are. For example, someone may try their hardest to prove that they aren’t a hypocrite. They try and show all loyalty and then one day they strike the person in the back. But then, all they think is that they are doing nothing wrong but in reality they are blind. We as humans think that what we are doing is the right way but when in reality it usually isn’t right. As a kid or a teenager we try to prove to someone we are a specific way but truly you show the true colors and prove that you are truly that way. It does apple to my life and probably applies to everyone’s life. It’s hard to admit your flaws to people but at the end of the day you never want to tell the truth. Flaws make a person and these flaws show who we really are and not the mask that we try to cover up with. In my life I try to show that I can be tough when things are rough, but it’s hard for me because I am an emotional person. At times I try not to let my emotions take over and conquer me. At times I do ignore my emotions and come out winning but at times I do lose and I let my emotions show. I say I’m not emotional but I do admit that I can be very emotional. This is what makes me human though owning up to what I believe isn't true.

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  14. The statement “We are all that we are not” means that people are what they aren’t really supposed to be; it is basically saying that people are fake. Over time peoples beliefs about things change and it’s usually influenced upon other people. Sometimes people think that in order to fit in into “what’s in” or what “most” people like, they will have to say or do things that they wouldn’t really ordinarily do because they feel like and stand up for their own beliefs, not for what the majority of people think is right. I honestly look up to people and admire people who are opinionated and stand by what they have to say or don’t change their state of mind because someone else didn’t have the same mentality or what most people in the world thought was right or what they think most people would go for. I like when people make protest and things like that to show how strongly they feel about something instead of not doing something because they think that it won’t make a difference. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference in the world and if more people had the ability to actually want to make a difference maybe this world can be a better place for everyone. This is where the statement “We are all that we are not” means. I can apply to this in my life because I’m not going to lie, I have been influenced from other aspects in my life but I now know that I can change that and MY own decisions in my life.

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  15. "We are all that we are not" has a different meaning to everyone. This can mean anything to a person, each individual has there own view of what this quote means. To me this means we say we are not a certain way, but we really are. People say they don't like people that act a certain way, but in reality they are that person. Everyone thinks they are a certain way they see themselves, but they really are not. They are the opposite of what they think they are. Everyone has different views, and they really don't see the real things they are. In reality none of us are who we think we are, we are what we do not want to be. Everyone sees differently about who they are, and other people different see each other differently, and overall everyone is who they think, they are, but are also what they do not want to be. In life everyone is who they want to be, they are kind and caring, but at the same time they are not that way, they have their mean side which certain people see and it changes how they are. Everyone is someone they do not want to be, but in reality they really are. "We are all that we are not" can mean anything to anyone and to me it means we all have qualities that we say we do not have. We may deny it, but we all are what we do not want to be.

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  16. A million stars glittered above us. It was so peaceful laying here; the warm sand underneath us and the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore. He played with my hair as I traced random designs with my finger onto his palm.
    “Kelly?” , he whispered.
    “Hmm?” ,I mumbled into his chest.
    “What’s something you’re afraid of? I mean really afraid, not like being scared of bugs.”
    “I’m not sure, give me a second to think about it.” , I said.
    He nodded and went back to playing with my hair. It was an unusual question to most but for us it was normal; I would always ask him random questions and sometimes he would do the same.
    I turned the question over and over in my mind until I came up with an answer that seemed suitable.
    “I guess I’m afraid of life.” I started, looking at the beautiful night sky. “ I’m scared of not living my life fully or being able to support myself. And I’m scared that my life won’t have any impact on anyone or anything. That’s scary to know that your life has no impact, that it’s just another one among a billion others.”
    I waited for what seemed like forever until he finally responded.
    “That’s interesting....but your life does matter even if it’s just another one among a billion others. So who cares if you don’t affect the world? But you do affect the people around you and you’ll be remembered by us. Your impact may be a small one but it’s still there.”

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  17. “We are all what we are not”
    We are all what?
    What are we really?
    What defines us all?
    Is it the things that we do?
    The choices we make?
    Or is it the things that fly by us?
    Are we defined by the choices that we were too scared to take?
    Are our lives described by the things that we chose to do or the things we never considered doing?
    “We are all what we are not
    This to me means that we are not what others describe us as
    We are the complete opposite of people’s expectations
    This means that we are what we want to be
    When someone says you won’t make it far in life
    That you won’t, can’t do something
    That you aren’t capable of something
    This quote
    This small section of words
    “We are all what we are not”
    Tells you that you are the complete opposite of their words
    This quote says
    You can go as far as you wish in this life
    That you will and can do whatever you wish
    That you are more than capable of doing what your heart wishes
    That you can complete and conquer your dreams
    So what are we?
    We are everything that we are not
    We are everything that we want to aspire to be
    We are our own definition of who we are
    No one in society can tell you who you are
    They can only tell you the opposite
    Because truly we just are what we are not

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  18. "We are all that we are not" is a very meaningful quote that applies to everyone. This quote means that every one of us is someone that we are not. It’s rare when someone is their own self because everyone wants to be someone they’re not. It means that we act like someone, either we pick it up from one of our friends, or something that your mom or dad does. You end up finding something that you want that you know you would never wear, but you buy it anyways because you want to look cool. You act this certain way because you want to fit in with everyone at your school, but you know that’s not you. You try to be someone you’re not is what the quote is trying to get across. Nobody is their selves anymore because we are all trying to be like someone else. You may try not to be someone else, but sometimes you don’t realize that you’re not acting like yourself because you are caught up in the moment. I admit that I am that way too. I can slowly see my vocabulary changing to stuff I have never said but I just picked it up from one of my friends. It happens to all of us and you can’t say that it doesn’t. Everyone wants to have that shirt or those boots just so you look like you belong and you seem popular, but it’s not you. So be yourself, even though it’s hard to.

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