Attitude Is Everything

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had

something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply,

"If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from

restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He

was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the

employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I

don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied,

"Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can

choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good

mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn

from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can

choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the

positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices.

When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to

situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good or bad

mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said.

Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I

often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several

years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant

business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed

robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand shaking from nervousness, slipped off the

combinations. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma centre. After 18

hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with

fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my

scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the

robbery took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,"

Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to

live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But

when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the

doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' I knew I

needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was

allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for

my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, "I am

choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I

learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is

everything.

713 words

The Controllers

Warning! Warning! Alarms go off inside your head. You’re at the mall walking around with

one of your best buds looking at CDs, when all of a sudden you look up and see this drop

dead gorgeous girl, whose looking at CDs in the next aisle. You grasp the CD case you were

looking at firmly, and use the reflection quickly to make sure none of your pimples are ready

to burst, and that your hair is fixed right. You glance down at your pants making sure they are

set right on your shoes to make them look as cool as possible. Then you make sure that your

shirt is straightened up. You take a breath and look up. She gives looks at you out of the

corner of your eyes and you feel a skip in your chest. She looked at you! You automatically

double checked with your eyes to make sure your zipper’s zipped and that she’s not laughing

at you, but she’s really smiling at you. Wow, you think, she must really think I look cool!

That was only a brief glimpse into the complicated life of a teenage boy. A boy, who reads

magazines, wants a car, plays video games, and watches a lot of TV. Every morning he

wakes up and picks out his clothes sometimes taking them off and putting on others that

match better. His ultimate goal is to look as good and cool as possible, like those guys in the

Gap commercials on TV, with their perfect smiles and their arm always around that really hot

girl.

Why have we as males become more concerned about our looks and body? It seemed that

only twenty years ago it was just the girls really worrying about their makeup and nails. Even

though we have not come so far as to put on makeup and paint out nails weird colours to

match our 300 ringgit outfit to go to the mall, we have become more aware of looking cool

and more attracting to the opposite sex. Yet it seems as if instead of looking to better out

grades and get a good job to attract females we’ve started to look more and more at our looks

then what we do and who we are.

What we teens don’t realize is that TV has a bigger impact on our daily life then we think it

does. It’s become the government’s way of talking to us. It’s also a way of communication

and entertainment. Since the 1940’s, when the television really became open to the public,

the news and our favourite shows have shown us different parts of the world. It imposed new

ideas and little by little, changed society. Since companies started to use the television to

advertise and introduce new styles, society has started to desire to be those people on

television.

When I was younger and watched more TV, I would usually watch cartoons about

superheroes saving the world, like Captain Planet or the Ninja Turtles. A lot of times I would

try to imitate their hairstyles to make myself more like them. Now we do the same thing with

the serial comedies and action shows, though now we don’t admit that we want to imitate

these people as openly.

Most of the men and guys on TV look good or have good bodies. They most likely wear the

clothes that are in style. In the movies, these guys often get the girl or are the hero of the

picture. As of late, in shows like Friends, and The Read World, where the relationships are

shallow and mostly based on looks, have become more and more popular. A lot of times the

reasons that they dump a guy are because he needs to lose fat around some areas.

Shows like these only make guys more self-conscious about their looks because they think

that the girls expect us to be a rippling Arnold Schwarzenegger with a perfect body and this

puts a lot of pressure for common guys to look cool and dashing.

Another source that has altered the male thinking is the magazine. Nowadays, girl magazines

like Cosmopolitan encourages women use the power to choose and be ahead of the

relationship, it also places stress on guys to look better for girls, and this stress in turn has

made other magazines come into existence and feed off of the new male impulse to look

better. I looked on the internet and found at allyoucanread.com their list of the top twenty

men magazines. Three of them were aimed to help men look better and be fit. They also

contain ads that promote the idea of having muscles and being cool, which encourages a lot

of guys to use steroids and lift weights.

These magazines are read by a majority of the male population in America, and anything that

gets published in them is sent out to a couple million males. Their opinions become the

public’s opinions. Personally, I was surprised to see so many health and fitness magazines.

Both magazines and the television have had a big effect on why we as males are more

concerned about our looks now, then fifty years ago. They control the need to look good

around the world. The real struggle is to not let these materials conflict with what we really

know. When you consider it in the long run, these things do not matter: popularity, money,

and what you do. Focus more on what matters, like relationships that are not based on

whether your hair looks good, or if your face is clear of acne.

Two Dads Are Better than One

I've always envied people with only two parents. They never have to feel sorry for their real

father because he is lonely, and they never have to feel they should care more about their

stepfather because he is the one who has provided them with the necessities most of their

lives. Since I have two fathers, I have known these feelings. I know what it's like trying to

decide which father I should care about more so that I could tell my friends the next time they

asked. It really should be a clear-cut decision. My two fathers are so different in everything

that I should be able to look at these differences and decide.

A major difference between the two is how responsible they are. My stepfather has always

had a steady job. He enjoys going to work each day and knowing that at the end of the week

he'll get a paycheque. With this paycheque he pays bills, buys groceries, and makes sure we

all have clothes to wear. On the other hand, my father doesn't particularly care for steady

jobs. He is a singer and has worked three or four nights a week in nightclubs most of his life.

With his money, he buys things like new guitars and amplifiers. His idea of providing for us,

as Mom tells me, is to send ten dollars a month, which is to be divided three ways. He only

does this, however, when he's out of state.

Discipline is another major difference between my two fathers. My stepfather, who can be

very strict at times, believes that children should obey their parents, do what they are told

when they are told to do it, and respect their elders. My father, who was never disciplined

himself, has quite different views. He has always encouraged my brothers and me to rebel

against rules, to ask why we had to do certain things, and to resent being made to do things

we thought were stupid. (Going to bed at ten was stupid.) My mother always told us that our

father only did this to cause trouble, but I'm not so sure about that. Maybe he did, but then

again maybe he thought going to bed at ten was stupid, too!

Education is another big issue my stepfather is concerned about. He believes, like many

people, that to be able to succeed in life, one has to have a good education. He always told us

that he didn't want us to turn out like he did, a truck driver who had to be away from his

family for weeks at a time. He used to punish me and my brothers for making C's on our

report cards. His theory is that a C is average, and his kids are not average. I wouldn't place

any money on that. My father believes that an education is good to have, but one doesn't have

to have it to survive. He always says, "Look at me; I made it." I don't think, however, that I

would call sleeping in the back of a station wagon "making it."

So here I have it. All their differences down on paper, and I can look at them objectively and

decide which father to love more, but it isn't that easy. I love my father because he is just that,

my natural father. I respect him; I am obligated to him, and I want to make him proud of me.

Then there is my stepfather, whom I respect very much; whom I feel obligated to; whom I

want to make proud of me; and, most important of all, whom I have grown to love as much as

any child could possibly love a parent. I guess I'll never really know which father I love

more. I don't see why I should have to love either more. I think I'll just love both of them in

almost equal amounts.

Should Dangerous Sports Such As Boxing Or Motor-Racing Be Banned? (yes – answer)

Millions of people play sport every day, and, inevitably, some suffer injury or pain. Most

players and spectators accept this risk. However, some people would like to see dangerous

sports such as boxing banned. This essay will examine some of the reasons for banning

certain sports.

Some sports are nothing but an excuse for violence. Boxing is a perfect example. The last

thing an increasingly violent world needs is more violence on our television. The sight of two

men (or even women) bleeding, with faces ripped open, trying to obliterate each other is

barbaric. Other sports, such as American football or rugby, are also barely-concealed

violence.

Some people argue that the players can choose to participate. However this is not always the

case. Many boxers, for example, come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are lured by

money or by social or peer pressure and then cannot escape. Even in richer social groups,

schools force unwilling students to play aggressive team sports, claiming that playing will

improve the students’ character (or the school’s reputation), but in fact increasing the risk of

injury.

Even where people can choose, they sometimes need to be protected against themselves.

Most people approve of governments’ efforts to reduce smoking. In the same way,

governments need to act if there are unacceptably high levels of injuries in sports such as

football, diving, mountaineering, or motor-racing.

I accept that all sports involve challenge and risk. However violence and aggression should

not be permitted in the name of sport. Governments and individuals must act to limit brutality

and violence, so that children and adults can enjoy and benefit from sport.

272 words

Should Dangerous Sports Be Banned? (no – answer)

Today, many sports are becoming increasingly regulated. Boxing, rugby, soccer, and other

games are being targeted by sports bodies and medical organizations in an effort to improve

safety standards and to reduce injuries. However, for some people, this is not enough, and

they would rather see some dangerous sports banned completely. In this essay, I will examine

some arguments against banning dangerous sports.

Sports, competition, and games seem to be natural to humans. Young children learn their own

limits and strengths through play with others, but they also learn valuable social lessons about

what acceptable behaviour and the rights of others. Sport therefore is not just a physical

phenomenon, but a mental and social one.

Challenging sport provides a healthy, largely safe, physical outlet for aggression. There is

very little evidence to show that people who take part in dangerous sports become violent as a

result. In fact it is more likely that apart from the many friendships created in playing, sport

acts as a safety valve for a society by reducing stress. Moreover, sport teaches and requires

discipline, training, and respect for the rules – valuable lessons in any society.

Almost all sports involve some risk. Young rugby players are paralysed every year in scrums.

Scuba-diving accidents can lead to brain damage or death. Even golf or jogging can lead to

pain or injury. Without some elements of risk or challenge, sport becomes meaningless. A

marathon runner trying to improve his time, basketball players fiercely battling an opposing

team or a sky-diving team defying gravity – all are trying to push themselves to their

maximum. There is therefore no sport without danger.

There is also the issue of freedom. Without a wide range of sports, many people would feel

trapped or limited. People should be free to participate in activities with others as long as it

does not affect the safety of non-participants.

There also should be limits to the power of governments to ban sports. If one sport is banned

because of alleged danger, then what sport would be next? Boxing is the most common target

of opponents of dangerous sports. But if boxing is banned, would motor racing follow, then

rugby, wrestling, or weightlifting? Furthermore, many sports would go underground, leading

to increased injury and illegal gambling.

Nobody denies that regulation is needed. Medical bodies have introduced safety rules in

boxing, in soccer, and these safety regulations have been welcomed by players. But the role

of government should be reduced.

In conclusion, our society would be healthier if more people took part in sports of all kinds.

We should continue to try to prevent accidents and injuries. However, we should also ensure

that sports are challenging, exciting, and, above all, fun.

454 words

Is A Degree Less Important Now That Everybody Has One?

In the past, degrees were very unusual in my family. I remember the day my uncle graduated.

We had a huge party, and for many years my mother called him “the genius” and listened to

his opinion. Today, in comparison five of my brothers and sisters have degrees, and two are

studying for their masters’. However, some people think that this increased access to

education is devaluing degrees. In this essay, I will look at some of the arguments for and

against the increased emphasis on degrees in our society.

People have several arguments against the need for degrees. They say that having so many

graduates devalues a degree. People lose respect for the degree holder. It is also claimed that

education has become a rat race. Graduates have to compete for jobs even after years of

studying. Another point is that studying for such a long time leads to learners becoming

inflexible. They know a lot about one narrow subject, but are unable to apply their skills.

Employers prefer more flexible and adaptable workers.

However, I feel strongly that this move to having more qualifications is a positive

development. In the past education was only for the rich and powerful. Now it is available to

everyone, and this will have many advantages for the country and the individual. First of all,

it is impossible to be overeducated. The more people are educated, the better the world will

be, because people will be able to discuss and exchange ideas. A further point is that people

with degrees have many more opportunities. They can take a wider variety of jobs and do

what they enjoy doing, instead of being forced to take a job they dislike. Finally, a highly

educated workforce is good for the economy of the country. It attracts foreign investment.

In conclusion, although there are undoubtedly some problems with increased levels of

education, I feel strongly that the country can only progress if its entire people are educated

to the maximum of their ability.

339 words

Many Students Do Not Finish School. Why Is This To Happen And How Can The

Problem Be Solved?

Today, although most students in the UAE complete school, a large number still drop out

because of family, social and work pressures. This problem requires serious action from both

individuals and the government.

Most students who do not complete school do so because of family problems. Girls,

especially, want to get married and start a family. Some parents are not interested in

education and do not support their children in studying. Social problems are also a

contributing factor. Education is compulsory but, despite this, some people do not take it

seriously. Furthermore, jobs are available even if students do not have a good education. The

third reason is work pressure. Some families are poor and need their children to work in order

to increase the income. All these problems will create young people who do not have any

skills and who will not be able to improve their lives for the family and the country.

There are several things that can be done about these problems. Parents should be encouraged

to send their children to school. Schools with baby-minding facilities should be opened

specially for married students. The government needs to stress the importance of education

and even offer financial support to students to continue. This will encourage students to stay

at school rather than start working.

In conclusion, there are several things that the government can do to allow more people to

finish school. However, a number of society attitudes also have to change if the country’s

young people are to achieve their full potential. 256 words

Television News Shows Many Scenes Of Disasters And Violence. What Effect Can This

Have On Individuals And Society? (long version)

Satellite television and 24-hour news channels mean that viewers are inundated with images

of natural disasters, wars and conflict from around the world. While it’s important to know

what is going on in our world, it can be depressing or counter-productive to watch repeated

images of famine, fighting or fear. In this essay, I will ask if these scenes have a negative

effect on us.

Most people agree with the need for news organizations to provide us with up-to-date and

accurate information, and live pictures convey information in a way that words cannot. For

one thing, live footage or pictures allow us to understand the situation very rapidly. People

can grasp what is happening much more quickly than by reading long articles. A second point

is that pictures allow us to form our own idea of the situation, without input from the reporter

or journalist. A picture of a starving refugee baby or of riot police and tear gas does not seem

to need explanation. Finally, graphic pictures force us to see the situation as it affects normal

people, not the politicians at their meetings or in their expensive cars.

However, the constant barrage of images can be counterproductive. Instead of learning more

about the starving baby and what led to the situation, we push the image from our mind. To

protect ourselves, we group the images: another typhoon in the Philippines, another

earthquake in China, another bomb in Gaza. As more and more images appear we feel more

and more powerless and unable to contribute to solving the problem. A second point is that

news organizations compete to make their images more graphic: greater carnage, more crying

mothers, and angrier protestors. We also have to question the reliability of some of the

images: are they staged? Many television stations and journalists have their own bias and

agenda. The result of this is that watching the news becomes harder and we respond less and

less to the situation and to the human suffering.

In conclusion, we need to stay informed but we also need to limit our exposure to the

constant tide of news and shocking images. Too much can wear us down or make us callous,

and we need to get past the simplistic images and understand the story behind it.

400 words

Television News Shows Many Scenes Of Disasters And Violence. What Effect Can This

Have On Individuals And Society? (short version)

It’s almost impossible to avoid seeing images of famine, war, natural disasters, and violence

on our screens. These graphic images can encourage us to act, or leave us cold. In this essay I

will discuss the effects of these constant powerful pictures.

It’s natural to respond to other people’s suffering. When we see hungry children or frightened

refugees on our televisions, we want to send money or support. Huge relief efforts such as

Live Aid or Action for Haiti have resulted from ordinary people’s reactions. Another

natural response is anger. We ask our leaders to act to change the political or economic

situation that causes the pain. Some people also take action themselves. They volunteer time

in their home communities to raise funds, or even work or fight in the affected region.

However, the frequency of these painful and violent scenes can also have opposite effects.

First of all, it doesn’t seem right to watch tsunamis or other disasters while we are eating

breakfast. Some people become obsessed with bad news on the television or internet. Second,

it’s also natural to protect yourself and those around you. To reduce the impact on ourselves

or our families, we change the television channel or make a joke about the conflict or

continent affected. Finally, because the images seem never-ending, we get fed up sending

money which does not seem to have any effect. Many people feel powerless and therefore do

nothing, until an even more powerful image is forced on them.

In conclusion, these scenes can motivate us to act and help others, or they can discourage and

depress us. It’s probably better to think carefully about what we watch and our reasons for

watching.

300 words

Many People Say There Is A Need To Protect The Environment, But Do Not Really

Make Any Effort To Do Anything About It. Are You One Of These People? What Can

We Do To Encourage People To Take Action To Protect The Environment?

Most people are increasingly aware of the need to protect our environment. Despite this, not

many of us are really taking steps to reduce our impact on the planet. In this essay, I will

suggest some steps each of us can take and some ways to motivate others to do the same.

Many environmental problems seem so big that only governments, local authorities or big

companies can deal with them. One example is global warming. We need government action

to reduce emissions from coal and oil burning power stations and to develop safer sources of

power. These require tough regulations and huge investment. The loss of forests and other

habitat is another problem. How can we as individuals stop the destruction of the Amazon or

Indonesian rain forests? Yet another example is waste. When people live in cities, they may

not be able store or recycle waste, so huge landfills or incinerators are needed.

However, as consumers, we are the ones responsible for all these problems. First of all, we all

need to consume less power. We need to turn off lights, replace inefficient bulbs with low-

power ones, and not leave equipment on standby. Secondly, we need to control our surging

populations. Each of us can make a decision regarding family size. This has a huge impact on

the size of our cities and the need for food and more agricultural land. In addition, we need to

consider eating less meat and more vegetables and fruit, in order to reduce the amount of land

needed for meat. Generally, the main step we need to take is to live more simply. We need to

reduce our consumption, recycle, and reuse.

In conclusion, our choices, however small, do have a real impact. If each of us made took two

or three simple steps to live more simply, imagine the positive effect on the planet!

312 words

Why Women Should Not Have An Abortion

Many women in the entire world have abortions. Women believe there are many reasons to

abort such as fear of having or raising a child, rape, or not having enough money. But

whatever the situation, there is never an acceptable reason to get an abortion. Some important

reasons why women should not abort have to do with human values, religious values, and

values of conscience.

The first reason why women should not have an abortion is related to basic human values.

Women need to think about their unborn babies who are not responsible for this situation.

These unborn babies should have the privilege to live and grow into a normal person. Women

need to be more humanitarian and less egoistic with these babies. On the other hand, the baby

doesn’t know how or why he is here. It is not necessary to kill a life; there are many other

solutions to resolve this problem short of abortion.

The second reason why women should not abort has to do with religious values. In almost all

religions, a woman is not permitted to have an abortion. If they do, their religions will punish

them. In some religions, for example, a woman cannot take communion after having an

abortion, and before taking communion again, she must do many things as a form of

penitence. In whatever religion, abortion is punished and for this reason, women should not

abort.

Finally, the third and most important reason why women should not abort is the related to her

conscience. When a woman has an abortion, she will always think about the baby she might

have had. She will always think about the future that could have happened with her baby

which will always remind her that she killed it. Because she has had an abortion, she will

never have a good life, and her conscience will remind her of what she had done. Because a

woman who has an abortion can’t forget about what she has done, these thoughts will always

be with her, and the results can be calamitous.

There are many reasons why women should not have an abortion. The truth is that women

need to think about the consequences that can occur before having sexual relations. I think

that the effects of an abortion can be very sad for everyone involved, both for the woman who

has the abortion and for the family who lives with her.