Where are all the Young Farmers?

There are less and less young farmers coming back to take over today’s farmers jobs. Today’s farmers can not feed the world forever.  This might be because of the hard labor involved with the job or even the fact that most kids do not know the benefits to farming especially kids from urban areas who have not grown up on a farm or rural community. This topic is interesting to me for many reasons.  First of all I have a farm/agriculture related background and have helped a farmer (my dad) for just about my whole life.  Farming is a very possible career choice for me.  It is important to know that although farming is a risky business that anyone can be successful at it with a good work ethic and good decision making no matter what your background is.  Also, farming is not an all year round job.  There are periods of time where you work long hours constantly but only for a short while which makes the job very bearable.  The heart of this issue is to get young farmers to step up and take the place of the farmers ready to retire.  Hard work is all that comes into mind when I think of farming.  You only get as much out of it as you put into it.  This may be confusing to some people but if you do not have a hardworking attitude in this business chances are you probably won’t be successful in it.  I feel this “felt sense” all through my body as I remember the long hours I have put into farming by helping my dad and remember that feeling of accomplishment after the end of every hard worked day.  The point I am trying to make is that more people should get involved in farming.  It might be hard work at times but it pays off in the end.  The feeling of accomplishment from this job is indescribable and that anyone can do it not only people with ag backgrounds.

Paying for College

Going to college is very expensive but that should not be a reason to miss out on an amazing experience.  I hate when people say, “I cannot go to college because it costs too much.”  If you put your mind to it no matter your financial situation through scholarships, savings and loans you can pay for just about any school you want to go to.  Recently, I have been applying for scholarships to help me pay for my fall admission into Purdue University.  I had no idea how much money is actually out there until I started looking for it.  The hardest part of scholarships is filling them out, not finding them.  Yes, some of them might be hard to fill out but think of like this, if it takes you 4 hours to fill out something that is will give you a thousand dollars in the future that is like you are making $250 an hour.  Most highschoolers nowadays have jobs as well.  Why not save some of the money you earn for your future?  You would probably spend that money going out to fast food or something stupid you do not need anyways if you’re a teen.  Instead, use it for something important and useful in your near future. Saving is something my dad has taught me and everyone should learn to do.  The sooner you can save and manage your money the better you will be when it comes to living on your own.  Also, every college that I am aware of has financial aid and student loans which help many students pay for the expenses of college as well.  You might have to pay more with student loans in the long run but it could be very worth it when you score a career job after college and not something that’s only paying minimum wage.  Paying for college is not easy but with the right mind set and work ethic anyone can do it.     

Torture

In his essay “Is There a

Torturous Road

to Justice”, Alan M. Dershowitz writes about torture and proposes for a torture warrant.  Although he is not exactly arguing for torture in this essay, if you read a little after it you find out he has been accused for supporting torture.  However, I believe that torture is inhumane and should not be used.  Yes, it might be effective and possibly faster then other ways, but my mom always taught me to treat others how I would treat myself.  If an American solider got caught by some enemy, would the government, military, his family want him to be tortured?  It goes both ways.  If we torture people, people will torture us.  Where is the good in that?  I am sure there are other ways to extract information without causing pain to the person with holding the information.  It is immoral and in my mind should be considered a sin.  Only under one circumstance should it be considered.  If it will save thousands of lives from a bomb or some other danger should it be used as last resort.  I am not stating I agreed with it, I am only saying harsh times call for harsh measures sometimes if no other option is possible.  Even torturing isn’t a 100% effective though.  I am sure there are people out there who have high enough pain tolerances or loyal to something enough to where they will die before they say a word.  Plus what would make them not tell you false information to stop torturing them before it is to late and the bomb they planted somewhere exploded.  In, conclusion torturing should not be used because it is immoral, not 100% effective, and it is not the only way to retrieve information.  We have other options here people so lets use them.

Being social in life is much more important than being intelligent.  Yes, succeeding in school is important but it is not everything in life.  I would much rather have friends all around me and be happy with some sort of common sense than be an isolated genius where learning is my life.  I am not saying I do not want to learn and be active in school but rather go through life meeting new people and being active in the community.  Being social can give you contacts to possibly many interesting and helpful people.  You do not have to be smart to live life.  There are many people who succeed in life with very low IQ’s.  Common sense can take someone a long way.  Looking at my dad for example, he is someone who only graduated high school and has made his life very successful with his street smarts and good work ethic.  Personally, I see life as something to enjoy.  It is something to use to go out and make memories with.  I am not saying if you have a high IQ you are not social.  I am simply saying to take time out for yourself to have fun.  A relief from studies is always needed no matter who you are from time to time.  Memories last a lifetime.  What do you see as a more important memory?  A fun time you had with your friends or studying in some library.  Life does not last forever. That is why I suggest to live it to the fullest.