Whom Can We Trust?

What would you do if you saw any one of these men on the street? Would you just ignore them? Would you walk right past? You might take a closer look at Guy #1 but only because he has a crazy moustache, right? What if I told you that all three of these men were serial killers? That changes everything.

The book The Devil in the White City tells the true story of the World's Fair of Chicago in 1893. Half of the novel recounts the creation of the fair and its attractions. The other half presents the terrifying story of H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer and Guy #1. A fairly attractive and charming man, Holmes was able to lure women into his "Murder Castle" where, after he made them fall madly in love with him, he killed them in a variety of ways. The book provides chilling detail as it tells of how women adored his "bright eyes" and tendency to "touch them" in tender ways that forced the women to trust him naturally. After that, it recounts the screams Holmes endured and the excitement he felt.

This is not the only story of killers that demand trust. Take Guy #2 Ted Bundy. Also an attractive man, he preyed on the caring tendencies of women by pretending to be injured. After they agreed to help him with whatever activity he requested, he kidnapped and murdered them, often after raping them as well. Bundy was believed to be linked to the murder of at least 100 women that were "white, thin, and single and had long hair that parted in the middle." But guys, don't think you're safe! Guy #3, also known as John Wayne Gacy or the "Killer Clown," only looked for male victims from nine to twenty-five years of age. He also convinced his prey to trust him, and he killed them once they came to his home. That pretty much covers everyone who could be reading this, right?

The question we must ask is: whom can we trust? Most of the victims of these killers trusted in them. Holmes was married to more than three women at the same time, most of whom he later murdered. What are we supposed to do when we see a man asking for help on the side of the road? A man who is injured, kind, rather handsome? The truth is, I do not have much of an answer. There is no way to tell the genuinely charming people from the crazies. I have trouble trusting people anyway, and Devil in the White City has certainly not helped that. I suppose all we can do is to be careful and follow what our parents told us. "Don't talk to strangers." "Don't walk alone at night." Intuition is also an important tool. I know we women often have gut feelings as to whom we should believe. It is very unfortunate that our society has such people in it, but we must face that fact and be careful where we put our trust.

A Literary Slap in the Face

... or not. The video entitled A Dramatic Reading of an Actual Breakup Letter is one of the funniest videos I have ever seen on YouTube. The amusement comes not only from the hilariously bad writing but also from the narrator's reading.

After watching and laughing multiple times, I began to think about the background of the letter. Where did it come from? Who wrote it? Has the writer EVER had an English class... ever? Some part of me also began to feel sorry for the person who wrote the letter in the first place. Whoever this person is was obviously subjected to a terribly ridiculous relationship. If the horror of having a terrible relationship was not enough, the letter written was then placed on YouTube and made fun of in front of anyone who wants to watch. Viewers laugh at the relationship described, the funny voices used, the first grade writing.

When you think about it, this video is really just an example of a piece of writing gone bad. The author meant for the letter to hurt "Chris" and convince him that she or he (we can't assume) was done with the ups and downs of the relationship. Unfortunately, that purpose was completely shadowed by the horrible writing. No one can take the letter seriously with so many misspelled words, run-on sentences, and ridiculous "text talk."

So what can we learn from this? There really are stupid people out there. No, just kidding. We can all learn that good writing techniques are important. In order to properly express a point, authors need to know how to write properly. If a reader cannot understand what is being said in the plain-Jane text, then they will never understand the main purpose of the passage or the subliminal hints.

Moral of the story: pay attention in English class! That way, when you want to break up with someone via letter, they will actually pay attention instead of going on YouTube and making fun of you.

A Modern Marvel

For my confirmation, I received a book called Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla: A Woman's Life. At first, I pictured the book would be a semi-interesting, informative biography. I soon discovered inspiration and a wonderful story within the book's pages.

In a nutshell, Saint Gianna Molla was a modern day saint who lives between 1922 and 1962. She grew up with twelve siblings in a very religious family. She went to college to become a nurse to fulfill a need to help people. Gianna had four children herself, the last of which she sacrificed her life to give birth to. She remained as religious as her parents, and she went to mass every single day. She was the leader of many church youth and women's organizations. However, she also had many other interests such as opera, mountain climbing, and skiing. Of course, none of these took a larger place in her heart than that of her God.

Throughout the book, first-hand accounts of Gianna were given. In all of these accounts, family members and friends spoke of her appreciation of life and religion. One quote inpired me the most. "[Gianna took] pleasure in the small and great joys God grants us even in this world." I can always be greatful for the "great joys" that I experience such as when I succeed in a task or when I get a wonderful gift. This quote reminded me that we all should also be thankful for the "small joys" such as the weather on a nice day or a day that just seems to be going right. Often, I find this hard, but my eyes were opened to these small parts of my life.

During the pregnancy of her last child, Gianna discovered some complications that had three options to fix: an abortion, a surgery that would be very dangerous for the baby, or a surgery that would be very dangerous for Gianna. As she had a giving mother's spirit, Gianna chose the last option. Because of this, a few days after the baby was born, Gianna died. Her sacrifice for that of her child is incredible. I am not a mother, so I cannot really understand such love. I still ask myself, though, if I would be able to make such a sacrifice. Gianna knew that she would likely die, but she also knew that her baby would live. I also wonder how difficult the decision was to make.

There are thousands of Catholic saints out there. However, many of those modern saints are often overlooked. I am very glad that I could learn about a modern woman whose actions led her to become a saint. Who knows, maybe someone I know could become a saint.

"This is Your Moment, No Hesitation"

Every so often, I find a song that is so good, I listen to that song constantly. My newest song obsession is "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" by Shakira. This song has a killer beat that makes me want to dance. However, my favorite part about the song is the lyrics. Once I read the lyrics, I felt inspired and actually pretty confident.

The lyrics of "Waka Waka" are all about believing in oneself and being strong. Even the old adage "try, try again" is included in the inspirational message. One line of the song says "if you fall get up...and when you fall get up." Obviously, Shakira is singing about continuing the fight for whatever is needed, even if failure comes first. Every person fails at some point, and these lines remind us that failure is not necessarily the end.

My favorite line from this song says "your time to shine don't wait in line y vamos por todo" (which means "we go for all"). To me, this line is saying that we should go and take what we want to achieve. I also feel impowered and ready to face the world when I sing this to myself.

I continually play "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" everywhere. I love the song and the message that the lyrics send. This song was chosen to be the 2010 FIFA World Cup official song. After reading the lyrics and taking them into consideration, I can clearly see why. The song is empowering, and perfect for a soccer team hoping to win.

Food for Thought

Some books are pure entertainment. They take the reader into another world, and when the book is done, the reader thinks "hey, that was fun." Other books, however, not only entertain, but they also propel the reader into thought and questioning. One such book is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Not only did this book keep me reading, but I could not help but question myself, the characters, and both worlds: the real world and the fictional one.

The main character of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, was faced with great challenges during the annual Hunger Games during which her whole purpose was to kill everyone else in the arena. As I read, I found myself feeling almost weak. I know for a fact that if I were placed in the Hunger Games, I would be the first to die. Compared to Katniss and the other players, even the young and innocent Rue, I am seriously handicapped. I wondered how I could fare in such a situation, and I admired how the characters in the book showed such immense strength.

In the book, the Hunger Games are controlled by important people to make them interesting to watch and difficult to win. Throughout the book, the Gamemakers threw challenges and horrors at Katniss such as a spontaneous fire. However, they also seemed to bend the rules when they agreed to let two people win if they were from the same place. Then, a few days later, the Gamemakers revoked this rule. In other words, Katniss had to continually change her state of mind. One moment she has a partner, and the next she is supposed to kill him. I was astounded by how quickly she could adjust to these changes. As a person who resists change, I could see how difficult this would be.

I also was horrified at how a government could force such annual bloodshed. Not only did they force the Hunger Games to take place, they also forced all other citizens to watch. I cannot imagine how terrible watching such a program would be.

After I finished The Hunger Games, I found myself hungry for more so to speak. I cannot wait to find out how the rest of the trilogy plays out.