Playground Memory (Narrative Essay)

In elementary school, I had many experiences that garnered memories. I was often bullied on the
playground during recess because of my skinniness and height. The larger boys saw me as a target for
their ego to inflate. They might have had problems at home, or were bullied themselves, and were
projecting their frustrations on me.

Anyways, after being locked in a locker, put headfirst into a toilet, punched and pushed around, called
names, played jokes on, and other abuse, I finally had enough. I cracked. I could not psychologically take
anymore hurt and punctures to my self-esteem.

A day or two after my birthday, I was on the school basketball court, shooting hoops. My mother had
given me a basketball as a gift, and I was reveling in the fun of this new sport. But as expected (though I
did not think about it at the time), another child started to bother me. He came up to me, and without a
word, took the basketball out of my hands as I was dribbling. I was so shocked and emotionally tied to
that gift that without a moment’s notice, I punched the kid in the face. I knocked him down and he
immediately ran away crying. I never asked if he was playfully taking the ball from me, but I had had
enough bullying in my day to react strongly to such an action.

Apparently, the boy went to the principal and reported my violence. I was called to the principal’s office
during my next class, and walked in with my own form of ethics. The boy had been a bully, and he
deserved a repercussion. However, the principal and I did not see eye to eye, naturally. He called my
mother about the incident, and she was surprised that I would do such a thing. I had always been the
quiet kid, playing with toys by himself, or tagging along with other children as more of a witness than a
major participant. No one’s mother expects their child to punch someone, but it happens for certain
reasons. In my case, I had been dominated by my classmates for years, and that pent-up anger and
shame resulted in a violent action.

From then on, I figured out that I did not need to be bullied. I could take action. I found that my anger
and resentment gave me a wild strength, which was unmatched by the usual fighting powers of a calm
kid. In a way, I went to the dark side (in reference to Star Wars). I found a way to combat my enemies,
but not in the healthiest of avenues.

In middle school, I dug my nails into a boy’s arm and restrained him after he made several verbal attacks
towards me. He was much bigger and taller than me, but my anger guided me towards illogic and
throwing estimating my chances to the wind.

In high school, a junior beat up my twin brother. My brother and I were both freshmen at the time.
When I saw him next, I choked him and even dragged him up to a light post, where I banged his head on
a metal pole. His girlfriend was watching and was terrified. I do not know exactly what I had come over
me, but from that time in elementary school where I first used my fists to resolve an issue, I did not look
back. I had found a solution that made me feel strong, confident, and able to take on the world.
However, there was one problem: it put holes in my bedroom door, it led to unnecessary attacks on my
family, and I found that the sensation of not being able to control my anger troubling.

Thank heavens I started to meditate. By the time I was 19 years old, bullies were not a problem
anymore, and I had no use for my boiling anger. When I started to meditate every day, I found that the
person beyond the anger was much more agreeable to be around. I wanted to be more like that
person every day. So, I continued to meditate daily, and eventually I became the person that I wanted
to be. I learned that anger was a temporary solution, but I did not need to drag it on throughout the
years. Now, I am much more satisfied to be peaceful inside.

What Makes an Ideal Friend? (Descriptive Essay)

To say what an ideal friend is is not the easiest thing to do. Each person has his or her own perception of
what one would be. However, speaking generally, there are certain attributes that most people deem
characteristic of an ideal friend. Loyal, trustworthy, open to show weakness, caring, reassuring, and
inspiring are common qualities that the majority of people attach to ideal friends.

Loyalty is a usual attribute given to ideal friends. According to Psychology Today, “Loyalty is valued early
on in all of our relationships, from the time we make our first friendships. We need friends who won’t
spill our secrets to others, gossip about us, or allow others to criticize us” (“The 13 Essential Traits of
Good Friends”). The worst action between friends is double crossing one individual, or not keeping one’s
word.

Also in the vein of loyalty, ideal friends are usually referred as being trustworthy. In a statement by
Psychology Today, they say that, “Trustworthiness is often the “make or break” element in any
interpersonal relationship. Any breach, regardless of perceived magnitude, can devastate a
relationship. Trustworthiness is comprised of several components, including honesty, dependability,
and loyalty, and while each is important to successful relationships, honesty and dependability have
been identified as the most vital in the realm of friendships” (“The 13 Essential Traits of Good Friends”).
In light of this, a ubiquitous pet peeve of friends is a lack of honesty, and this is at the heart of being
trustworthy.

In line with being honest is also the capacity to show one’s weaknesses. According to the Book of Life,
“The ideal friend doesn’t try to prove how robust and successful they are; on the contrary, quite often
they let us know awkward and potentially embarrassing things about themselves. They show how much
they trust us by confessing failings and sorrows which would open them up to possible humiliation from
the world beyond. They offer us the gift of their vulnerability” (Cotton, Jess). That openness is treasured,
as to be close to an individual, one must be willing to share his or her true feelings and states.

Caring is the essence of love, many say. In the words of ReachOut.com, “Friends will come and go in
your life, but more important than how long your friendships last is your friends’ acceptance of you for
who you are. A good friend walks the talk and shows that they care by their actions – big and small”
(“What Makes a Good Friend?”). An ideal friend cares for your well-being over any issues that may arise
between you two.

A part of caring is being reassuring. According to The Book of Life, “They don’t just flatter; they
understand how easily we lose perspective, panic and underestimate our own ability to cope. They
know we’ve got zones of fragility that need to be treated gently. Sometimes they get us to laugh at
ourselves, when on our own we’d be inclined to self-pity or rage” (Cotton, Jess). Ideally, a friend will do
his or her best to lift your spirits when you are down.

Another part of being uplifting is the quality of being inspiring. As The Book of Life says, “More often
than it’s comfortable to admit, we don’t quite know what we think until a proper friend gently asks us to
expand on a thought, to explain why we’re impressed by it and to find good answers to possible
objections. They see the potential in what we’re saying when we can’t” (Cotton, Jess). So, an ideal friend
allows us to expand on our ideas and for them to be greater than a momentary thought.

There are more qualities that could be spoken about when talking about an ideal friend. However, these
are the most commonly mentioned. Being loyal, trustworthy, open to displaying weaknesses, caring,
reassuring, and inspiring are often stated as attributes of an ideal friend.

LeBron James (Expository Essay)

Lebron James (LeBron Raymone James Sr.) is one of the most popular basketball players now, and
sometimes considered the best basketball player in the world. He won the National Basketball
Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player Award four times, three NBA Finals MVP Player awards, and two
Olympic gold medals. James has also been in 15 NBA All-Star Games and was the MVP All-Star MVP
three times. This is just a short list of his accomplishments, as he has dominated the sport since his teen
years. Even though people know him as a phenomenal basketball player, this essay will divulge
information about his private life and what journey he went on to become a professional basketball
player.

He was born in 1984, December 30, in Akron, Ohio. His mother, Gloria Marie James, was 16 years old at
the time of his birth, while his father, Anthony McClelland, has a criminal record and was not present in
his early life and now. As a single mother, Gloria, moved from apartment to apartment, ending up in
Akron. She struggled to find a stable job. Eventually, worried about LeBron’s upbringing, she brought
him to live with a local football coach named Frank Walker. LeBron was nine years old at the time, and
the Walker introduced basketball to him (Sharp, Anne Wallace).

By the time he was in the fifth grade, LeBron was playing in an organized basketball team. Namely, he
played for the Northwest Ohio Shooting Stars for the Amatuer Athletic Union. He made strong bonds
with teammates Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. They had a lot of success at the local and
national level while being on the team, and they decided they would all go to the same high school to
remain as a team. Controversially, the four students chose to attend St. Vincent–St. Mary High School,
which primarily was a white school, whereas LeBron and his friends were black (Nichols, Rachel).

It was obvious that LeBron was a natural, as even as a freshman, he dominated the high school circuit.
In his first year, he averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game. The St. Vincent–St. Mary High
School’s team, The Fighting Irish, went undefeated in the season, 27–0. This made a new record for the
first high school boys basketball team in Ohio to go undefeated in a season. After this first year, Lebron
was a sensation, and went into his sophomore a star. He did not disappoint the fans, with 25.2 points
and 7.2 rebounds with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some games, bigger venues had to be
booked to accommodate the amount of people who wanted to watch the games of the team. NBA
scouts were already taking a keen notice of LeBron. That year, the team went 26–1, and LeBron was
named “Ohio Mr. Basketball” and was chosen for the USA Today All-USA First Team. He was the first
high school sophomore to do so (NBA.com: Prospect Profile: LeBron James).

Before entering his junior year of high school, LeBron was getting a lot of press. He was featured in the
American basketball magazine Slam on the cover, and was called, “the best high school basketball player
in America right now” (“Ohio Player”). LeBron also became the first high school basketball
underclassmen to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. His junior year was spectacular as well, with
an average of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game. Again, he was crowned “Ohio
Mr. Basketball” and selected for the USA Today All-USA First Team. In addition, he became the first
junior ever to be named male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. However, his team did
not do as well as in the previous two years, with a record of 23–4 (Sharp, Anne Wallace). This was a
difficult time for him, as he was getting a lot of media attention and he did not know how to deal with it
properly. He started to use marjuana as an anti-stress tool. To add to the anxiety, he wanted to enter
the NBA draft early, but the NBA would not sway the rules for him, and he had to compete in his senior
year in order to enter the NBA. Just a side note: LeBron also played football through his freshman to
junior year, and also produced a good record (“LeBron’s Book Shows Struggle With Fame”).

His averages continued to make gains, with his senior year closing out at 1.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6
assists, and 3.4 steals per game. LeBron and the Fighting Irish played against many national teams, and
some games were even televised as pay-per-view games due to LeBron’s fame. For a new record,
Lebron was named “Ohio Mr. Basketball” and selected for the USA Today All-USA First Team for the
third year in a row. Again, he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year. He participated in many
end-of-the-year competitions for high school and officially entered the NBA draft. There were some
issues during his senior year, though, with run-ins with the law. His mother gave him a gift of a Hummer
through a loan based on his viability as a future NBA player. This was against the rules of the Ohio High
School Athletic Association, but he was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing. Furthermore, he accepted
gifts from fans who wanted him to pose for pictures with them. He was suspended for two games for
this, but made an amazing comeback in the game after the suspension, scoring a high school career-high
of 52 points (Bolch, Ben).

In the 2003 NBA Draft, he was the first overall pick. His hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, chose
him. And the decision seemed to be a solid one: in his first NBA game, he scored 25 points against the
Sacramento Kings, which set a record for the most points scored by a prep-to-pro player (“Expectations
for James More than Met”). The rest, you can say, is history.

LeBron James might be the best basketball player of all time, if not the most talented. Coming from a
mother without much of a home to give, he found wings in the home of a football coach. He played
football and basketball throughout his school days, but excelled most in basketball. By the end of his
freshman year in high school, he was already a local and even national star. And by the time he was a
sophomore, it was clear he was going to be in the NBA. Through some legal issues, problems at home,
and media attention, LeBron found the strength and focus to play to the best of his ability and became
an international sensation in sports history.

Why It Is Better to Be Moral than Immoral (Persuasive Essay)

There are many criminals that roam the earth for the benefit of themselves. There are also many
hedonists that believe that everything done for the greatest pleasure is ultimately the purpose of life.
However, I want to make the case today for morality over immortality. For this essay, I will consider
morality according to Oxford Dictionaries: “Principles concerning the distinction between right and
wrong or good and bad behaviour.” Though morality is a rather subjective subject, there are some
principles that are universal across all cultures found by an Oxford University study: “help your family,
help your group, return favours, be brave, defer to superiors, divide resources fairly, and respect others’
property” (“Seven Moral Rules Found All around the World”). The fact that these morals are found
across 60 cultures from around the world demonstrates that morality, though subjective, is the
cornerstone of keeping our societies together. Here are some reasons to be moral: without morality, a
social life is almost impossible to maintain; having a good reputation and having a clear conscience is
psychologically healthy; and most philosophies regard altruistic and principled behavior as important.

There is no doubt that without morals, a society cannot function effectively. Chaos would rein.
According to the Society of Morality, “We are social animals, and the actions we take — the things we
do and the things we don’t do — have consequences on our environments and on the others around us.
As a result, we need to be able to govern our behavior in the near term so as not to injure ourselves or
our community in the long term. This system of controlling our actions and our thoughts in order to
operate in a community is what we often refer to as morality” (Society of Morality). Therefore, we need
a set of morals in order to operate within a social circle and a social environment. Acting immoral usually
results in being excluded from social activities or being shunned by a society based on laws and cultural
norms.

Besides acting moral having a sociological need, it also has a psychological basis. Most people are
concerned to some extent about their reputation. According to PsyPost, “A lot of economic models of
human behavior assume that people are only rational when they narrowly pursue their own self-
interest, but history shows us that people are also tremendously concerned with being and appearing
moral” (Dolan, Eric W). So, the fear of one’s reputation being tarnished is often a strong motivator to be
moral. And if someone has been immoral, most people go out of their way to make sure no one finds
out, or to correct the behavior in order to not be caught. This goes in line with conscience as well.
People generally feel in a better psychological state if they feel that their conscience is clean. A dirty
conscience can result in a lack of sleep, anxiety, internal stress, and even illness.

On the side of philosophy, the study of ethics comes into play. Most philosophers agree that one should
rationally choose a set of standards of behavior in order to function. Though there is moral relativism,
there are universal anthropological morals, as mentioned in the introduction. By the nature of our
societies and cultures, we choose what we believe is right and wrong. But surprising, this rational
behavior comes to a general consensus on morals. So, there is a fine line between moral relativism and
moral absolutism. Morality is neither completely relative, and neither absolute (“Morality”). But the
main thing to take away from this discussion is that philosophers generally believe that each individual
has the right to rationally come up with a set of ethics to live by, and that it is healthy to do so.

Being moral benefits us in many ways. Socially, it allows us to fit into groups better and to be in concord
with others. Psychologically, acting moral keeps our reputation solid and maintains a clear conscience.
Lastly, being moral is advocated by philosophy, which tells individuals to seek to carve one’s own sense
of ethics to operate in this world and to understand oneself. Besides, it just feels better to be moral,
overall.