Life+less.A-4+p.3

Life Lessons Page III Charter 13 (Vanya) In South Africa white people are in control. Usually nobody cares about common black people. Kumalo and Msimangu travel to Ezenzeleni where white South Africans take care of blind black South Africans. For people in that area that is shocking because they are not getting any benefits from them. They just want to help! I think that's a life lesson because that proves to me that there are humans that are kind enough to care for others and not asking anything in return ** Chapter 13 (Brandon) I think that the world needs a larger influx of these kinds of people. Today a lot of people do things only for monetary value or something they can get in return for their ‘kindness’. I think kindness should be defined as doing something without expectation of a return. If one believes in karma the act should in turn help you in the long run. Although being kind without anticipation for something in return may seem hard to do and you may not understand why someone would do such a thing, but the act of doing it usually makes yourself feel better and eventually help you become a better person.  **

Chapter 14 (Vanya) In this chapter Kumalo learned a cruel lesson. His son got in jail because he killed a human. He was wrong and he deserves the punishment. But with him there was another young man. His father was not worried. He said he will just get a lawyer for him. When Kumalo had a thought about doing same thing he sharply cut off all of his hopes. He said it will not help him. As much as everybody is talking about due process it does not happen anywhere in the world. People who have the money and power always escape or get less punishment. ** Chapter 14 (Brandon) ** **It seems the world is becoming more and more corrupt as money makes the world run. More often then not people can be paid of in settlements and ruined in large law suits. I think it’s a sad day that when a piece of paper or a dollar only getting about 80 cents to each runs the lives of criminals and lawful alike.**

Chapter fourteen. (kate) I think this chapter shows what kind of person john k really is. Chapter 15(vanya) There are times when we as human beens blames our selves for things that we have nothing to do with. Kumalo blames himself for his son’s deeds. I believe it is the individual choice not someone else's. In such extreme situation as this I learned that there is always hope for better. His son has committed evil but he still has a chance to return to that clean environment that he grew up in with his parents.  There's always a certain level of guilt one associates with the loss of a loved one. Loving someone and being close to them comes with fights, trials as well as times that you'll never forget. If you have this relationship with someone it's bound to nag at you, that one little something you said that you think may have affected them in some way. The truth is the action is taken by the person and the person alone, there may be some sort of affect you may take in their actions, but the results are all their doing.
 * Chapter 15 (Brandon)**

Chapter 16(vanya) In this chapter Absalom’s girlfriend who is just a child is confused by adult world. She ran away from home because she was seeking for more quite life but she found even worse. Before Absalom she had three “husbands”. Trying to treat Kumalo as her family she gets confused and says that she would accept him as her lover. Kumalo is terrified by how much she is lost. He decides to take her home… The lesson that I learned is that this cruel modern world breaks lives of innocent children that are just overwhelmed by confusion. Kate: Sometimes in order to make it to the rainbow you must sit through the storm....   **Chapter 16 (Brandon)** The world with the media producing every negative image and article they can find tends to affect the young. Corruptible minds like the young can be easily molded and confused when what they learn from the media doesn't blend well with the real world.

Chapter 17 (vanya) At the end I was honestly surprised. A white lawyer strong in his field decides to defend Absalom in court in an assertive way. He gives great hopes. Kumalo just like I did thought that his service will be of a great cost. But Mr. Carmichael, the lawyer does it “pro deo” for God…

**Chapter 17 (Brandon)** It's always interesting to see someone act in the opposite way of what many people are stereotyped as. It kinda makes you wanna look at your self and ask why you thought someone would do one thing when they are their own person and have their own values.

Chapter 18(vanya) This chapter made me think of my country. Just like America it says that only if educated people would stay home and progress their land not someone else's… There were and are millions of Russian that leave their home that gave them all the potential and immigrate to other states without any regret. There is got to be a way to keep these people that are the future to their country… We have to learn how to appreciate these people and quit deporting them out. It is not done directly but it happened and is still happening.

The grass is always greener on the other side... words to ponder...
 * Chapter 18 (Brandon)**

Chapter 19(vanya) There are people in the world that do good to others and don’t ask for anything back. It is somewhat hard to understand that growing up in America… Arthur Jarvis was an engineer. But he was “engineering” a plan to save lives of those poor mine workers that have no influence. He was murdered because for someone it was not profitable. Hard to get a lesson out of it. Should we help the weak and die for it or live well on blood of others?..

 **Chapter 19 (Brandon)** The last part of your question Vanya should be asked of the tobacco companies. In this world of greed a lot of people are so enamored with money and power that they will do anything to achieve it. If you come between someone greedy like this and their goal I suggest you find the nearest path out of the way of destruction.

Chapter 20(vanya) I'm not a parent but I know that very often parents regret that they don’t spend enough of time with their children and learn their state of mind. Jarvis is impressed and very interested what his son wrote in articles about lives of African workers. All parents need to take their time and find out what their children are thinking and what they want.  It's true parents need to be involved in a childs life, but the level of involvement depends on the age of the person. When a child is small the world is broad and a fun place for a kid, as one grows older you realize life isn't as great as you once though it was. Stresses come into your life and you have difficulty handling them while juggling hormonal out bursts. I think this time is critical a parent should watch a child carefully to determine the amount of involvement they should have in their lives and where this involvement should be directed towards.
 * Chapter 20 (Brandon)**

Chapter 21(vanya) I was astonished when I read that black people were created by God to be __unskilled__. How can any believer say or even think that? How does race determine the level of skill?.. This proves to us that there are millions of “Christians” that are fake. They use their religion for some sort of benefit. They don’t follow it. World is a very dishonest place…

I don't know exactly how to respond, other than I don't believe I've seen that written in the Bible.
 * Chapter 21 (Brandon) **

Chapter 22(vanya) Law is never just for the weaker. In South Africa white dictate the laws to judges. It is proven that people with less power and influence don’t get treated as people with power. This type of false court system exists in every state today. We as humans cannot treat everyone equal. There is always someone more beneficial.  What? "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" sound familiar maybe? It's the foundation of our country although we are talking about Africa I don't see the logic behind treating someone better because they have more power. It's only beneficial for the person making the decision and all other parties become victim.
 * Chapter 22 (Brandon)**

Chapter 23(vanya) To me it is strange that people are excited by things that their life doesn’t depend on. Large deposits of gold were found elsewhere. So there might be another Johannesburg. Why people move their families and change their lives for a piece of metal that their life does not depend on?.. I haven't herd of anybody move because that new area had cleaner water, air or just to get closer to the family. It is always the money that rules over everything else.

**Chapter 23 (Brandon)** When your a man and you have a family you will do whatever it takes to provide. As for the gold it's only so appetizing, because you can become rich in one day and you can finally relax with your family. If you had to figure out how to feed your family everyday, you'd wish you knew where a gold mine was.

Chapter 24(vanya) Patience is the key to success.When Jarvis reads his sons letter and gets to the point where he tells his parents didn't teach him about South Africa he stops reading and almost leaves the house. It very important to finish what you are doing. Never give up. This should be applied to everything what everybody does.

<span style="color: rgb(235, 20, 20)">**Chapter 24(Brandon)** Patience is a virtue, success is only measure by what you apply to achieving your goals. If you could never do a push up a day in your life if you started by doing half push ups or even trying to do 1 push up everyday then eventually you will be able to do a lot of push ups. Patience is like whistle on a train of success, you can hear it coming, but you know you still have to wait till it's arrived to get on.

Chapter 25(vanya) In this chapter Jarvis teaches us a great lesson. Kumalo made a visit to the house where he was staying at. Jarvis spotted right away that something was wrong. When he discovered that it was Kumalo’s son who killed his son he didn’t burst into tears. He understood that it wasn’t him who did that so there is no reason to blame the stranger for this horrible deed. That’s what all people should do. Don’t blame the innocent.

<span style="color: rgb(246, 30, 30)">**Chapter25(Brandon)** I'm sorry Vanya... Our court system guidelines are 'Innocent Until Proven Guilty' therefore every time someone goes to court for something they are being blamed and until proven guilty are determined as innocent.

Chapter 26(vanya) As always the weak ones loose. Black miners have no power in state ruled by white racist men. The ones that have the money and power win. It doesn’t seem right but we have to get used to it. This was the “not written rule” since the beginning of human kind. I wish there could be a change but it is almost impossible to find a person that will behave ethically in every situation.

<span style="color: rgb(251, 24, 24)">**Chapter 26 (Brandon)** We are human as it's been said so many times before to dumb down our faults as a species... Judgments placed upon a specific race generally come with the predetermined and even hereditary thought that they are better. It's not always the person's fault for believing a certain way. Arthur's father didn't believe as he did until he died, it just takes a certain eye opening event sometimes for people to realize they've been wrong all along.

Chapter 27(vanya)

Some people are willing to change so much that they decide to be a nun. It is not something that you do for sort period of time. Becoming a nun is a life time decision that cannot be changed. Gertrude is even willing to give up her son. I guess some people are so tired with their old lifestyles that they are willing to go to extreme.

<span style="color: rgb(243, 22, 22)">**Chapter 27 (Brandon)** Being a Nun is very respectable, you lose all possessions, take a vow of abstinence, and forever pledge your life to serving God. I think it would be very humbling to live with some Nuns for awhile or Chinese monks, when all the menial things of life are pushed out of the way you can focus more on what really matters.

Chapter 28(vanya) The lawyer does his best to lessen Absalom’s sentence. Judge refuses on the ground that he struck the servant and had a loaded revolver which show Absalom’s intention to kill. What I learned from this is what I face with every day. Be ready to pay for your actions. If you did something kind be ready to be treaded well but if you tried something evil it will come back. <span style="color: rgb(249, 16, 16)"> What comes around goes around is the way the world goes, karma is an every day prevalent system of cycles.
 * Chapter 28 (Brandon)**

Chapter 29(vanya) At the present time young people commit most of the crimes. Absalom thought he was old enough to have a wife and he believed that he had enough of courage to kill a man. But when it was time for him to leave he burst into tears. He was holding on to his father because he knew that he was to young to face this punishment and die.

<span style="color: rgb(248, 18, 18)">**Chapter 29 (Brandon)** I don't think people think their actions through enough. Having a wife, creating a child, and killing a man is a lot of in the end, negative things for a young man. I believe if you took maybe five seconds to think about what you're doing before your next action that it could possibly change your life.

Chapter 30(vanya) Kumalo is a leader of religious group that promotes only positive characters. After his return he is not sure of holding that position because of his family. But his people reassure him of his ability to do that. They believe that that might only strengthen his teaches. Usually it takes something very difficult to overcome in order to build the character. Chapter 30 (Brandon) ** This is very true, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and once you've learned what you have from an experience you can tell others about it so that maybe they don't have to learn it the hard way.
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Chapter 31(vanya) In Russia we have a saying that a full person will not understand a starving one. For Arthur’s son it was hard to understand that there is a large number of children not only don’t have milk but are even dying from hunger. It is always hard for people who live without basic needs to understand that large number people who struggle to make their living. Chapter 31 (Brandon) ** You've had to walk a mile in a hungry person's shoes to fully realize what they're going through. It's very hard to understand someone else's trials when you're not going through one or have gone through it yourself.
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Chapter 32 (vanya) I would not say that this is the lesson that I just learned. But it is something that happens to me and and others very often. I realize that I did something wrong too late. Absalom understand that he was wrong and that he should die. But it is too late to change anything.

A lot of times when you realize exactly what you've done it's far to late to mend, imagine how Judas felt when he betrayed Jesus knowing before hand and still doing it.
 * <span style="color: rgb(240, 25, 25)">Chapter 32 (Brandon) **

Chapter 33(vanya) And again. I learned to move on. Kumalo should be the animus for Jarvis’s family but no. their bond actually got stronger. Now they help each other out in time of crises. In only at least some people would learn to do that… Chapter 33 (Brandon) ** Going through a big event like they have it tends to make people stronger making the bonds and family values they hold that much more stronger than before.
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Chapter 34(vanya) Always trust your first feeling! Kumalo wrote letter for Jarvis where he described his sorrow for the loss of his wife. He also admits that he thinks that his son is partly is responsible for this. Later he is undecided if he should send it. He was glad to find out later that Jarvis was understandable and is willing to help him to rebuilt the church. This saved him from leaving his village and escaping to other unknown place.

Despite if you believe you have one, the general consensus is that human's have a soul, whether it be good or bad generally is determined by the person, but if on the good side our conscience will tell us what to do like a little knocking hand on the back of our minds. It's generally in your best interest to go with this feeling and let destiny take over.
 * <span style="color: rgb(251, 19, 19)">Chapter 34 (Brandon) **

Chapter 35(vanya) “T<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51)">hough white men pay my salary, I work for Africa and not for them…” In order to be happy with your job you have to be enthusiastic about it. This young man understands that it is the reach white men that pay his salary but he devotes his profession to people of Africa whose lives depend on his knowledge and skills.

Any person that knows they're providing and enjoying doing it is going to be more productive then one whom barely makes it and hates what they're doing. <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'"> Chapter 36(vanya) <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'"> Its impossible to erase a family member. Kumalo knows that Absalom was wrong to commit all the sins he did. He deserves the punishment. But on the day before his execution Kumalo climbs a mountain so he can just think of him. This reminds me of my family a little. There were many things how my older brother didn’t live to the code of my family, how he disrespected it. But we have never forgot him. We have always have giving him a chance and he finaly starts to choose the right life path. He needed that support. Without it he would break and fall so far down that he would never be able againg to climb to the level of people with morals…
 * <span style="color: rgb(254, 1, 1)">Chapter 35 (Brandon) **

Sometimes it's best to put the past behind us and move on, because if we dwell on it here in the future we will again regret the thing we are neglecting, most probably in this situation Kumalo's family. Family is to come second to God and first before yourself, keeping in mind that it's not going to be easy if you have to lose one of them. Family will most always be their for you if you are their for them it's like a big mill, everyone contributes their own water to turning the wheel of life.
 * <span style="color: rgb(240, 36, 36)">Chapter 36 (Brandon) **