Supporting the unsupported

Today, America is divided into two huge groups: republican or democrat. Although there are hundreds of political parties to choose from, varying in religious bases, opinions and political views. If everyone in America took the time to search, there would be a political party for just about everyone, that they agreed with almost one hundred percent. So why, then, do the republican and democratic parties have so many supporters? If there is a better suited group out there for someone to put there vote towards, why would they compromise half of their beliefs to the republican or democrat parties?

The problem lies in the economic and historical support that these two massive parties have gained over the years. With so much support from benefactors, pouring money into their systems, these two parties have nothing stopping them with their billion dollar budgets as compared to the smaller parties with million dollar budgets at best. This problem of money bringing a group to the top is raised in Virginia Woolfs essays. In one chapter, she discusses the difference in the foundation of the mens college versus the foundation of the women's college. Basically, she says that historically, the men's college has always had economic support, and many people have and continue to invest their money into it because they trust it and know it. The men, therefore, get a good education, and the outcome of the investments is positive. The women's college on the other hand is newer and doesn't have the historical success that the men's college has, so investing money in the women's college is risky.

But is it so wrong to take a shot at helping the women's college, even though the outcome isn't sure? In a more modern sense, is it wrong to support a smaller political party that you agree with more, even if it means your vote and money may not be heard? I believe that the only way to truly exercise change is by supporting what you believe in no matter what. If everyone says they will compromise for something they don't totally agree with just because otherwise their vote won't count, then you'll end up with a lot of unhappy people. I think if some smaller parties were more largely advertised, people might agree between five or six major parties, rather than just two, and therefore would compromise less of their beliefs. So when it comes to supporting things just because they are popular, I'd say it's time to help out the little guys, and let minorities influence the polls a bit more.

Jealousy

      "Jealousy is the thief of joy" says Teddy Roosevelt. Jealousy is something that everyone experiences at one point or another, and can really take hold of someone's life in a small amount of time. With too much thinking, someone can morph something good into a source of anger and jealousy in their life. Jealousy comes from wanting what one doesn't have, and often it is the case that in this desire for other things, the things that one already has are overlooked and they become unimportant and under appreciated.

      In The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the jealous state of the mistress over her husbands "favorite" slave leads the mistress to a cruel and vicious state in which she preys upon the slave girl, trying to find proof of an affair or wrongs done that never happened. Her jealousy drives her to madness, and to the point of stalking the slave.

      In court, jealousy is the motive for countless murders, and has been used to convict people for sudden bursts of violence as a result of that jealousy. In the case of O. J. Simpson, he was convicted of murdering his ex-wife out of jealousy. He was found not guilty, but many people still would believe that he did it and killed his wife for jealousy. People understand how far jealousy goes, and how much it can warp a persons frame of mind and sanity.

      In my opinion, jealousy is a horrible thing and really makes people ungrateful for what they have. I get jealous a lot, which I really don't like about myself, but when I get jealous, I try to think about all the blessings in my life and not focus on what I don't have. I think that people should focus less on the things they want, and more on what they have, because we take a lot for granted and quite frankly, it really hurts us when we do so.