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Islam
War on Terror
oil
desert
Taliban
refugees

Reflection:
I think the photos generally matched my thoughts about Afghanistan, I would probably add a few more words about the culture or the Soviet influence. The one that stood out most was the low quality image of the firearm execution, mainly because it was such a grim and low-quality image that immediately juxtaposed the generally hopeful but tragic high quality images of refugees. It felt like I was seeing a much uglier side to this tragedy.

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atonement - reparation for a wrong or injury / reparation or expiation for sin

redemption - the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil

I think the main difference between the two is that atonement is making the sin right by action, while redemption is simply being redeemed or forgiven for sin without doing anything to make it right. I don't think they're possible for everyone, but I wouldn't necessarily draw the line anywhere. If I truly believed a serial murderer had gotten better, regrets their actions, and wishes to make it right, then I absolutely believe they deserve to rejoin society. Realistically, though, that's never going to happen. Serial murderers rarely get better, tragically.

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I think I'm a solid and reliable friend. I don't really care about what my friends do, I can't really hold grudges, and my memory is too bad to remember any grievances friends have committed. At the end of the day, it doesn't even matter; if that friend doesn't like being friends with me, I'll stop. I wouldn't say that's conditional, because again, I couldn't possibly care about the conditions of my friendships.

I'd prefer honesty if I'm out of line, but I don't really make any big important choices that affect people other than me. At the risk of sounding like an ass, I kind of just ride the wave and make a few jokes. I think one of my most important friendships works because we compliment each other's personalities. I don't care about things enough, she cares about things too much. Stuff like that.

I mean obviously I've felt jealousy before, but at this point in my life it's so rare. Getting jealous is mentally unhealthy, so why bother? By the way, this is a way of thinking I've shared with friends and they've said I'm robotic because of it; if a way I'm thinking isn't constructive or doesn't make sense, I don't think that way, and this translates to jealousy. Jealousy doesn't really feel like anything now, if anything it's just a brief thought of "oh that would be cool" and then it's gone. I think jealousy has potential to be a great motivator for others, as they might strive to attain what they are jealous of, but ultimately, for me, it doesn't help anyone.

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Whether or not my day-to-day choices are productive, they make me happy. I feel happy. I'd say my biggest obligations of making that choice to go to school and work are just with the end goal of being happier later in life. In that way, my day-to-day choices are good and healthy.

It's hard to answer the next question being so young. I feel like a lot of my friends, myself included, feel like they haven't really made any hugely impactful life decisions. In middle school, it was really my fault that my friend group became what it is today as I brought in like one whole half of it. I guess that that choice dominoed into defining four people's social lives as my main friend group is incredibly tight-knit.

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Amir's guilt leads him to exclusively think inwards, only about himself. He looks at Hassan and despises himself, straight up bullying Hassan because he doesn't seem to resent him. Amir's not thinking about what Hassan may feel about himself, he only thinks about what Hassan may feel about Amir. Genuinely, from a place of utmost honesty, the only skeleton is my closet is that one time I was driving alone in the carpool lane at about 9:30 in the morning (just a half hour off, really) and I got pulled over for it. I told my parents obviously, but not my closest friends because I would never hear the end of it. I can absolutely forgive myself for doing that as I don't think I affected anyone's life by driving in that carpool lane on a July weekday morning.

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My mom, especially recently, is very outspoken and upfront about how proud she is. My dad and I have somewhat of an unspoken level of respect, and I know just as well that he’s proud of me. I don’t really have a preference for either, I can see that they both have their own way of showing it and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Sometimes parents might not reward a child with pride at every moment to prepare them for the world. You’re not going to be rewarded and applauded at every good thing you do, there’s a level of expectation in society. A tougher love approach would prepare you for that, and that’s okay. I think with my kid(s) I’d want to be as honest as possible with them. I’d wanna treat them as people with their own independent thought, and not pets who need to be trained. In my experience, children who are taught to think responsibly and well for themselves do much better and are much happier than those who are helicopter-parented into repression. I don’t think I’d hold back in my pride for them, but it’s not like they’d be showered with love and appreciation at every corner. Just a slight remark of my respect and pride I think.

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It’s hard to say at this point in the story. Amir undoubtedly couldn’t stand up for anything in his earlier years, evidenced by his decision to frame Hassan for stealing to get rid of him in a horrifically selfish attempt at ridding himself of the guilt. At this point in Amir’s life, he’s largely buried his past, so in that way, he hasn’t stood up for anything. Even as an adult he just sits with the guilt without ever trying to make anything right. However, it seems that Amir is trying to make things right. At this point, we could be looking at the making of a man who stands up for his own wrongdoings.

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Amir is enjoying his vicious beating because he felt like he deserved it. A huge part of his guilt over Hassan’s rape was that he got away with it, and now Amir feels he’s getting the physical brutality he’s deserved all along. Amir finally redeems himself by rescuing Sohrab. Sohrab serves as a figurative piece of Hassan, especially since he has also been sexually abused by Assef. By saving Sohrab, he is being forgiven of his failure to rescue Hassan.

3) Empathy is a person’s ability to feel the feelings of another, to truly understand what it’s like in another’s shoes. I truly believe empathy to be the most important human quality. It’s what sets us apart from a psychopath. It’s what makes us human. Without empathy, we can’t recognize how others might be affected or hurt by our own actions; there is no sense of guilt. Without empathy, there is no one to understand our own emotions; we are truly alone.

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True love is an unwavering bond one has towards another; it’s unconditional. Amir loves Hassan, despite everything he’s done to wrong him. Amir has been guilt-ridden for decades all because he loves Hassan. Baba loves Amir, despite seeming conditional and harsh. Regardless of how he shows it, Baba loves Amir unwaveringly. As Hassan graduates, he finally states his pride for his son. Baba sacrificed his established life in Afghanistan likely for his own son, as he could give Amir the life of safety he wanted for him. Even dying, Baba supported his marriage with the most outspoken sense of joy throughout the book.