Question 1: My name is Bob Derrick. I am 40 years old and an LPN. I am currently in school for my RN. It has to be the toughest thing I have ever done in my life. I have 2 boys, ages 6 and 11. They are my world. I am also married. My wife is 38 and an LPN as well. Living in a house with another nurse definitely makes life hectic. Add the fact that both boys play sports, school monopolizes my time as well as work, and you have the perfect storm for chaos. I know it’ll all be over in December, but I have to get there. I have many beliefs. I am an agnostic. I believe there is a higher power, however, I do not have a set religion. I believe if you do good things, good things will come. Work hard and strive for greatness. I am a conservative which is looked down upon in this society today. However, I will not change my beliefs to conform to liberalism. I will teach my boys that they have a choice. The choice to work hard and achieve great things, or to sit back and get nothing. At ages 11 and 6, they are already learning that life is not fair, they are also learning a solid work ethic. I look forward to many discussions in this class and finishing my degree. Question 2: The one belief I learned was a complete lie growing up in my household, was racism. Growing up, my mother came from West Virginia and My father from Massachusetts. My mother grew up in a predominantly racist and white neighborhood as well as her household with my uncles and grandparents. I didn’t know much about my grandfathers personality other than he would give the shirt off his back to help anyone. He would take old bikes, fix them up and give them to poor kids whenever he saw one. However my grandmother was very close minded. So growing up, my mother instilled this in my head. Racism and bigotry was ok. I also grew up in a very small community of 800 where everyone was predominantly white. As a child, I never questioned this. You don’t question adults. You respect what they say and you follow them. It wasn’t until I got older, graduated and moved out, that my whole perspective changed. I learned that we are all equal. That bad people come from all shapes, colors, religions, beliefs. I live in a town where they stress this at the schools. My kids best friends come from ethnic descents. I work in a clinic with various people from various ethnic backgrounds. Racism is learned but can be reversed. I think that’s the problem with today. People stoking the fire of racism instead of putting it out. People need to learn that every single person is responsible for their own actions in life. You are the only one that holds you back. Questions 3. If I found a 50.00 bill in the classroom at the end of class, I would hand it to the teacher to hold it for someone that lost it. I would do this solely for the purpose, that I would hope someone does the same for me. I know how bad it is to lose money, I also know how it feels if you don’t have any extra money and that was meant for something else. My belief is karma. Do something good, and something good will happen. Do something bad, and the universe has a way of correcting itself. I feel turning it in, would be the best outcome. This would be a better outcome, then keeping it, seeing someone looking for it and not saying anything and spending the money. Question 4 I believe that the man meant to help the dying people who had nothing. While he comes from a poor country, perhaps in his mind, he is rich. Rich and poor mean 2 very different things. You could be wealthy when it comes to money but in life, be absolutely poor. Money doesn’t make someone rich. What people value and if they possess those values, makes them rich. I believe money doesn’t buy happiness. Being stress free, enjoying your loved ones, living life. That makes you rich. Mother Theresa assisted the poor with dying with dignity. Because in the end, everyone is the same when they’re dead. They don’t exist anymore and nothing they own or possess, makes a difference anymore. Mother Theresa’s definition of poor, was someone who had nothing and nobody to be there with them. So she made them as comfortable as possible to bring their soul to peace. If I said, I was going to help the poor. I would help the homeless. While some people choose to be homeless, others do not and just need the help to better their lives. I have been homeless and through the grace of others, I had a place to live. But nothing was given to me that I owned now. I had to work and struggle. I believe someone people just need some help and I would like to assist them with that.
