#22 Bad Morals, Good Leader

Yes, I'm pretty sure that you can be a good leader without any morals whatsoever. As long as the leader thinks of his/her own people, having no moral conduct doesn't seem to matter as much. Even without being all smiles and hugs, I'm sure there are plenty of people who admire Hitler's ability to almost lead Germany to dominate the world. He didn't kill the German citizens, only those who defied him and his expectations. If a leader is someone who should inspire their people and encourages them to do something in unity, I think even someone like Hitler can be considered as a good leader. He was able to make his people believe that they were the best and deserved to conquer the world. He had more than enough leadership qualities with the exception of conscience, but, hey, everyone has their flaws.

#21 Lance Armstrong

I think he's more of a hero than a villain. Even if he earned millions of dollars by cheating, he was an icon of hope and a role model for many. Not only did he donate millions of dollars, but also cycling is admittedly known to be a dirty sport. If most of the athletes cheat in the game, singling him out doesn't seem to be fair. I agree that it was right to impose sanctions on Armstrong if only for general deterrence, but he should at least be respected for raising so much money for the cancer research. It's not like everyone can win by doping. It is the athletes whose physical conditions meet the above-average standards that receive gold medals like Armstrong did. He now seems more of an average human being than a hero, and that could be a lesson for people. No matter what miracles you create, you are still human and the society has no tolerance for cheaters. Committing a crime has its consequences if you get caught.

#20 Whatever_Topic

Which statement is more true: a sign of a leader is the number of followers they have, or a sign of a leader is how many leaders they have made? Well, I think the latter is more fitting for the title of a leader. Although the number of followers are important, I think it's harder to produce leaders than to gain followers. It's my opinion that providing proper guidance to others while encouraging them on in their paths is much more difficult than to march onward just for the sake of your own. Also, people would naturally come to respect and look up to you if you created many leaders for the society. That way, you can make leaders while gaining followers. Surely, you would need some leadership qualities to shape the future leaders of the world; such as compassion, confidence, charisma, charm, etc. (funny how they're all c-words). The leaders that he/she raised will be the proof that they existed when they die. In conclusion, I think the life would be much more meaningful for the leader who leads with the others instead of leading the others. There would be someone else to bear the burdens with, so it wouldn't be lonely.

#19 Road to Me to We

In all three stories, awareness seems to be the key in creating a change. Although it would be great if we could get our entire school to be all aware and active in all things Me to We and whatnot, it would probably be pointless to preach to students who aren't interested in these sort of things. I think our school does pretty good job in urging the students to take part in donations and supports for all sorts of people and groups. I'm sure that some of us would be willing to take on the challenge to be the change, using their experiences from our school; such as organizing fundraiser projects and assemblies. I don't believe, however, that a number of people would suddenly turn angelic and kind unless something inspirational or motivating happened.

#18 Pg. 46-10% Stopped

I guess it's significant. It's like the difference between hearing something from someone who actually believes in the philosophy and not, right? It probably would effect how many people take their lectures to their hearts if you acted on the idea of Good Samaritan. I can understand their reasons for being in such a hurry, though because it would effect the students' marks negatively if they were late to the lecture. Since bad grades would effect their future, their own survival in the competition might take priority. I don't think you can help anyone when you don't have a stable ground to stand on first.

#17 Amanda Todd

Although this  problem with cyberbullying is a serious issue, we see these types of news all too often on morning papers. There are laws against cyberbullying as well, but I don't think we see criminal charges and convictions regarding those on newspapers as much as the suicides. I wonder if people are getting desensitized to having people drop dead across the country due to bullying? It's odd to see this become such a famous issue all of the sudden, as if it's an all new epidemic. I wonder if the bullying will become a norm in the future as one's stage of life? It's too bad we can't do anything until a student actually reports the bullying. I'm sure the police wouldn't mind incarcerating a few misbehaved children. It would certainly be a deterrance.

#16 After Challenge Day

This might be a bit difficult... I know that other people are suggesting that we also do few of the activities from Challenge Day in IDCI, but I really doubt we would be able to draw out same emotional response that we had in Challenge Day. Those leaders were trained to be able to set the atmosphere, where as we aren't.
We can have the small groups that we had in Challenge Day meet back a month after the event day. I think that would help conserve that Challenge Day spirit in the school because the students would then gain friends who know them in depth and care for them despite their flaws. Eventually, the entire school would have supportive group of friends, probably out of their normal circles, and make it through high school in better state of psychology.

#15 Challenge Day

Without a drop of exaggeration, the Challenge Day had went ahead, blew my mind like Sandy, and changed my view of everyone I've ever seen or met. When the day was over, my head was totally blank from challenge-overload. In my mind was exactly what just happened, what just happened, and 'what just happened?'. It was overwhelming listening to the stories other people had to say. To be honest, I was worried that I might look like some cold-hearted beast if I didn't cry there. The worry was unneccesary. It also made me realize no matter how different people are from each other, they are still humans, and they go through similar things. It really hit home when we got to see just how many people had experienced same pain, and for those of us who did not, the problems they had to endure to become who they are of today.I will never forget those six hours of challenge that taught me to cry when I feel like it; to share my sadness and joy with those around me. It was the best education ever.

#14 The World Values Study

I was surprised by the results. Normally, most people would associate happiness rate with their financial situation. This short story reminded me of Brave New World that I'm reading in English class. People are so caught up in being happy that they can't have fun, or enjoy their lives for once. I do believe, however, that money is a necessary factor in one's happiness. If one was under huge debt, they would be too busy stressing about money to have fun and be happy. The question is, just how much money do we need to enjoy our lives without being controlled by the cash? It seems we can't get enough things to make us feel satisfied.

#13 Happiness

The happiness for me is normalcy. Being able to live with my family, attending school with friends, spending weekends goofing off and doing all the assignments at last minute. Living "normally" is surprisingly hard. A family or friend of ours could pass away all of the sudden; people could get ill and be deprived of the quality of life. In the future, I could be struggling to get a job after graduating from the post-secondary school, my parents could be ill, or someone could have fallen victim to a cruel fate and killed by an accident or murder! It would be great if everyone could enjoy those little moments of happiness in our painfully routinely life.
All in all, everything probably boils down to being able to find what makes you happy. If one finds their circumstances unsatisfactory, one is responsible for pursuing the solution for the source of their dissatisfaction. Sitting and moaning on the floor won't do any good to anyone.

#12 Article

I think the college took things under control a little too soon. You can never judge someone before you have been through the same thing they'd went through. Especially for such a serious crime like child molestation, it would have been hard for Paterno to report his suspiscion to the police when he was a friend of Sandusky. Many people protested against Paterno's firing and that should already prove how much he was loved as a coach. He could have been arrested for disobeying Good Samaritan Law of the States if he did not stop Sandusky molesting the minor, but there aren't enough information on news.

#11 Keith Taylor's Story

For one thing, I guess karma does exist, seeing how Dr. Taylor had all three of his wishes come true. It's surprising how one of his dreams was to be a philanthropist because people are generally happy with making a donation when something pops up from time to time. A really caring person, he must be!

#10 Marc's Story

Craig's story was more impressive than Marc's because taking that initiative to found an organization from the scratch appears to be more challenging in my view. I wonder how Marc earns living, though, now that he goes around volunteering in hospitals. It's just that I can't understand why Marc didn't just work the big jobs, earn lots of money, and then use that money to at least pay back his student loans. He could also have donated money to the hospitals to get them better treatment. I guess I'm disappointed that Marc would be wasting his Harvard education to volunteer in a hospital -when he doesn't even have a medical degree! His future then was probably the most difficult decision he had ever made in his entire life. Although I admire Marc for having been able to follow his heart between the two choices, I find Craig's achievement more impressive, perhaps, because it's something I would less likely be able to accomplish. I just can't see myself choosing to volunteer in a hospital after earning a degree in Harvard.

#9 Book of Awesome

A Cup of Coffee
You are in Starbucks, scrunitizing the menu for what seems like hours trying to find something. Something that would warm your body to the core after a long, tiring walk in your trip back home in a chilly weather. You approach the cashier with your order in mind, finally asking for a grande vanilla latte. The machine is malfunctioning, he says, and so you wait. The guy at the cashier finally brings the cup of latte that you've been waiting for to the other counter to your near the exit. But, wait, you haven't paid, yet.
"It's alright," the guy shrugs. "It looked like you could use a cup of coffee."
Just like that, the coldness in your limbs evapourate, replaced by warm and fuzzy feelings of happiness radiating into your hands and to you heart. AWESOME!

#8 A Thanksgiving Idea

It's late, but anonymously writing down and putting it up was a great idea. I thought we could have all the students say these things to each other in perhaps next year, but I guess it might be a bit too cheesy for high school children? It kind of makes things really awkward to get all emotional in the middle of a random conversation, you see. As for me, I returned my parents some of their favours by giving them massages, doing chores, and being nice to my brother.

#7 The Power of Half

It might sound disrespectful, but I think, despite how admittedly noble the idea of the girl was, she might have been a bit too selfish on her part. Eight thousand dollars can't be earned, even after a decade of a part-time job, and all the girl gave away was only earned by her parents. Her and her brother would be moving away once they grew up, but her parents who had actually dedicated their fortune to buy that house would stay with the house they bought. It could have been inherited by their future generations, and yet they gave up on such a nice house only for their daughter's whim. I guess to make a huge difference, you need an equivalent amount of sacrifice from you and those around you. Either way, it doesn't seem to me that their family had planned anything before they donated their wealth other than selling their house and buying another. I think it would have been better if the girl had worked to earn the money herself and then contributed it for the cause. It would have been something she had earned that wouldn't inconvenience anyone else around her, like her brother, for example.

#6 Kim's Story

I have to wonder, how did she manage to return to being a public speaker after that experience of being a spokesperson of Vietnamese government under their threats? As a child, it must have been such a traumatic experience to fall victim to a war, and then being used by the government afterwards. Just imagining my skin melting from a third-degree burn gives me shivers. I can't believe that her husband was willing to abandon everything at the spur of the moment and up and illegally immigrate to a country they barely know anything about. It's great that she found what she could do to help get over her trauma and educating the future generations of the horror of war. I do wonder, though, why can't the governments think of a better way to compete, other than trying to obliterate everything into bits and pieces, with their genius strategists?

#5 Craig's Story

I admire Craig Kielburger the most for being able to put his thoughts into action because many people can dream about such ideal goals, but most will not be able to act upon those awesome thoughts. Also, I think Mr. and Mrs. Kielburger deserves every ounce of my respect towards them. I know I would not be able to live with my house turning into a mini headquarters of an organization; and I'm sure that not all parents would be able to support a project of such magnitude. It's really hard to believe that it was a twelve year old child who had started this idealism, this movement of changing the idea of "Me" to "We". It saddens me, on the other hand, because it means that the adults and the leaders of the world were so busy with our materialistic world that they didn't have the time to make an effort to solve the problem that even a twelve-year-old found immoral. The adults should not overlook the children's voices just because they are weak and less experienced.

#4 My Best Leadership Experience

My best leadership experience was when I went to Aroland, Ontario, in my first mission trip. It was the first time I'd ever considered what I had done as a true leadership experience. There were many other leaders than I, and we were the ones who operated the entire mission; while the adults kind of stood around for supervision. We taught them morals and values of the society, and befriended them while doing so. While it was touching to see that a few of them trusted us enough to share their problems, I found difficulty in counselling some of them. Organizing skits and preparing for the next day every night were what I found really delighting because it was during that night time that we got to mingle and gather everyones' ideas together. I think we were very responsible for everything that went on in our trip. Teaching and playing with the native children in Aroland had been as enjoyable as it was enlightening. I learned a lot in how to acquaint complete strangers, to supervise and encourage others. As hard as it was to not have an access to internet or music for ten days, it was worth it; and I would go again if the same opportunity were to come up.

#3 A Leader

When I hear the word "leader", Barack Obama is the person who comes up in my mind. First of all, he is the president of the United States of America. As a leader of a country, of course he qualifies for the title. Secondly, we've discussed the definition of leadership in class. There seemed to be a mutual agreement amongst our class that a leader associates him/herself in a community in order to make a difference in society. Barack Obama had become the first black president of the U.S.A., and that's a huge step America took. What made that possible was the President Obama's courage to take that opportunity himself, which lead to him being elected as the first ever black president of U.S. I believe that his accomplishment probably have had inspired other people to challenge their very limits.

#2 What's Not Wrong?

You see, this is funny because it's easier to find what's wrong than what's not wrong. I think the arrangements of the lockers this year was a good idea. Although I really enjoyed having my friends' lockers right beside mine last year, the "niners' hall" was disastrous. This way, I think the students can mingle with people that they haven't really had the chance to talk to at least during the transition periods.

#1 This year in Leadership

I hope to become a more involved with the community within IDCI. I was always interested in the organization of the events in the school and such, and I thought I would start getting more involved by joining the grade 11 leadership class. I volunteer  a lot around the community, so I felt that I needed to get to know our inner community more. There seems to be a lot of inspiring and helping. I hope that by the end of this semester, I would be able to act as a leader amongst my friends to help encourage more people into participating in more and more events in our society.