Presentations #2

Many lessons can be learned from memoirs such as the ones in the presentations this week. The three books that meant the most to me were The Kindness of Strangers Penniless Across America by Mike McIntyre, Happy, Happy, Happy  by Phil Robertson, and Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis and Carry Sloman.

The Kindness of Penniless Strangers describes Mike McIntyre's homeless journey as he travels across the USA as a homeless man and leaves all of his possessions behind. He did this because he wanted to break the every day cycle of his life. On his journey he meets about a hundred strangers and has to deal with the struggle of trying to understand all of their lives and choices. The video in the presentation showed me that some people aren't who they seem. Many were homeless by choice and others were fired and unemployed. It goes to show that judging a person is wrong because there may be a reason behind their lifestyle.

Happy, Happy, Happy is about a very smart man who lives his life for happiness. Phil Robertson says that we all make mistakes and struggle to find happiness. He cherishes his simple life and family values. He is very traditional and has a poor family. They are a hunting family. Phil could have easily been a phenomenal quarterback but decided to follow God's word and his destiny to find what he truly loves and that's his family and hunting. This memoir teaches me that it doesn't matter how much money or fame one has if they're not happy with their life. This encourages me to go and find what I truly want to do and to find what makes me happy.

Scar Tissue is about Anthony Kiedis' life as a child and in present. As a child, his father introduced him to many drugs including heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Of course, this transformed Anthony into a drug addict in his teen years. As he became a musical legend, he realized that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would never have came together if it weren't for drugs. He would "cold turkey", or go into rehab for months at a time and then have a relapse. Anthony has a unique opinion on drugs. Despite how drugs have harmed his body, including contracting hepatitis C, he believes that drugs are good to an extend and help a person to relax and feel better. Although I disagree, I find his perspective on drug use very interesting in the sense that in his life, drugs lead to many success stories and controlled the outcomes of his life.