Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide exemplified the spiral of violence because it started with basic injustices. These injustices were the mistreatment of the Hutus by the Belgians. These colonists favored the Tutsis. This simple prejudice led to a feeling of jealousy and hatred towards the Tutsis, which then led to the mass murder of them.
This act of violence could have been stopped if people not were informed of what happened, but also took action on the killings that were going on. In "Hotel Rwanda" the man recording the genocide said "I think people will see the videos and say, 'Oh thats terrible' and continue eating their dinners." People must do something about it, not just feel bad about it.
In our country, bullying is a huge problem. It may start out as a small thing, for example name calling. But this step, can turn into violence and even killing. We hear stories on the news of kids killing other kids for bullying, or killing themselves. To stop it, we must intervene. If we see bullying, we should stop it and get a parent or adult involved. We should help the person being bullied and try to have the two kids talk it out.

Restoring Justice in Rwanda

Through Rwanda's gacaca courts, many wounds have been healed from the massacre that has taken place. At these court meetings, discussions are held and deep emotions resurface as survivors talk about the horror they went through and defendants tell their side of the story. These trials do not involve qualified lawyers/judges, which is very different from the courts we have here in the United States. Although this process can be healing and benefit many, it can also harm by resurfacing emotions of fear and killing.
One theme of catholic social teaching that is embodied by the gacaca court is solidarity. By discussing the issues at hand together, people may feel a sense of community.
Another theme of catholic social teaching is the respect of human life. This theme is exemplified by the court system by caring for each person's need to recover from the loss of life they may have gone through. However, this theme is also ignored when dealing with the jail systems in Rwanda. Many prisoners were neglected, malnourished and crammed into small quarters due to overcrowding.
A third theme of catholic social teaching seen in the gacaca courts is the call to family and community participation. This is seen through the community of people gathering at the courts to hear and feel for the survivors and their stories. Also, prisoners may be sentenced to community service, which enables them to participate and help care for their environment.

Lethal Injection

The death penalty is a difficult topic to discuss because of my mixed emotions. However, after reading stories and multiple articles I have become more against these executions. Lethal injection is currently the most common form of killing on death row. There is a debate is this is humane or not. In my opinion, killing another person, whether by electric chair, lethal injection, firing squad, hanging or gas chamber, is inhumane. The person is bound to suffer in all of the above methods of killing; whether this pain be physical, or mental just from knowing their life is about to end. We will never know for ourselves if lethal injection hurts the person before they pass away, since there is no method to test it. I do believe that if states continue with the death penalty, doctors should be certain that they give the correct dosage.

Greening the Ghetto

In this TED video, Majora Carter discusses her thoughts on improving the environment in the Bronx. She believes that increasing parks, would ultimately decrease crime. Another idea was to turn parking lots into parks so that kids could stay off the streets. Only 25% of the inhabitants of the South Bronx drive cars. Also, kids have been known to get asthma and other lung defects if they live closer to power plants and pollution.

Majora's ideas go along with the themes of CST. The people of South Bronx deserve a better environment and should not have their lungs contaminated by pollution. Their economic status prevents them from cleaning up their community. It is our duty to help these people live better lives and live to the fullest.

Justice for Immigrants

Although I do mostly agree with Carles J. Chapu, I also think the government should set a standard that these immigrants must meet in order to earn citizenship in our country. The Archbishop says that many immigrants help our economy, but then again, there are many immigrants who come to America solely to receive federal handouts and welfare. However, I do believe that we should help immigrants come into America and guide them on a path to financial security so they will not have to rely on the government for money. 
We must try our best to live out the Seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching in this situation. We must do this by helping these immigrants live the best lives possible. Every human deserves a full life. Although we may be from different parts of the world, we are one big human family. We must accept the immigrants with open arms. We must care for all of God's creations. Also, I really support keeping families together when they come to the United States. Family and community is a large part in Catholic Social Teaching and we must try our best to keep these loved ones together. 
In all, I believe we should try our best to help the immigrants who are determined to make better lives for themselves. 

Forgiveness

September 11, 2001 was a day in American history that effected many lives. Directly after the tragic attack, many people were outraged. What happened that morning was sick, something no sane person would ever think to do. Prejudices against middle-easterns immediately sprung up. However, over the years, this outrage turned to solely remembrance. Rather than thinking of the terrible acts, we think of the heros and victims who died that day. We have moved on as a stronger country, yet still keep those people in our thoughts and prayers. It is hard to forgive the terrorists, yet in order to move on, it must be done.

Forgiveness means we excuse the person from their actions. Everyone sins and we must accept these mistakes, no matter how big they may be. Forgiveness has always been a huge part of the Bible. God forgives our sins if we are truly sorry for them. Jesus forgave the people who condemned him to die.

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" Matthew 6:14-15

None of us are perfect. Therefore, we must forgive each other for our imperfections. If we do this, God will also have mercy on us. Forgiveness is a vital step in moving on. 

Limits of Charity

David Hilfiker says that charity is a temporary solution to a long term problem. He says these works of generosity halted at any time. On the other hand, justice is what the person deserves for his/her moral rights. This is an ongoing and eventual fix to help guarantee people's rights. I agree with this thought. Charity is a way for people to feel good about themselves, thinking "I did my part." But in reality, their help may not go far. Instead, it is important to be consistent, and help the needy learn to live on their own, rather than just receive handouts. An "appropriate sense of outrage" is basically our reaction to injustice in the world. Without this outrage, we would have no determination or want to help mend these issues. It is necessary to have this drive and anger if we want to be stable in our efforts.

Syria

Questions that need to be answered before the US intervenes is "is it worth it?" Of course, trying to get peace in Syria is important, but is it even if we must go to war with them? How many Americans must die in order to help save others in Syria. Also, is there any other possible way we can go about this without harmful means? Pros of US intervention would be that HOPEFULLY the wrongful killings in Syria would stop. Also the US might look like the "savior." Cons would be that Americans would die in the process. Also, if we do get involved, there is set time. We could be in Syria for a month, or maybe a couple years. Plus, what if the killings don't stop even with our help? The Catholic teaching is against war. They would say we should not get involved and try to solve this issue peacefully. Like the Pope tweeted, "We want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace."