Prompt 1
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Society places great value on being well-informed. People who keep up with current events in their communities and the world at large are generally proud of their knowledge. But often the news is bad, and, worse still, we usually cannot do anything to change the situations or circumstances we learn about. In that case, isn’t it better not to know what’s going on?
For centuries, humankind has been praised for its power to do what many cannot. However, we humans are impotent compared to the greater powers that exist in this world. There are many things that are beyond our control such as time and death. Although people cannot stop what is inevitable, it is better to know what is going on because knowledge is power and it can offer us options in certain situations--even situations that threaten the safety of you and the people you love.
Enwar Musa, a teenage boy living in Iraq, heard news that his village was going to be bombed in three days time. Musa knew that the war had not been getting any better and that there was almost no chance that the bombs could be stopped. Even if that wanted to, what could he and his village do? They had no money, no influence--not to mention, …show more content…
She had been fighting cancer for five years, suffering through chemotherapy, and as a result, causing her body to be weak and limp. Although she knew that she could not delay or stop the spread of her cancer, the knowledge of how much time she had left allowed her to plan her future for the next 6 months. She traveled the world and spent the time with her family because she wanted to live her life to the fullest before it was too late. If she had not known about her current situation, she would not have had such a fulfilling experience before death. The knowledge gave her options and
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Society places great value on being well-informed. People who keep up with current events in their communities and the world at large are generally proud of their knowledge. But often the news is bad, and, worse still, we usually cannot do anything to change the situations or circumstances we learn about. In that case, isn’t it better not to know what’s going on?
For centuries, humankind has been praised for its power to do what many cannot. However, we humans are impotent compared to the greater powers that exist in this world. There are many things that are beyond our control such as time and death. Although people cannot stop what is inevitable, it is better to know what is going on because knowledge is power and it can offer us options in certain situations--even situations that threaten the safety of you and the people you love.
Enwar Musa, a teenage boy living in Iraq, heard news that his village was going to be bombed in three days time. Musa knew that the war had not been getting any better and that there was almost no chance that the bombs could be stopped. Even if that wanted to, what could he and his village do? They had no money, no influence--not to mention, …show more content…
She had been fighting cancer for five years, suffering through chemotherapy, and as a result, causing her body to be weak and limp. Although she knew that she could not delay or stop the spread of her cancer, the knowledge of how much time she had left allowed her to plan her future for the next 6 months. She traveled the world and spent the time with her family because she wanted to live her life to the fullest before it was too late. If she had not known about her current situation, she would not have had such a fulfilling experience before death. The knowledge gave her options and