Demons and Dust
Tori Murden McClure - Louisville, Kentucky This essay was about the author, Tori, and her brother, when they were kids some kid was picking on her intellectually disabled brother. Another kid that was playing around them saw this and stood up for Tori's brother. Tori was inspired by this other kids actions and she now believes that anybody can make the right choices and be a good person. She believes that everybody is human, and that everybody can be heroic. I dont necessarily agree with Tori, I believe that everybody chooses the actions they do. Some people choose to be mean and jerks to others. They may do something that others would consider heroic but does that really make them a heroic person? I do not think it does.

The Power of Hello
Howard White - Lake Oswego, Oregon This essay was about saying hello to everybody you see. Howard believes that just saying hello to people could mean the world to them. He learned this from his mother when he was a child and it has stuck with him till now. Just acknowledging a random person that you see could make their day. Just saying
'hello' to somebody who has their head down could make them smile, and you can see how powerful one word can be. I really liked this essay, it is honestly something that I really do believe in. It really is not that difficult to say hello to somebody, and just saying hello could change their day.

The Practice Of Slowing Down
Phil Powers - Denver, Colorado Phil believes that slowing down is the best thing to do in every situation. He learned from his mountain climbing teacher that slowing down is the bst thing to do. That might be true in mountain climbing,I am not sure, I have never done it. I do not think that slowing down is always the best thing to do. I think that slowing down sometimes is good, but it is not always the best way to live. You do not always have the option to slow down, and you could miss some life changing opertunities if you live in the slow lane all the time.

The Serenity to Change the Things I Can
Mark Olmsted - Hollywood, California Mark believes in picking up trash. Mark was a drug addict in his past life and is trying to overcome using drugs. He went to prison, and then bought a house in a neighborhood that was litered in trash. Every morning when he takes his dog out for a walk he see's trash everywhere. He decided that he would start picking up the trash on his morning walkes, and he claims to fill 4 bags each morning. I wouldn't say I believe in picking up trash as much as I believe in not littering. There really is no reason to litter. The people who do litter are just scumbags.

We’re All Different in Our Own Ways
Joshua Yuchasz - Milford, Michigan Josh believes in equality for everybody, Josh has Asperger's Syndrome and he was teased throughout his schooling life. Josh believes that if everybody were the same, the world would be a dull place to live. He thinks everybody should be respected for being different. I agree with Josh, I believe that nobody should be made fun of because of what they think or believe. Just because someone is different than you, does not mean that they are an evil person.

Always Go to the Funeral
Deirdre Sullivan - Brooklyn, New York Deirdre believes in doing the right thing when she really