Self-mutilation includes practices like cutting, suicide, and drug abuse, which should not be used as ways to escape from the reality. Cutting? Goodness… how does it make a person feel better? It just reminds me of the times when doctors cut their patients to release “bad” blood as a way to cure illnesses. I was pretty disturbed when I first heard about such methods of “healing”. Most of the people who went through this treatment died, I believe. When a person cuts him or herself, he or she just stresses out the body even more than it already is. I’m not sure though. I have never cut myself intentionally before. But I am guessing that people just feel more “relaxed” after they cut themselves because they lose energy as they lose blood. Not cool.

Many people are driven to considering or committing suicide when they face emotional issues and life changing problems that they think they can not get through or escape. This creates the thought that there is no point living anymore. Such cases include breaking up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or if someone is continually being teased at school. It is most often fueled by thoughts of being useless and inferior. However, committing suicide does not leave the chance of possible change in the future. Teens who commit suicide basically waste up to ¾ of their life. In that time, they could have made many personal changes. Many people who were stopped from committing suicide ended up getting over the issue they were stressing about. Most of those who got over the stress were thankful that they had not ended their lives early because they learned that there is always an alternate way out of a situation. It may not be the easiest way out, but they can always get over it. It just takes time and effort.

Alcohol abuse is practiced by teens the most these days. Almost all college kids drink before the legal age of 21. Thank goodness my brother had not started yet. I mean, he has tried a few sips of red wine before, but he’s not a big drinker. Man! He has a really low tolerance level. Alright, I admit it. I’ve tried a little bit of alcohol before as well. But this was a long time ago. It was elementary school, middle school at most. My dad let me try some beer. That stuff tastes bad! It’s bitter! I really wonder how people can actually like this stuff. In my opinion, beer is gross. My mother encourages me to try red wine sometimes. She claims it’s good for the body. But just from tasting the beer from long before, I refuse every time. Nasty! There are several reasons to why teens abuse alcohol. First, the legal age is set at 21 and there is this American way of thinking: When someone says no to something, we just want to go do that something. So when alcohol is prohibited to teens, they have more of a drive to be their natural rebel and drink. I also think the legal alcohol consumption age is a bit too high. People in other countries drink small amounts of alcohol daily. This includes adults, teens, AND children. Children learn not to abuse alcohol through this practice. I believe this method is effective because it leaves children less curious and less deprived.

People are free to try what they want and I have no say in that. But the very least a person can do is… take care of him/herself.

::::

This is my personal reflection on the challenging topic of Self-Preservation vs. Self-Mutiliation. Our entire group has contributed to this SHIFT (our written symposium on challenging topics), and we would love it if you read through each of our reflections, and added your comments, experiences and perspectives to the discussion. We also encourage you to reference our list of Resources, should you or someone you know need help.

• Suicide Prevention 415-781-0500 (crisis); www.sfsuicide.org
• 415-984-1900 (office)
• Immigration Assistance Line 415-808-4357 (English) or #211, 415-543-6769 (Chinese), 415-543-6767 (Spanish)
• Health Initiatives for Youth 415-274-1970 (www.hify.org)
• Horizons Unlimited 415-487-6700 (www.horizons-sf.org)
• New Generation Health Center 415-502-8336 (www.ucsf.edu/newgen)
• Youth Line 888-977-3399 (www.youthline.org)
• Homey 415-861-1600 (www.homeysf.org)
• Center for Young Women’s Development 415-703-8800 (www.cywd.org)

HOTLINES

• California Youth Crisis Line 800-843-5200
• Emergency Contraception Hotline 888-NOT-2-LATE
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Nat.
• Youth Talkline 800-246-PRIDE
• HIV Testing (12-24 yrs) 415-673-0911 x259
• Poison Control 800-222-1222
• SAGE 415-905-5050 (For youth affected by sexual exploitation/prostitution)
• Sexual Health Info text message “SEXINFO” to 61827
• SF/Bay Area Youthline 888-977-3399
• SF Suicide Prevention Hotline 415-781-0500

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The National Domestic Violence Hotline (English/Spanish, more languages through interpreters); www.ndvh.org 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224

Common Ground Sanctuary (counseling and crisis intervention); www.commongroundhelps.org 800-231-1127 or 248-456-0909

W.O.M.A.N. Inc. (resource and referral); www.norcov.com/womaninc 415-864-4722

Asian Women’s Shelter (multiple Asian languages/English) 415-751-0880 or 877-751-0880

La Casa de las Madres (shelter); www.lacasa.org 877-503-1850

Riley Center and Emergency Shelter 415-255-0165

Family Violence Project; www.victimservicessf.org 415-553-1865; 415-533-9044 (Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant – Room 320)

Family Violence Prevention Fund; www.endabuse.org 415-252-8900

CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) (Spanish/English); www.corasupport.org 800-300-1080

A Safe Place (Oakland); www.asafeplacedvs.org 510-536-7233

Narika (South Asian languages); www.narika.org 800-215-7308

Jewish Family and Children’s Services (Russian/English) 415-449-2907

AVACA (www.avaca.net) 415-553-7825

Mount Zion Violence Prevention Project www.ucsf.edu/coe/linc 415-885-7636

Pocovi (Spanish) 415-552-1361

RAPE

San Francisco Women against Rape (SFWAR); www.sfwar.org 415-647-RAPE (7273)

San Francisco Trauma Recovery and Rape Treatment Center (at SF General Hospital) 415-437-3000

UCSF Rape Prevention Education Program; www.ucsf.edu/cge 415-476-5223

The S.A.F.E. Place at San Francisco State University 415-338-2819

Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR) (Oakland) 510-845-7273 (crisis)

Rape Trauma Services (Peninsula) 650-652-0598

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

CASARC (Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Resource Center) at SFGeneral Hospital 415-206-8386

VIOLENCE AGAINST GAYS, LESBIANS, BI-SEXUALS, & TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE

Community United Against Violence (CUAV); www.cuav.org 415-777-5500 (office); 415-333-HELP (4357) (crisis)

Websites that discuss healthy relationships, abusive relationships, and healthy sexuality

• teenrelationships.org
• chooserespect.org
• loveisnoteabuse.org
• teenwire.com
• loveisrespect.org
• nobully.com
• scarleteen.com
• positive.org
• sexstc.org
• sfsi.org
• lyric.org
• iwannaknow.org
• teensource.org

In a total of thirty ticks
Thirty tocks,
The long hand keeps on moving.
The short hand finally stops.

Time.
On one hand,
It never stops.
A merry-go-round in the park
Happy children
A playful tune.
On the other,
Movements slowly stop.
Leaves me here, quiet.
Staring at my watch.
Waiting for the ticks and tocks.

Hey look,
Both hands stopped.
But time never stops.
I’m confused, but it’s alright.
I’ll wait for the ticks and tocks.
Time will soon move again.
No rush.

Where was I?
Where was that conscience of mine?
I really don’t know…
But there is no use figuring that out now.

My pure heart
Is now a bloody rose.
Stained in crimson red,
Stabbed with deadly thorns.

I want to go back,
Back to when my world was clean.
Restricted.
I want to reverse time.
The world hidden from my view.
When corruption and pain
Did not exist.

Wash my petals clean,
Pluck all the painful thorns.
But it’s too late now.
I’ve become a secret.

Ponyo is a suitable cartoon for audiences of all ages, just like all of Miyazaki’s other productions. There are points in this movie that any age group can relate to. Children can connect to the minds of Ponyo and Sōsuke, while adults and teenagers can relate to the issues in this movie, such as family problems and personal responsibilities of the characters. And like many other cartoons, Ponyo brings out the audience’s creative minds. It lets viewers reflect on their stress free childhood and allow their imaginations to arise once again. This movie proved to be a success as it reached ninth place in the box office charts on the opening week.

Although this new Miyazaki production captured the attention of many people, it fails to reach the standards set by his other movies. A key quality to most of Miyazaki’s movies is the line of distinction between good and evil. There are usually two sides that have a goal for different or opposing reasons, and it is almost impossible to determine who belongs on what side. In Ponyo, the two sides presented are clear, but not very distinct. Sure, Kōichi and Sōsuke both want to stay with Ponyo. But this issue only shows the separation and the importance of family and friends. The conflict here did not leave me questioning about the pros and cons of each side, like I did while watching Princess Mononoke, another movie by Miyazaki. The movie also becomes a little hectic at times, mainly because of Ponyo’s actions. I heard a quote one time about how a critic described Ponyo. He stated that a person who is high or drunk will understand and really enjoy this movie. I agree with this point because many events in the movie are too crazy for a “normal” mind to comprehend and take in.

This movie would be best for children at the elementary stage, due to their activeness and their relatively simple minds, compared to older viewers. Ponyo will only work for some teenagers because they have a better understanding of events and have a more complex way of thinking about movies. This movie does not seem like one that was made specifically for adult viewers, but they may get a few laughs out of it. Overall, the animations are outstanding, along with Miyazaki’s illustrious imagination. Little Mermaid lovers should not miss Ponyo.

I let my grades slip,
He tells me I won’t graduate.
I tell him about senior portraits,
He tells me I’m not ready for them.
I endure his criticism,
And get nothing in return.

My mother once told me,
“You can feel it when you are loved”
I believe her.
To separate those who love me
From those who do not.
Someone who has no confidence in me,
Does not love me.
Someone who can only see my faults,
Does not love me.
Someone who does not see me as who I am,
Does not love me.

It saddens me to think this way.
Somewhere in the back of my head
I want to believe that his criticism will only help me.
But this thought is hidden.
Covered by the painful words.

As difficult as it is,
I will endure.
Stay strong in front of the world.
Because one day,
I believe,
My heart believes,
That my dad will truly love me,
For me.

Duma is a great family movie that shows many different bonds an individual can create not just with human beings, but with animals as well. Connections between family, friends, and pets are all prominent in this movie. At first, I was captured by this movie because of Duma. My interest in animals drove me to continue watching and it was only later in the movie when I was concentrating on the actual film. Each scene and event helped build up my curiosity. Is Duma going to be alright in the wild? How will Xan and Duma survive in the wild without food? Will Duma remain an obedient pet or will he allow his animal instincts to take over? In the end, this movie did not disappoint. Duma showed me the importance of strong bonds and it taught me to be grateful for all the love and compassion I have around me. The many lessons embedded in Duma are those that a viewer can learn and keep for a lifetime. It is hard for me to think that a fan of action or horror movies would enjoy watching Duma. My idea of viewers for this movie would be nature-lovers and animal-lovers, but if anyone is interested in watching a heartwarming adventure movie, go out and pick up Duma.