Self-Indulgence Corner: In Retrospect: Why I Am a Firm Believer in [Verbal and Material] Accolades.

Going back to a long ago epoch in my life, I can totally relate to the struggles students can be experiencing during high school. So many heart-breaking and needless struggles; too many to write about. Too many stories to account for. As for myself, I was always an A-student in school. But, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer during my sophomore year. It was rather difficult to keep things normal around our home, but my mom did her best. She kept working to put food on the table since my dad could no longer lend a hand in such efforts. My dad endured months of chemotherapy. All the treatment was in vain; he passed away. My dad died on the very first day of my junior year in high school. I did not share his death with many friends, classmates, or teachers. Dad died on a Thursday, his funeral was that following Saturday, and my mom had me return to school on Monday. I did not study as hard as I used to once my dad died. My concerns were mostly about caring for my mom and myself. My mom lovingly convinced me to stay in school, which I did, but my grades suffered (I had gone to work the summer before dad died and have worked every single day since then). Anyway, I no longer cared about making straight 'A's. The teachers who knew about my dad's death reached out to me. The teachers who did not know simply checked it off to me being lazy and bored. Never mind the many years I had always maintained good grades. When I entered my senior year, I had changed my views; I began to study hard. I was in a few advanced classes. I earned good grades again, but due to my issues during my junior year, my grades kept me from being in NHS. When I graduated, I was in the top of my class, but I missed graduating with honors by .437 points. I will always remember that number. Some of my awesome teachers wanted to help me by getting my other teachers to give me a curve, but I refused. I accepted the grade, and the fact that I would not graduate with honors. My mom knew this, and she told me she was proud of me and that I would always be an honor student in her eyes. When I finally came back to college after two failed attempts, I worked as hard to earn good grades to prove to myself that I was better than the so-called legacy and mark that I had left in h.s. Graduating with all the honors I did at MC was for myself and for my late mom. She went home to meet her Maker almost five years ago. Before she died, I promised her I would return to college and get my degree. I had been extremely successful in the corporate world; mostly because of how I was raised to be a hard worker and to take care of my family (my career was the reason I dropped out of college twice before). I always had a need and a passion to care for my family -- mostly my mom. My greatest triumph in my life was the day I bought my mom her very own home (the same year I bought my second home)! The awards (work and school) I have earned throughout my lifetime have come at a cost, but they are mine, and I am so proud of them all. I would never deny anyone an award or the ability to proudly show it off. I did not allow myself to succumb to such self-pity when I was a teenager graduating from high school, so my stance remains the same as an older, more mature person: everyone should be allowed to shine during his/her most glorified moments in time because those moments are special milestones that may never come around again. I was fortunate in my lifetime to have been allowed to shine several times. I hope my parents are still proud of me.

Self-Indulgence Corner: Rasputin Before the Fall (Was he partly to blame?). D.D.C. 2016

Rasputin is best known for his role as a mystical adviser in the court of Czar Nicholas II of Russia.

Synopsis

Grigori Rasputin was born into a peasant family in Siberia, Russia, around 1869. After failing to become a monk, Rasputin became a wanderer and eventually entered the court of Czar Nicholas II because of his alleged healing abilities. Known for his prophetic powers, he became a favorite of Nicholas's wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, but his political influence was minor. Rasputin became swept up in the events of the Russian Revolution and met a brutal death at the hands of assassins in 1916.

Early Life

Born to a Siberian peasant family around 1869, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin received little schooling and probably never learned to read or write. In his early years, some people of his village said he possessed supernatural powers, while others cite examples of extreme cruelty. For a time, it was believed his name "Rasputin" meant "licentious" in Russian. Historians now believe that "Rasputin" meant "where two rivers meet," a phrase that describes an area near where he was born in Siberia.

Rasputin entered the Verkhoture Monastery in Russia with the intention of becoming a monk, but left shortly thereafter, presumably to get married. At age 19, he wed Proskovia Fyodorovna, and they later had three children (two others died shortly after birth). In his early 20s, however, Rasputin left his family and traveled to Greece and the Middle East, making several pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Friend of the Imperial Family

In 1903, Rasputin's wanderings brought him to St. Petersburg, where he arrived with a reputation as a mystic and faith healer. Two years later, he was introduced to Russian Czar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, who were seeking help for their sickly son, Alexis. Rasputin quickly gained their confidence by seemingly "curing" the boy of hemophilia. This action won him the passionate support of Alexandra.

Between 1906 and 1914, various politicians and journalists used Rasputin’s association with the imperial family to undermine the dynasty’s credibility and push for reform. Rasputin helped their efforts by claiming to be the Czarina’s advisor, and accounts of his rampant lascivious behavior emerged in the press, compounding contempt among state officials. In truth, however, Rasputin's influence at this time was limited to the health of Alexis.

As Russia entered World War I, Rasputin predicted that calamity would befall the country. Nicholas II took command of the Russian Army in 1915, and Alexandra took responsibility for domestic policy. Always Rasputin's defender, she dismissed ministers who were said to be suspicious of the "mad monk." Government officials tried to warn her of Rasputin's undue influence, but she continued to defend him, giving the impression that Rasputin was her closest advisor.

Downfall

On the night of December 29, 1916, a group of conspirators, including the czar's first cousin, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and Prince Felix Yusupov, invited Rasputin to Yusupov's palace and fed him wine and cakes laced with cyanide. Though Rasputin eventually became rather drunk, the poison seemed to have no effect. Baffled but not deterred, the conspirators finally shot Rasputin multiple times. He was then wrapped in a carpet and thrown into the Neva River, where it was discovered three days later.

Although Rasputin was gone, the last of his prophecies was yet to unfold. Shortly before his death, he wrote to Nicholas to predict that if he were killed by government officials, the entire imperial family would be killed by the Russian people. His prophecy came true 15 months later, when the czar, his wife and all of their children were murdered by assassins amidst the Russian Revolution.