Gadfly>unexamined life

     Do I think an unexamined life is not worth living? Well of course I do, but that's because I've experienced something more than that already.  I have already begun to examine my life and make my own decisions.  Of course, there are still things that I believe for no reason other than my parents telling me, but I believe that's subconsciously embedded in me.
     Even though I would not want to live an unexamined life, I could see how someone currently in that situation would still consider their life "worthy".  It is very possible that they're still having fun, livin' it up.  Life is probably easier for them too; sometimes thinking about deep, intricate ideologies about society and people, is hard work.  Sometimes it can be negative, but I believe that it's always worth it.  An examined life is enlightening.  New ideas about the world are introduced and the mind is stimulated.  These are reasons that I enjoy learning more about life; more about how to look at life.  An unexamined life doesn't realize the options offered by the world.  That's why I wouldn't be able to live so shallowly.
     Many unexamined people walk around as if they know how the world works and what's best for everyone.  This is most likely not true, and if it is, they did not come up with these ideas on their own.  Somebody planted them in their mind, meaning that that person is not original.  Personally, I couldn't live an unoriginal life.  I wouldn't see the excitement in it, but somebody that hasn't been introduced to as many things as I may be extremely stimulated by acting like everyone else.  There are some people out there that don't know any better than what they're living right now, and they can still be perfectly content with their life.
     Unexamined people are also necessary to society.  The enlightened ones need people to learn from, and they need people to teach.  Even if these unexamined people don't have their own opinions, they still believe in something, and they probably want to announce their beliefs to the world.  If everyone can keep an open mind, these ideas will still have some effect on the examined one, and they will be introduced to yet another new concept.  So even though I wouldn't want to live the unexamined life, I don't not believe that it's not worth living.

"Social gadfly, a person who upsets the status quo"
Even though many people want to upset the status quo, there are few people out there that can back up their reasoning to do so.  Lupe Fiasco, however, is not one of those people.  Many people may say that his music is simply a social commentary, I would have to agree.  But his music touches on so many social issues that are so relevant to today's society, such as advertisement control and poverty stricken cities.  He also touches on issues such as the choice to vote and freedom.  Lupe is very against voting because he doesn't support the government system as a whole.  His opinions are voiced through his music ans constantly over his twitter.  I would consider Lupe Fiasco a gadfly because many people don't have the guts to speak against the American system like he does.  He also doesn't care if people don't agree with him, his opinions will still be voiced.

Eulogy

The life of Thyra Sandstrom was defined by many social, physical, academic, and artistic elements.  She was raised by two musicians, so the arts were inevitably a huge part of her life.  Ever since she was a young child, she attended every concert she possibly could.  Her father took her to museums up until the day she passed, and she loved every minute of it.  When Thyra was in fifth grade, she was admitted into the Chicago Symphony Youth Percussion Program.  In this Program, she was expected to practice at least two hours a day.  Two years into the program, the group asked her to choose between playing music or playing sports.  Thyra, being the athlete that she was, chose to continue with basketball, track, football and soccer and took a break from playing music.  That was until she played the electric bass for the school plays of 2007, and 2009.
Years went by, but Thyra continued playing soccer and basketball, and playing the bass.  In the spring of 2012, Thyra was asked to fill in for the bassist of the Harrison Ivaz Band for one of the greatest music festivals ever: Lollapolooza.  As she described it, performing at Lollapolooza on both Friday and Saturday was one of the greatest things to ever happen to her.  Although she has never lived a fruitful financial life, the arts sure made up for it.
Socially, Thyra had always had lots of friends.  She loved riding her bike everywhere she could just to be with them.  Many friends were made at her schools that she had attended.  These included Wonder Montessori Pre-School, Stone Elementary for kindergarten, Alexander G. Bell Elementary for 1-8 grade and Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.  She had always been in an accelerated academic program, and her dream was to continue her studies at the University of Pennsylvania or the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor to eventually become a pediatrician.
Another contributor to how Thyra lived her everyday life was her spirituality and youth retreats she attended.  These retreats enlightened her to meditation and prayer and changed the way she looked at the universe as a whole.  She was never the most religious person, but spirituality played a huge role in her life.  She believed that emitting positive energy into the universe would ultimately bring positive outside elements to her.  Through this belief and many other experiences, Thyra also came to believe that everything happens for a reason.  This mindset had helped her deal with all things that went awry in her life, and had made her a strong person.
Thyra led a successful life full of open-mindedness and an urge to learn.  It's a shame to see her go. :(