Stop Smoking for Good

My research paper for my (1st) college English class.

As you're walking to your next class on campus, you pass by some students standing in the front of a building smoking. You silently hold your breath as you pass them by. Not wanting to breathe in the awful smell lingering in the air, you fan the air in front of your face. If only the image of their damaged lungs could be seen on the outside! What a sight that would be, you think to yourself. Walking into the building, you hear one of the smokers cough up phlegm and spit it out. You cringe at the sound and hurry inside.    

It's a Friday night as you get ready for the party at your friend's house. You hear a honk from a car outside your house and race through the front door to meet your friends who are picking you up. As you get into the backseat of the car, you notice your two friends in the front with cigarettes in their mouths. The smoke is everywhere and you gag from the smell. You open the window on your side and wonder when your friends started to smoke. Since the first day of class when the three of you met, you never saw them smoking. They had even said they tried it before but hated it.

These are just two of the everyday situations people go through with regards to smokers. We've all heard that smoking is bad for a person's health and body and we know the consequences of smoking, especially heavily and over a long period of time. While the choice of whether to smoke or not is a personal one, it becomes even more serious when it affects others, such as in secondhand smoking. Children as well as other family members, friends, neighbors, and even strangers can be negatively affected by an individual's decision to smoke. Convinced that smokers know that their decision isn't only affecting them, it is selfish of them to still smoke while non-smokers are around or will be in the same surroundings while the smell is still in the air. If a person wants to hurt themself that's their business, but they shouldn’t be harming others too. To prevent the negative consequences of hurting one's body and others, smoking should be stopped for good!       

Even though people know the risks of smoking, this is not enough for some people to never try it or stop completely. What might be a surprise for many is the substances that cigarettes contain. Did you know there are more than 4,000 ingredients in a cigarette other than tobacco? Some of the many ingredients are fungicides and pesticides (causes many types of cancers and birth defects, cadmium (used in batteries and linked to lung and prostate cancer), and benzene (linked to leukemia).

If this isn't enough to convince a smoker to quit, how about these ingredients: ammonia(a household cleaner), arsenic (used in rat poisons), butane (gas used in lighter fluid), carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas), cyanide(a deadly poison), DDT (a banned insecticide), lead (poisonous in high doses), formaldehyde (used to preserve dead specimens), naphthalene(ingredient in mothballs), and polonium (cancer-causing radioactive element) (Kleinman). After knowing these dangerous and deadly substances are in cigarettes, is it smart to try or continue smoking? And tobacco industries could care less for its consumer's health, so its up to a person to make wise decisions for their own good! Afterall, as the tobacco industry's saying goes, "An addicted customer is a customer for life, no matter how short that life is" (Kleinman).

So, how exactly does smoking harm a person's body and health? No matter how much a smoker may deny it, the fact is that "smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general" (Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking). Compared to a non-smoker, "smoking is estimated to increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by 2 to 4 times, men developing lung cancer by 23 times and women developing lung cancer by 13 times, and of course, dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times" (Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking). Would you believe that "more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined" (Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking). Even if a smoker manages to live a long life, is it worth living with cancers and diseases? What a waste of a life!

Most importantly is how smoking puts non-smokers in danger. As previously mentioned, a person's choice to smoke shouldn’t put other lives in danger. Do smokers consider how their choice affects the people around them? Exposure from secondhand smoke is most common in homes and workplaces, but also in public restaurants, bars, and casinos and in private vehicles. Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. This smoke alone contains more than 7000 chemicals, hundreds of which are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer. "Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,400 lung cancer deaths among U.S.adult non-smokers each year" (Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Facts). Many of the victims of secondhand smoke are children who have to suffer (because of adults). In 2007-2008, 53.6% of young children (aged 3–11 years) were exposed to secondhand smoke. In children, secondhand smoke causes ear infections, asthma attacks, respiratory symptoms (ex. coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath), respiratory infections (i.e. bronchitis, pneumonia) and a greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). "In children aged 18 months or younger, secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for approximately 7,500–15,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States" (Secondhand Smoke Facts). Why are babies put to risk by adult decisions, especially by their parents?

Back in May of 2010, the sight of a two year old smoking was unbeliebvable and disturbing for many people. Outraged by how someone as young as two could get their hands on cigarettes and not be stopped, was a discussion amongst child advocates. According to Seto Mulyadi, chairman of Indonesia's child protection commission, he blames the increase on aggressive advertising and parents who are smokers. In addition he said a law to protect children and passive smokers should be introduced immediately in their country. "A health law passed in 2009 formally recognizes that smoking is addictive, and an anti-smoking coalition is pushing for tighter restrictions on smoking in public places, advertising bans and bigger health warnings on cigarette packages" (Too).    

All in all, anyone can see how bad the problem is with smoking. Smoking doesn’t just affect one person, but many others too, whether it is a child, spouse, relative, neighbor, friend, classmate, or a stranger! With so many negative consequences not just to an individual but also to the people around a smoker, banning smoking should be a priority for everyones benefit.   

Works Cited

"CDC - Fact Sheet - Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/.

"CDC - Fact Sheet - Secondhand Smoke Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.         National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Web. 01 Dec. 2011.             http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/general_fact         s/index.htm.

Kleinman, Lowell, and Deborah M. Kleinman. "Have You Ever Wondered What's In a             Cigarette?" Quit Smoking Help and Quit Smoking Information at QuitSmokingSupport.com. QuitSmokingSupport.com. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm.

"Too Unfit to Run: Two-year-old Who Smokes 40 Cigarettes a Day Puffs Away on a Toy        Truck." Mail Online. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-          1281538/Smoking-year-old-Ardi-Rizal-40-cigarettes-day.html.

My Favorite Video Quotes

Islam: Learn it, Live it, Love it

My "I Believe" essay for First Year Seminar.

If there is one thing my life revolves around, it is Islam. Some may call it a religion, faith, or a complete way of life. For me, Islam is all of these and much more! Many of the things I have come to realize and believe involves Islam in one way or another. As a Muslim, I do believe in the six basic pillars of belief (belief in the One, True God (Allah in Arabic), His angels, revealed scriptures, messengers, the Day of Judgment, and divine predestination) and the five pillars of Islam (declaration of faith, establishing prayer, fasting in the month of Ramadan, giving a portion of wealth in charity, and pilgrimage to Makah, Saudi Arabia. These are what I believe.

On my vacation to Bangladesh and England back in the summer of 2007, I learned the true value of having a loving family and appreciating them. Unlike many other people I know, I don’t have many family members here in America. Taking a family vacation was a great way to meet with and catch up with relative who live elsewhere in the world. Although many of us, especially young people, are closer to friends, family is just as important. After all, who knows us better than the ones we have known since the day we were born! But of course, having friends is definitely beneficial and welcoming.

While in England, I saw my cousin spend time online chatting on a forum dedicated to female Muslims. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but after coming back to America and several months passed, I decided to join the online community, and I’m really glad I did! It is a place to ask questions, get advice and recommendations, learn about Islam and life in general, and talk to other female Muslims (Muslimahs). I can honestly say that after being on the forum for almost four years, it has helped me a lot! Not only have I learned countless things, I even made an Ethiopian friend who lives in Oregon and have been friends with since 2008.

Spending my free time on Islam Way Sisters forum, I was surprised by what Islam really teaches and what it means to be a Muslim. Being a female Muslim, I really wanted to learn about the position of women in Islam, so I read numerous books. My favorite book is Women in Islam: The Myth and the Reality by Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem. I also listened to lectures on the topic of Muslim women. Even though many people are born into Muslim families, that doesn’t mean they are practicing Muslims who represent Islam correctly. As much as women have been subjugated around the world throughout history, women are just as important as men. They are daughters, students, friends, wives, mothers, colleagues, etc. Females may be a weakness for males, but they can also be a source of strength for them too! Unfortunately, there are Muslim women who are disrespected or degraded (just as non-Muslim women are), but this is due to culture and traditions, not Islam. There is definitely a difference between Islam and the culture of Muslims, especially in terms of cultural/traditional practices that actually go against the teaching of Islam!

Although I started to wear a hijab in the beginning of sixth grade, it wasn’t until high school that I gained an understanding of what properly wearing a head scarf (hijab in Arabic) truly signifies. Contrary to what many people may think, hijab, or even a full body covering and face veil, isn’t oppressing nor does it make women inferior. Having experience wearing all three, I realized a saves a lot of problems and makes people appreciate you for who you really are on the inside instead of judging you solely on how you look on the outside. Before making assumptions, people should learn the truth for themselves instead of being “spoon fed” information on what to believe. In this case, why not ask a female Muslim who wears hijab properly how she feels about it. During my first year or two in high school when I was rediscovering Islam and my position as a female Muslim, I started to blog about Islam and what I was learning at the time. I later decided to share what I learned about Muslim women by writing about them for my research paper.

Today I continue to learn nit just by attending university, but also about Islam at home. I also started a new blog http://satisfiedwithislam.blogspot.com/ which includes some of my favorite motivational videos. Some reasons why I have come to love Islam includes that there is no racism and sexism in Islam, the diverse family of followers, true brother/sisterhood, and simply for the fact that Islam truly is a complete way of life with answers to everything, thus there is always something to learn! In addition, there are great role models in Islamic history such as Prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadijah. Finally, living Islam provides a life that is beneficial to all and has the best interest for everyone, as seen through hijab and personal development i.e. good character building. By continuing my quest for knowledge, both worldly and spiritually, I have learned that education is extremely important from a young age and gaining wisdom never stops in life! This belief is one of the reasons why I am choosing to become a teacher in the future. These are what I believe.

My Favorite Teacher and Random Quotes

Here is another batch of my favorite quotes for your enjoyment ;) I have more ideas on ways to share more quotes (like videos and graphics) in the near future inshAllah, so please check back.  

Teacher quotes:
~ "Teach the children so that it will not be necessary to teach the adults." - Abraham Lincoln
~ "A teacher affects eternity; [they] can never tell where [their] influence stops." - Henry Adams
~ "A teacher teaches all other professions." - Author unknown

Random quotes:
~ "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix
~ "If you tell the truth, then you don't have to remember what you said." - similar to Mark Twain
~ "Where there's a will there's a way." - English proverb
~ "Everything happens for a reason."
~ "Treat others the way you want to be treated."