Everybody is trying to make their life as meaningful as possible like a mark before their last breath in this world. Since we all know that we will die some day, people are trying many different kinds of ways to make their life meaningful before they leave. Although nothing really has a meaning in this society, people give it to them. Therefore, varies of people live their life differently based on how they are shaped since they are a baby. However, I personally have some ideas about how to have a good and meaningful life, too. One similarity between my ideas and others' ideas is that they all are from the dominant culture. These dominant cultures could be corporate, folk, or other large subculture.
My ideas about the good life are to overcome obstacles and to become better. Having a good life does not mean it has to be happy although a lot of people think that life has to be happy in order to have a good and meaningful life. But for me, I think that life does not have to be happy and it is not a "must" or a "necessary criteria" to meet in my life. Since everybody got influenced by the dominant culture, people tempted to limit themselves to do certain things. One of the biggest dominant cultures is the corporate message from the media. A lot of the music videos, movies, advertisement, and etc. are telling people what to do in order to have a good life like a boss. Then a lot of people follow these messages without any force to live their life like a "slave" for their own life. Because of the majority are following it, people become a follower in the society to do what others do to get accepted in the society. Meanwhile, people begin to limit themselves to do certain things. Perhaps some people think to be a certain character will be acceptable in this society, but since it is not trendy from the majority, they limit themselves to be that certain character.
A lot of people think that overcoming obstacles and self improvement is a difficult experience in their life and they tempt to go away with it. Differently, for me, overcoming obstacles and improving myself are one of the biggest things that I like to do in order to make my life meaningful. I deeply believe that happy or joys are from overcoming difficulties. It is like one hand can't clap by itself unless it hits the other. In order to live a good meaningful life is to overcome those obstacles that prevent us to meet our desire. Once people get what they want, immediately, people will be happy. At the same time, you feel like you accomplish something new in your life that challenges you once in your life journey. In other words, happy comes from unhappiness and sadness leads to happiness. Therefore, life does not have to be "always" happy in order to have a good life. Obstacles and sadness are definitely part of our life that we need. In addition, when people accomplish something/overcoming obstacles, they improve themselves immediately and they create a mark in their life. I believe that most of the people are doing the same thing as I did, and the majority of people's meaningful memories are from experiencing new things and overcoming obstacles that makes their life happy.
While I believe that the meaning of life is to overcoming obstacles and become better. Some people think the meaning of life are mostly happiness.The most common answers that I got from the people on the streets are: families, friends, and happiness [a sense of belongings]. But there do have some unique answers such as: God, music, fashion, photography [dreams and achievements]. When people mentioned meaningful, it usually means something that you appreciate and it “means” something to you like a mark that makes it unique in your life. The way I interpret these people's ideas about to live a good meaningful life is to put them into two different categories. One of them is individualism, and the other is groups. While some people like to live their life based on others such as family and friends to have a sense of belonging, the other 1/3 of people like to live their life based on their dreams that does not really have to do with somebody else. The specific pattern that I see from the people who response, “family, friends, and happiness” is that these people are the ones who think a meaningful life is to having a relation with somebody else to be able to make their life and somebody else’s life meaningful. Not necessary they are seeking for meaningful by themselves, but they are looking for meaningful by being part of somebody else. The pattern that I see from the people who response, "convey God, music, and fashion" is that they are the ones who like to be independent and go on their own other than with somebody else. It does not mean these people do not have a family or friends, but it seems they like to do things individually in order to make life meaningful for them.
The similarities between these two categories of people are that they both are identities that tell people who they are in this society. It does not really matter they say family or God; it gives people a sense of who they are in this world. Everybody in this world is searching for the answer of "who am I" in this society. Therfore, people find the answers based on things that is around them. Some people that I interviewed on the street are born into a good happy family, it somehow shapes them into living a good meaningful life of to be with her/his family members. Some people are born into a more independent environment, it will shape them into a more individual life of living based on their own dreams and achievements. The fact that people in this world is indentifying themselves, they make their life meaningful. Is like naming your pet or your descendants, it has a meaning to it because the way you name it. Life could be complete empty with no meaning. But choosing to live in this universe, people have to color their life like a blank page of paper, and that is the meaning of living. People also can look at it in differnt angles, such as depending what color they want to color their life. You can be completely positive about your life and you can be completely negative. But is better than nothing. Overall, the majority of the people in this world is afraid of emptiness-the feeling of blank (does not know who you are). Hence, even though the majority of the population does not really know how to live a good meaningful life, they just follow what is around them to have a sense of belonging-to fit in such as the dominant corporate perspective.
*Definition of Corporate Culture, Folk Culture, and Other Large Culture.
*Examples of … (Dominant/Marginal/Prohibited)
People in now a days society are mostly shaped by the corporate culture. The corporate culture consistently sends messages throughout many different kinds of ways to tell people how to live a good meaningful life. One music video that I watched called the "Lip Gloss" by Lil' Mama is basically a music clip that tells people how to fit in among the larger community. In the very beginning of the music video, she is trying to fit in to the “cool crowd”, so she will be poppin’. After she got the lip gloss, she changed totally from self-diffident to self-confident to represent she fits in the group now, and she is cool. Throughout the whole video, it constantly sends the message to people that they have to look good and cool by using expensive products/cosmetics to be able to have a good life (power) in this society , because they fit in the group and they are part of the popularity. Also it helps you to get sexual attention from the opposite sex and being the representative of the same sex at the same time.The pop culture in this society is sending out the dominant message that YOU have to follow the trend and update yourself to be able to get the center attention. Or else, you will not be on the same level as the other. In other word, you will not be attached to the society that you are in. The corporate culture sometimes tells you the marginal message about how to live a good meaningful life, but often people don't really see it. According to this music video, the marginal message is that you don't need these luxuries and you will still be pretty, but if you use it, you will upgrade yourself. Hence, the society gets to decide what is really the way to live a good and meaningful life.
Another music video that I watched is called the "Good Life" by Kanye West. The music video is basically about how to live a good meaningful life by having the best cars and being rich. Part of the lyrics from the song is "50 told me go 'head switch the style up and if they hate then let 'em hate and watch the money pile up, the good life". Kanye West is basically saying that ignore what other people said or think about you, and just go for what you want, then you will be rich and upgrade yourself. Then the lyric talks about traveling to many different places and have a good life. The corporate culture keeps sending the dominant messages about the meaningful life such as being rich, travel around the world, have the best car, dress in style, and that is the good life. But they never tells you the prohibited message that sometimes living a good meaningful life might not need these luxuries. The music video also shows how women in the society should look. "Where we like the girls who ain't on TV Cause they got more (Ass than the models)". This line from the lyric is basically telling the females how they should look in the society to be able to get accepted by the males. Women needs good body shapes in the society even better than the models to be able to fit in the society. Meanwhile, it tells the men that other than the cars and money, they need to have pretty women in the society too to be able to ratify in the society. In addition, the music video also sends out marginal message saying that "Whether you broke or rich you gotta get biz Having' money's the everything that having' it is". The music video tells people that they have to be rich, but they also contradicts itself by saying having money is not everything, but not having, it is. In this society, people easily got attracted by the media and choose to believe that is the way to live a good meaningful life. Therefore, the society gets to make the decisions of what is the dominant messages of living a good meaningful life.
Music video is not the only ones who send out corporate messages that will affect people's perspective of living a good meaningful life. Movies and films sends out message that will affect how people should live, too. One movie that I watched called "The Music of My Heart" is basically about having accomplishments in the society. The movie starts out to be a women whose family has fall apart and she has to start her new life in a new black community while she is caucasian. At first, she went to a school for part time job to teach students violin lessons. But then most of the parents did not seem to accept her. They do not want their kids to play the "white men's music". Throughout the whole movie, she insistently spread how important it is to the kids in spite of what race the music is from. She starts to get accepted by the parents by showing them how talented their kids are in the music concerts. Which later gets to the end that more students wants to be her students and she even get to perform with her students in Carnegie Hall. This movie tells people that they should not go away from their obstacles and they should overcome the things that is on their way. It also tells people that if you are persistence on your dream, you will succeed someday. This messages that is being send out from the dominat culture sometimes might not be so bad to follow. These are the practical ideas that is being send by the media, too. In the corporate culture, sometimes is not very bad to follow those messages, because it gives people a sense of belong and avoid being lost.
Not only the televisions and the movies send out corporate messages. The magazines and advertisement send out messages that will affect us somehow, too. I still remember one magazine that I read in the library called "OUT", a fashion magazine, inside it was full of articles and advertisement about high fashions and how to look good in the society. One article I read called "Taste Makers 2008" by Chris Rovzar is a detail write up about high fashion taste for the year. The article is an interview of many designers and directors of famous brand. They explained how they create an impeccable taste and style that make people's life simpler, prettier, happier, and richer. The creative director from Calvin Klein, Kevin Carrigan explained "it's extremely important for me to have one consistent message for the season that can be applied to different areas and different regions- one emotion with many expressions." Based on what he said in the article, it pretty clear that these magazines do send out messages that tells people how to have a good meaningful life. He believes that it is extremely important for him to create a taste for people in order to help them look good. But these magazines never mention how expensive these products are. Throughout the whole article, there are bunch of top designers and taste makers who talked about what is the best taste in this society, but the prohibited message is that they never tell you that these are all luxuries that you not necessary need in your life. The whole point of following wearing these expensive brands is to make yourself feel comfort in the society-the feeling of being accepted by somebody else.
*Conclusion
For my family, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Hence, we never have thanksgiving dinners and the genocide did not came up as a topic to talk about. As most people do in America, the basic things for thanksgiving is to eat turkey, pumpkin pie,corns...etc. But for me, is just a regular holiday that Americans celebrate. As I walking around on the streets, I been noticing that most people don't really celebrate thanksgiving as what the traditional holiday should be. Even when I came to this country, my second language teacher taught me stories of how Indians helped the pilgrims from the May Flower...etc. So my prediction was that most kids does not really know the message behind it, but just celebrate this holiday as they been taught to. I felt that people around me even my mom told me that I supposed to feel thankful for being exist in this world. Everybody turn out to be having their own meaning of thanksgiving. Is no longer feel thankful for the Indians who had helped the pilgrims. 
I remember when I just came to America, one of my aunt who lives in the U.S. for a long time invited my family to her house for a thanksgiving dinner. Although I do not really know why we have to celebrate this, even they might not know, but we all just gather around a table and being together as a family to eat. I think that is what most people is doing was that to be with their family for the thanksgiving break. Like people finally get to have a day off to spend with their family. Overall, I think the meaning of this holiday is starting to twist around a little. People no longer feel thankful based on the history, but just being what they supposed to be since it was a holiday. It shapes people to be this way even though is not one of the meaningful moment. As what the corporate messages shaped the majority, people just be what they been taught to and get involved in this culture even though it really has nothing to do with them. Probably kids been taught this way is not only learning the history, is also learning to be nice and help others. Thus, people will not really know the message that is behind this holiday and also they might not bother to care since it was an extra two days off from school.
I noticed that a lot of companies and stores have discounts because of Black Friday, but I never experience to be with the crowds and get online for hours. This year, my friend has invited me to go shopping with her. So I went, and take a look of how it really looks like. I saw that most of the stores tempt to get more crowded than usual probably because of CHEAP STUFF...50% ON FOR TODAY...etc. Based on my observation of the day, I been noticing that people don't really need the stuff, all the stuff are luxuries. Also I didn't buy anything because I felt like I don't really need it. Differently, my frined spent a lot of money on clothing. Is not because of the buy nothing day that caused me to refuse spending money, but I felt like people are mostly shaped by the corporate culture and even they know they don't need it, they tempt to spend money. Like my friend said, seeing people buy bags of stuff, it just makes me want to have it too or else I felt left out. I think not only my friend is these kind of people, I think that is how the majority felt, too. 
From watching the video clip in the class, the organization is cosuming the issue of creating more waste for the country because of buying products. I think in some point they have a good arguement, but one day really does not make a difference. Also is hard to persuade the majority to avoid something that is very cheap. Is not just decreasing the wastes, there is more effects if every body choose not to buy. The companies might end up with closing on that day...
