Independent Novel Section 1: Journal Entry The events described in the first section of the novel Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland are any teenager’s worst nightmare; a school shooting. The novel is pre-divided into four sections, each narrated by a different character who either witnessed, or was victim to the crisis that unfolded. The first section is narrated by a high school senior of 1988 (the year of the shooting) named Cheryl Anway. She a self-converted Christian who is part of a group called Youth Alive! at her North Vancouver high school along with her boyfriend Jason, and several of her peers.
Cheryl was a pretty girl; seemingly normal on the outside. She grew up in a non-religious family, however she converted to Christianity in order to get closer to Jason, who…show more content… She wonders why such a selfish thing is the only goal of religion: going to heaven (Coupland 33). Why isn't the goal of religion to help others get to heaven, or just plainly, to help others? While these things may be on a list of religious goals, they certainly don't top the most selfish of all: make sure I go to heaven. Whether or not this is good or bad is questionable, however, this brings up a bunch of questions, not only from a religious standpoint, but from life in general. Why is the only goal of life to better things for yourself, to get ahead of others, and to have as comfortable a life as possible for yourself, while others are striving just to get by, or even suffering? We may offer small donations, or an hour or two of community service here and there, but are those volunteer hours just résumé builders? Are we only donating to causes because of the pressure to look generous rather than a genuine desire to help another human being? Rarely do we go out of our way to inconvenience ourselves in order to help others because ultimately, the goal of our lives is to maintain a nice livelihood for