The word totem comes from native American culture, and is the emblem of a clan or tribe, much like a coat of arms in Europe. The "rallying totem" in this article refers to the city of Jerusalem which is a central issue concerning all those who are against Zionism. The "Occupation Regime" refers to the state of Israel which is considered to have occupied Palestine. I am not an expert in politics and am not expressing any opinions, just talking about the English language. Hope that helps you.

To distract is to divert attention from the original focus, to divert is to change direction. However, you could say that someone diverted your attention away from something, thus distracting you. Examples: I was driving my car when I was distracted by the ringing of my phone. We were driving and there was a diversion due to road works. We had to divert from our original intended route.

I wonder how often you put money into the box. Maybe you mean I have put 500 dollars into the box OVER the last 3 years. Maybe "I have been putting money into the box regularly over the last 3 years, amounting to 500 dollars". Your original "I have put "is fine too, no other form of PUT unless you change the tense to I HAVE BEEN PUTTING....etc.

Your thought about moving freely between these realms seems plausible, I would have said that people choose their position somewhere between the two. I think you need a philosopher to answer this!

Note: The students LISTEN, 3rd person plural, they listen. Both are good, you can narrate in the present tense, describing the action as though it is unfolding in front of you. You can also use the past, as Nanren888 said just be consistent.

A totally useless word, it exists but hardly ever used.

She is saying that her life is full and meaningful, in contrast to her sister who doesn't have a life, meaning she is a loser, doesn't do anything much.

We usually classify conditionals as zero. 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Examples ZERO: If you heat ice, it melts. FIRST: If you work harder, you will make more money. SECOND: If I saw a big dog, I would run away. THIRD: If I hadn't missed the bus, I wouldn't have been late for school.