The Last Issue Post

For my last post I would like to quote Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, "It was a divine spring, and the season contributed greatly to my convalescence." (Shelley, 76). I think about this quote all the time, it's talking about how Frankenstein's Monster feels better when the weather turns around and blossoms are blooming. I like to think of this when I'm feeling particularly negative, every storm has an end, and every winter has a spring.

Article of the Day 3/31

In the video, "Girl" vs. "Woman": Why Language Matters, Mayin Bialik states, "We start to believe the way things are is the way they have to be." this quote is very true, as humans we see things a certain way and don't realize that it doesn't always have to be like that. We live in a society were we can stand up for what we believe in and hope our voices are heard. It hasn't always been like this nor is it like this everywhere; it's such a gift to be able to speak our minds and know our voices will be heard somewhere and help someone maybe even for the better.

Types of Power

Stereotypes exist for a reason, whether we want to believe it or not. However, stereotypes aren't the only things that we are. Stereotypes are only one small part of who we are; it's the Rhode Island of ourselves. Meaning, it's a part of the USA but it's a small part and not the only part by a long shot. However, these things exist in politics and in our lives because we allow it; because people create that single story, it's up to us to diminish that dullness and create a light that's new. But first, we must be willing to see other people as more than their stereotypes as well.

Article of the Day 3/28

I first watched this three years ago in my Sophomore year of high school. When writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was younger she wrote about white people with blue eyes, she couldn't imagine a book with people who were not white. Similarly, a lot of people exclaim how important it is to have representation. White skinned, blue eyed people aren't the only people on Earth. Africans are more than hungry, sick, monsters. There is a reason people leave their country for America. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Lingering on these statements hurst not only them, but us too. There is no single story, about one group. Not one group has a single story; people are complex people have multiple different stories.

The way you create a single story by explaining someone in the same way, over and over, and all of a sudden that is who they are; even if that is not who they are. The danger of a single story is this: it robs people of their humanity. Stories can break, but stories can also repair.

Thought and Religion

Another question of mine is on the way religion takes control of our thoughts. Is it true there is more hope at the end of the rainbow when we believe someone is continually watching over us? Having just left a religion, I can be the first to express how much life is different when you ‘know’ life is going to turn out a specific way compared to not really knowing if you are alone or not. Religion and the idea of God give people hope to get out of bed everyday. They believe that whatever happens to them in today's circumstances, they’ll come out just fine, because their God is always taking care of them. With or without religion, everyone is trying to do better with their day, and I think that’s beautiful. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Why Does it Matter?

The question is, why does mental health matter? I've known people in my life who were so laden with grief they couldn't be present in the, well... present. Mental health is just as important as physical health. If you aren't taking care of your mind, it's going to get harder and harder to take care of your body. Your mind is the power house of your self, if that stops functioning, so do you. Keeping in touch with your spiritual side (ie through Yoga) benefits you in a lot more ways than you think.

Article of the Day 3/3

Having some experience with people who fail to see the truth when it is right in front of their nose, it makes sense how this has become some what of the norm. If you see something one way through one lense for a long time, it's going to be hard to unsee it that way. If people refuse to see something a certain way, there's not a whole lot you can do. The best thing you can do is find someone who is willing to have a conversation and not just an argument.