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Current Events, Climate Change and Your Health
With the two climate strikes that happened in September, important conversations are happening about what needs to be done to improve the planet for future generations. Surrounding the dates of the United Nations Climate Action Summit, strikers across the world demanded climate justice for everyone. The demands included an end to the age of fossil fuels, as well as an energy revolution with climate justice and equity as its driving factor. The climate strikes — which have involved everyone from school-aged children to senior citizens — show that climate change is no longer an issue that can be...
Why Body Positivity on Social Media is More Important Than You Think
For a long time, the socially accepted beauty standard looked like this: blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and legs with a noticeable gap in between them. Victoria Secret angels, runway models, and TV ads plastered this image of perfection to the American public for decades. With the rise of social media, it seems that these images are nonetheless inescapable. Lately, however, it seems that women are starting to push back on this type of marketing. While certainly not the only culprit, this type of unrealistic beauty standard that is largely still being advertised adds to feelings of self pity...
From Where I Stand
Which College Will Divest Next?
Signs and protestors proclaiming “Injustice is not an investment,” “Climate change is not a game,” and “We’re still here”... The heated adrenaline is almost palpable if you step onto college campuses today. The kids are asking for divestment. According to Fossil Free, universities have divested around $14 trillion to date. Divesting means that they will actively sell shares in companies that spark environmental or social concerns. In the words of 350.org, this implies “a fast and just transition to 100% renewable energy for all,” “no new fossil fuel projects anywhere,” and “not a penny more...
The Lesson in Listening
Civil Disobedience
There is a strenuous debate over whether civil disobedience is an effective way of bringing about change or not. The general assumption is that civil disobedience effectively brings change to the society. However, it is my point of view that civil disobedience is not an effective way. To exemplify this, climate change is one of the most urgent, difficult, and side-lined issue in modern U.S. history. Government is our leader who needs to balance the economic growth and the climate change. For all the events that news can accommodate, unfortunately, climate change has been side-lined. When the...
Tik Tok is Harming the Earth
I am ashamed to say, but being in quarantine I can say I spend majority of my day scrolling through tiktok. TikTok has played a major role in the entertainment of Gen Z and actually has good impact such as educating in politics and raising awareness of topics that don't get much coverage. On the other hand, TikTok is harming the earth without even knowing. Fashion is a major niche of the platform and many creators promote their favorite affordable clothing stores such as Aliexpress, Shein, and Zara. The issue with these affordable brands are the ethics and sustainability. Many of these brands...
Why don't we humans care about the thing that cares about us the most?
Climate change is real. Temperatures are rising, and in a few years, if we still continue our ignorant and malevolent actions, the peaceful and green environment will not exist and trust me it wont be mendable. Fossil fuels: petrol, diesel, oil, etc. Non-renewable sources. The wreckers of the pleasant atmosphere. Burning of fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide which heats up the globe. The same globe that we live on, the same globe that takes care of us. It is taking care of you right now as you are reading this. It serves you with food, oxygen and so many things you don't know that exist but...
The Child of Racism
As a child of two immigrants from India, I am a mix between the vibrant and traditional culture of India and the extroverted culture of America. To me, India and America were worlds apart, often making me drift between the two whenever I visit India or return to America. I could not find any similarities between India and America, because to me (or at least to my parents), India was a mystical place filled with culture that I often took for granted. Now that I'm older and have access to more information than the generations before me, I started to realize that Indian culture and Western...
The Perfect Harmony!
The Perfect Harmony~ Where the sky is sparkly blue, Where the sun is bright shine, Where the birds are chirping melodiously, Where the cold breeze touches your face, Where you feel loved and protected, Where you feel nurtured and rejuvenated is in the lap of Mother Nature. As far as I can see beauty lies all around me, The lush greenery the beautiful creek, The water running over the pebbles, Their lies serenity, The perfect harmony.
When Will We Realize? - a poem
I Remember I remember oceans trembling and spilling gently with water. I remember dew drops glistening on pinecones, roses and buttercups reflecting the colours of spice blush and butter Barefoot and silent, I remember cupping mouthfuls of fresh river water picking up dried up petals . I remember those beautiful days. Those beautiful days when the sun glowed just right. Those beautiful days when the wind swooped gently soothing the harsh sunlight. Once, this entire ground filled crimson and coffee barks and peeping through the bushels of leaves I saw red flecked cardinals sitting there...
World: Dismantling
Hang onto the morning at its smallest just before the sky cracks to let in the morning’s rays. Remember the passing seasons and the gait of wisteria often buried under raucous life The cold summer sun resting quietly between satin curtains. Hold both the silence and the noise in the same hand because this world is burning too fast to hold it all. As you listen for the horizon noise of trains going, people rushing ask if you reach for the bits of this world before they become buried, returning to ash returning to the Earth for eternity, for infinity I plea, listen to the woods glowing in...
How The Coronavirus is Impacting Generation Z
When you hear about Generation Z, it’s always from the perspective that they’re “digital natives” and they “grew up with the internet at their fingertips.” But there’s a lot more to be said about this promising young group of individuals than the simple fact that they were the first generation born into a technological era. They’re also living, breathing human beings. They have emotions. Many are in the midst of sorting through their college careers. The first wave of older Gen Zers are even busy entering the workforce ...all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. How the Coronavirus is...
Who you are
What scares me the most is ourselves— how we treat one another, how we perceive one another, and how we go about this world living as if we are truly different from one another. Many years ago, I found a quote on the cover of a prayer book— the entire world is a narrow bridge. Throughout my life, I have toiled to find meaning in these words, but to no avail. These simple seven words held such complexity that their significance remained elusive, compelling me into a state of frustration. It was only months ago that I discovered there is a second half to that quote— the essential thing is not to...
Using art and writing to express ourselves.
Art is a wonderful way of expressing ourselves. Writing is another good way of expressing ourselves as well. Those two mediums of self-expression is what I use personally to help express not only myself, but my emotions and my thoughts, especially during this pandemic. Doing so is a healthy way of coping and expressing our emotions and feelings. We can draw friends hanging out and playing with each other, and write about how we miss playing with our friends. We can paint raining skies to show our sadness, and journal about why we are feeling. I personally like to write about how I am feeling...
Why We Don't Vote
Ask me if I vote and I’ll tell you no. I’m told it’s important and necessary, yet I come from a city with strong views that appeal to mine anyways. Besides when I turned 18, I figured my vote wouldn’t even matter since the majority of the city/state see the world the way I see it. I’m a young person, I work, I pay bills, I go to school; I’m responsible. Yet aside from that, voting has always seemed pointless because there were many things that occurred in the time that I couldn’t vote (like Trump becoming president) that I did not approve of. Even now I do not feel like voting is the only or...
HUMANS.
Humans, most popularly known as the "top of the food chain", they supposedly have the best brains. Using these brains they deforest our jungles, litter everywhere, hunt for endangered animals for a sport, which leads to more cruelty towards other living beings. But I mean why do we care, we are at the top. Us humans, deforest jungles. Why? Urbanization? Medicine? Space? Toilet - paper? Nope. none of them. It's because we believe that we are superior to all beings on this planet, because we are more in number, are more smarter, have more power. Honestly, we don't. Just imagine, standing before...
The over-shoot DAY!
Over shoot Day. Earth's over-shoot day, is the time when the world's population has used the maximum amount of resources it can use on the planet for the year. This event occurred on August 22 2020. Humanity has used as much of the world's resources that we can sustainably use in a year. Basically, we have surpassed our goal for the year and now are starting to use excess amount of the Earth's resources. And guess what it's just August. Hence, this milestone is called an over-shoot Day. You might believe that quarantine is helping the planet, humans staying inside, limiting the use of cars and...
Becoming The "American" Child
My South Asian culture is something that I have always cherished. The traditional folk music and dances, flavorful cuisines, and colorful festivities native to Kerala have always managed to mesmerize me ever since I was young. But at what cost was I finally able to start appreciating these aspects of my identity as a young Indian American? I remember laying down when I was younger, perched next to our Casio stereo CD player and listening to Indian music from my native language, Malayalam, while I would sing my heart out in random gibberish, thinking that I was reciting what I thought were the...