Type
Topic
Country
Lockdown
You might be in your room right now underneath your blanket, watching Netflix, chilling, eating the stock you're having right now and if you are empty you went to the only shop opened near your area, unfortunately, I was doing the same but after I came out of the ration shop I saw two hungry children, I was having many packets of snacks so I decided to give one to them. But during the time I was searching for the packet in my bag I saw four more children coming, asking me to give them rice and wheat. I can afford to give two of them but not six, and I am sorry for that. They were screaming...
Keeping our mood up during the coronavirus lockdown period
My name is Kaninica Sengupta and I'm a 7th Grade Learner in Chennai, India. The first two days were really fun. I could sleep in late, wake up late and did not have to worry about going to school. But everything changed in the third day. I was sick of the usual routine. I missed school and I missed my teachers. I was scared of how I was supposed to learn even though our last exams were over. My school teachers started giving us home work, worksheets and audios/videos via our e- mails. That kept me engaged. I am a person who needs to do something different or I get bored really quickly. My mum...
Purpose
Every living soul born to this earth must serve a purpose. Big or small. What is purpose... How should we find it, ours... When we serve a big purpose, it seems easy for us to identify it. We will come out to the surface of the water, visible and identifiable. However, what if we serve a small purpose... We will not come out to the surface of the water, we will might as well be submerged, there will be no momentum to soar high. Invisible and unidentifiable. It is only our existence. Our existence that will touch others'. How would it make a purpose, we might think. It is our existence...
How to succeed in failure without really trying
Some paths you must walk alone. We all know that. We come to this world alone and alone we must go, or something like that. And the love you give, sometimes you might never get it back. And let’s not forget the world is full of injustice and anger and plastic that just won´t go away. I could write for days about the darkness there is out there or the hopeless void I sometimes feel I’m a part of. But in all honesty, who needs that? Did you notice how easy it is to just sink in it? Do you get what a dark place your life would be if you decide it to be? When something bad happens in your life, it...
Coping with Adolescence
I would always remember years back in college how my heart feels so good when my feet are inside my General Psychology classroom, and how it pounded more with excitement when we start tackling and battling with words under a topic – Stages of Human Development. Until I turned to teaching, I still aim for Personal Development so I could always have a good talk and response to this particular topic. For I have fell in a trap that knowing something about these stages will give me a better understanding of one’s personal growth, behavior, and attitude towards something. Well actually, it is really...
Resume Game?
Now as the world has come to a halt, many people think about what could keep them occupied. Some are lucky as they can work from home, in an outdoor space, or even at 6 feet apart. It has transpired that productivity in learning new things has dropped to an all-time low. It is almost as if we're playing a video game, stuck on a level. We choose to take a break from it and hit pause. A menu pops up and asks you to; 'Resume Game'. Now this is the tricky part, is it best to keep going to a level that seems complicated and tedious? There might be a small chance that if you pass this level...
A little discovery
You ought to be careful with the people you surround yourself with. I only recently discovered that certain mentalities are contagious. If you surround yourself with people that are constantly doubting themselves, speaking low about themselves, it's only a matter of time till you find yourself going through or experiencing such thoughts. This is how some insecurities are formed. Some people project and reflect their own doubts and fears onto you. Therefore, you have the duty to protect your space, know what and who you allow in your space. Like the Bible says, two cannot walk together unless...
A light of hope
Priya clutched her doll, as she went over to the balcony. She looked over the grill that was surrounding her balcony. Priya was a girl who lived in a flat system. As she looked out, she gave a little sigh. The roads that were so full of bustling crowds, were now completely deserted. The air that used to ring with the vehicle horns was now still and silent. Ever since India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modiji had announced the lockdown of the whole country, to battle the deadly coronavirus, there was hardly a soul roaming around. Priya was lost in thought of the epidemic when suddenly, she saw...
The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and its grip on us young people and children
“Poverty is when you don’t have any money. Because of a lack of money, children and us young people don’t have a chance to develop. We may not have a good profession or a good foundation for life.” This is how I describe the impact of poverty. Whether it’s the instant loss of income that so many parents face as a result of COVID-19 or the austerity measures that may follow, children and us young people are currently and will bear the brunt of this pandemic long after the virus itself has been eradicated. Projections change daily, with some predictions that the recession that follows COVID-19...
Living my teenage years through historical and political events
Your teenage years are supposed to be a time for you to figure out who you really are. It’s also a time where you often feel lost and confused. However, with everything that’s been going on (Covid-19, protests for the death of George Floyd, etc..), these influential teenage years have become extremely dense. Many students haven’t been able to get their prom or graduation. Others are struggling to attend online classes in a home that doesn't have the necessary technological facilities. This is what makes this time so unique; it affects all of us, crossing societal and economic borders. Though...
The Gen Z uneasiness
So there I was, at my graduation ceremony. It was just coming down on me that I had actually finished college. No more classes to take and no more requirements to be done. We were officially declared as graduates, but no one had prepared us for what was next. There was that dreaded question floating in the air – what now? Yes, we are now degree-holders and we were given enough background to pursue a future of our own interest, but what now? At age 20, I feel like I have done nothing! This overbearing anxiety and need to accomplish something is not uncommon among Gen Zeds. What most people...
Infinite
In fire you’ll find her, cackling defiantly in the silent night when all succumbs to stillness, radiating the warmth that you are ever so oblivious to. And even after the fire dies out, her silent cackling continues, for as she is infinite. In the oceans you’ll find her, the cascading falls, the streams, the pattering rain, watering the wizened land, sometimes choosing to swallow cities together. And even when everything else is evanescent, she remains, for as she is infinite. In zephyr you’ll find her, her soft caressing and the wild gushing gale, she can break glass if she desires, and...
International Youth Day 2020: A letter to youth
It was National Women’s day on the 9th of August in South Africa. It really gave me time to reflect on what being a woman meant to me. In the process, I reflected on the actions of the resilient and brave South African women whose fire burned too bright to be dimmed. The women who fought to give me the rights I have today. Today, as I write this in celebration of International Youth Day, I reflect on the youth that have done the same thing. Today as I write this, I am proud to say that I am among a group of young people whose desire and passion for change is undying. Young people who saw a...
Being an autistic teen in quarantine and staying occupied.
My name is Alex. I am autistic on the autism spectrum disorder. This is what it's like for me in quarantine using my own words. Quarantine has been tough a little bit. I miss talking to people face to face outside of my parents at home. At first I hated the thought of having to stay home more than usual. It was interesting at the end of last school year with "crisis school" as they called it. It's been a little hard for my mental health too, as I have other mental health issues. There was no fancy celebration for my eighth grade promotion due to the pandemic, so my mom had a lot of family and...
Speaking to the universe
I'm not one to believe in anything that concerns spirituality and the like. I heard someone, someone rather close to me, telling me this. Speak to the universe, and the universe listens. It didn't resonate with me quite well back then, it still seems quite off but then again, I think it's safe to say that I hope the universe listens when we speak to it, when we ask for help. Not that I've spent hours speaking to the universe but the entire concept of speaking to the universe feels divine and somewhat real. It's a beautiful concept, speaking to the universe, asking for help and help being given...
Body Shaming? Fight Back!!!
Hi, I'm Chelsea and this is my very first blog in which I will be talking about body shaming. What is body shaming? This is the way I like to define it: it is when a person mocks or criticizes your body's imperfection or flaws of the body. Like when a person says "you're too fat!", "you're too short", "you're too skinny", " or "you're shapeless". What does that even mean? It is also another form of bullying, and racism, a lot of victims of body shaming undergo mental breakdowns, inferiority complexes, high insecurity and all that. That is if you let it get to you. I have been a victim of body...
The Success Mindset in 8 Parts
I was asking myself, "Why am I so uncomfortable?" And basically, what I had to do to get up here today, is reframe my way of thinking. Alright, now let's talk about the success mindset. So, the reason I want to bring this up as the first topic of the season is that it's so important to know the foundation and to have that foundation ingrained in you, that mindset to succeed. I want to break it down and show parts of where this mindset can come from. It's not all, because I still have so much more to learn in life. But definitely, there is something that sets successful people apart from people...
Two Words to Change the World
I believe that two words are needed to change the world: be kind. As infection cases and death tolls rise daily, there is no denying that coronavirus is a disaster. It appeared from nowhere and flooded the world with pain and suffering before we could barely blink. However, I believe there are many positives to the pandemic, and it is also an opportunity: to rethink our world and ways of living, and rebuild our societies with kindness, compassion and empathy. This begins in the smallest places. For many of us living in lockdowns, this opportunity to think and reflect has been invaluable. Many...