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Let's Talk: Misinformation
Misinformation: Noun, "false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive." Oxford Languages. Misinformation is essentially a virus, and it's everywhere today. A substantial majority of people in today's world overestimate their abilities to detect truth from falsehoods. The reason why this is important is that misinformation doesn't have to be just a tiny fib, it can be a targeted, blatant lie, which can put people's wellbeing in danger. It can additionally spread quickly and exponentially. If a person views an article or document that is misinformation...
Seek good news and paint the world with new colors
I think we're used to bad news. Everyday we’re told about the mistakes a government made, the violence of our society, tragedies and catastrophes. Scandals and commotion are prioritized over improvements of any kind. Those elements are essential because they’re part of our reality. Nevertheless, in my opinion, we’re being crowded with unhealthy negativism. I’m a great fan of “constructive criticism” because we have the right to express our thoughts but also the responsibility of asking ourselves “Is what I’m saying constructive or destructive?”. We’re responsible for what we tell and also for...
Out of pain comes religious solidarity
Hello. As you may know yesterday there erupted two fires in two beloved, and incredibly important religious buildings; the Notre Dame in France and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. I have seen far less information circulating about what occurred to the mosque in the same time, that seemingly, every news outlet in my Midwestern American town reported on the Notre Dame. I understand a larger part of the Cathedral may have burned, but I think it is a very sadly missed opportunity if people are not able to see that both these events happened on the same day. For those of us who believe in God, it...
This is why we love married men
I remember having a chat with a young woman and one discussion led to another and I asked her “Would you marry a man old enough to be your father?” She answered “Yes, why not? What is wrong with that?” Honestly, I tried to hide my biases, but I couldn’t hide my surprise. So, I asked again “Why a married man?” She said because they can cater to her needs. I also remember a Ghanaian actress once made a comment about women having to depend on men to sustain themselves. Of course she was dragged on social media for uttering such statement during her interview.
What looks similar, might not be that similar
Sometimes we wonder, why should we go to a place that’s similar? Why should we spend our money going to that area? This story will tell you why going to those kinds of places is worth the trip. In March 2019, I was invited to Kuantan Malaysia by Rotary Club Indera Putra Mahkota to speak at a youth event. It was my first time to speak abroad. I’m from Indonesia. Indonesia and Malaysia are like siblings because they share so many things in common. In fact, many people that I met there said that they have a relative or have been to Indonesia. As a result, I could catch up on their language which...
Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate
The Secret
How to cope with negative thoughts?
Another language
I think that we need another language. A language of passion and love. A language of heart and hope. We need a new language of compassion, sympathy, and integrity. The language of hugs and embraces. A language of eyes and expressions. When we love, we should express the love we feel. When we care, we should show the care we hold dear. We should be humans before it is too late. The language we share is humanity and our universe is one. We share the sky and the ground. We share the dreams and hopes. We are one, inside and out. We are humans in time and space. We are the children of oceans and...
Forever
‘Forever’ For as long as I can remember, I've always assigned very little value to this one word. I never really thought about it much. Perhaps, I firmly relied on the assumption that ‘forever’ was one of those inherently constant things in life, like the sure way the scorching sun bites harder in the desert. My severe disillusionment came with the shock of losing a loved one. Its saddening, isn't it? The way it takes a reminder of how brief life is to actually appreciate it. But, I'm relearning. I've come to recognize that despite how fleeting or infinite forever might seem, the truth is, the...
I am The Girl
To support me give me back my space of freedom. Don't talk for me and let me do it myself; let me voice my own thoughts, my own visions... my own dreams. I am a girl and you can see me in the face of every girl starving every day for education but not allowed to fulfill it. You can hear me in those little girls' voices as they cry refusing to get married at the age of nine. You can see me in the footsteps of the girls marching to cross borders and seas running away from war and violence. If you want to help me hand me a pen and a book and let me write my own future and draw my own path. Then...
The Activist
These words are mine and what I claim is what I believe in. I do not assume that my opinion is the ultimate truth. However, this is how I see the world. I don’t claim myself as the perfect activist and I am not giving myself the right to define what a true activist is. Yet, let me draw for you the picture of the activist who lives inside my head. An activist is a limitless person— they belong to the whole universe. They are a person who sees the world as their own home. An activist is part of everything and belongs to everyone. They treat people as human beings and not as commodities. An...
They bullied us, now we are stronger
My parents had me after eight years of marriage; I was their first child and you can imagine what kind of a treatment I had. I was a loved kid and both of them tried to provide me with everything I needed. Without a bad intention, but rather out of a pure love, my mother did not pay attention to my diet, so I grew up as an overweight child. Before school I did not understand what the word ‘fat’ meant but after my first day there I knew that I was different, physically speaking. The kids kept laughing at me and as time passed they started calling me names. Whenever I tried to integrate I failed...
Hopes and dreams
A seven billion voice, a seven billion hope and a seven billion dream. The number is big, the earth is round and it is the only place we have. Different races, different beliefs, different backgrounds and different souls but we all live under one sky, we all admire the same stars and we all breathe the same air. We all have a heart, see with two eyes, hold with two hands and walk on two feet, some of us may grow wiser and some others may fall every time they walk. Maybe we see things differently for example I like winter; a cloudy sky and a rainy day, it happens that you like it when it is...
Part 2: Where will they go
Here are my feelings on the Mennonite Identity, (continued) I think there's a lot of sadness, inherent to a lot of people in the faith and in the families. But there is so much love. That's what I hope my family is remembered for, because that's how I remember them. Mennonites are complicated, their descendants are complicated. But my family was pretty amazing. They weren't all the stereotypes people might think about them. The thing is a part of me has known that it is more than possible there will be no more Mennonites in America in the next few centuries. I am not personally of the faith by...
United Methodist Church future?
These are my thoughts on the recent United Methodist Church (UMC) decision to continue to not allow the marriages of same sex couples in the church, and any openly LGBTQ+ person to be ordained as a pastor. So I love the UMC with all my heart. I also love women and men (romantically) and I don't personally think those two sentences contradict each other, despite any decision our conference recently made. But I also do not want any of us to be in pain or the church to break. I believe there were parts of the conference's vote that I did not previously understand, and I think we should. I just...
The Miracle of Language
Every language has its own beauty and miracle. Only a native user can feel them. Language is such a miraculous thing. A language isn’t just words and alphabets. It isn’t merely a medium of communication. A language carries the culture. Translation cannot be the substitute of the original work. Translation is an option. Because for one person it isn’t possible to learn so many language and without translation we would be deprived of getting to know so many beautiful works because of the language barrier. Thanks to translation, I got to read so many famous classics by foreign writers, I could...