As much as we seem to be obsessed with material possessions, what we truly value cannot be touched, torn apart or lost. Memories are not contained in photos; they live deep inside my head. Papers can be written and rewritten because they are simply a product of my intellect and my writing abilities.
Last Thursday, Nobel laureate and Distinguished University Professor Richard Roberts made a case for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) during a “Beyond the Books” series event. And while I understand the point of the talk was to convince the audience that GMOs are beneficial to the world, I think the event was more polarizing than it was informative, because it simply spun various – sometimes nude – points in favor of GMOs without contextualizing them.
Community is a word that evokes many different images and connotations. We’re not only born into certain communities that we identify with, but we’re also surrounded by layers of communities that support and shape who we are.
Humans are storytelling animals, yet we are extremely impressionable and vulnerable in the face of a story. The recently released documentary “Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt” articulates the danger of single-storyism by examining the life of the German-Jewish philosopher, whose experiences growing up under the shadow of German fascism fundamentally shaped her intellectual career.
Every Saturday and Sunday, I work seven-hour shifts as a cashier at a pizzeria. Since I’m there until midnight, I get to see a lot of hammered college students and hungry football fans. In fact, there are so many of them ordering cheese and pepperoni slices at 11 p.m. that sometimes the line starts outside the restaurant. I learned that when people are hungry for cheap, oily carbs, they are willing to wait in the cold.
A few weeks ago, H&M released an advertisement for its new collection, supposedly challenging stereotypes of what it means to be ladylike. The ad features boxer Fatima Pinto, trans model and actress Hari Nef, plus-sized models Paloma Elsesser and Katy Syme and other strong, non-conforming, diverse women who reject traditional beauty standards. Needless to say, this was wonderful, but only on the surface.
It has been two years since the People’s Climate March, the largest of its kind in history, took place in New York City. Many of us can still recall the anger, energy and hope evoked by that historic day, but few paid attention to the visually striking artworks that made the event so memorable.
I am someone with a million interests who dreams of making use of every opportunity life has to offer. Unsurprisingly, what comes with this high-spirited, fast-paced lifestyle is the constant risk of stress overload and burnout. I regularly find myself devoting too much energy to decision-making or beating myself up for failing to tick off all the items off my to-do list. It was the violin that taught me the art of living a balanced life.
When I tell people I’m an anarchist, I usually get a lot of confused looks that hint at my potential lack of reason. In a society where certain stereotypes are formed and have not yet been dismantled, admitting you’re in a political minority inevitably leads to judgement.
Moving is the perfect time to reevaluate one’s possessions. “Declutter your life and reduce stress,” trendy magazines say. Sadly, people forget to ask themselves if the abandoned remnants of their materialism are now cluttering the world.
