By: Amanda Sherman Coming out of an interminable lockdown, it is no surprise that many students are struggling to adapt to the new normal. With school capacity largely limited and clubs virtually dormant, teenagers are feeling alone these days. As a high school junior experiencing a sense of purposelessness, I know how painful it is. However, it is important to remember that despite all of the chaos in today's world, we all possess more control over our lives than we realize. Here are some helpful lessons about how to obtain a solid grasp on your mental health - and hold onto it - with the guidance of people who very much pondered the same question thousands of years ago.
As the hustle and bustle of daily life consume our consciousness, it is excruciating to overcome the current that pushes us forward. After months of toasty mornings sleeping in late, the shift back to a heavily regimented routine can be frustrating. Feeling like you're not enough can become like a perpetual thorn puncturing any motivation to get stuff done. It aches, watching how successful others seem to be and not receiving the same results yourself. Before you go down this rabbit hole of self-deprecation, tell yourself that those who are slow and steady win the race. Even if you aren't getting every task done in one day, as long as you are making consistent progress, authentic growth will come. Just give it time.
How many of you have been procrastinating on school assignments, bored of staring at a Zoom screen for six hours straight? I know I sure have. Students report receiving much more homework on average during this transition out of quarantine, making them experience loads of stress. The desire to throw it all aside and play Among Us with friends is strong, my friend, but you must be stronger. If you want to achieve an A in AP Chemistry by the end of the semester, the effort that is put into your schoolwork must be top-notch. So turn off your phone and get started - no complaints are allowed.
What happens when you crash and burn? There's no end in sight. All there is to do is to lie on the couch all day and give up. Every person in this world's history has gone through the same sensation, from Albert Einstein to Sheryl Sandberg. Yet, they didn't let themselves be overpowered by failures long ago - notice how ¨failures¨ is plural - they instead took it step by step, conquering their fears using sheer stubbornness. Persistence is key during a time when very little is certain. When the situation settles down once again, it will get easier. For now, though, the only direction to face is forward.
While efficiency is expected in this hyper-connected world, burning out follows soon after. No matter how fast everyone else may be going, it is absolutely essential to take some time to reflect and meditate. Even half an hour per day will go a long way to keeping your mental state balanced. Like the breeze that passes by a serene lake, nature is peaceful and relaxed. No matter what happens, you will survive. Create a plan, slow down, and do it right. And don't be afraid to enjoy yourself along the way!
When you are given an entire day to do whatever you want, will it be used for wise purposes? For most of us, the answer is no. The temptation to be lazy is powerful; however, the people who succeed in life are the ones who are not afraid to put in the hard work when it is needed. Although human beings are influenced very strongly by our environment (e.g., pressure from our parents to do well on tests, our friends wanting us to play a sport with them), you are the one who is ultimately in control. Take back that power by being responsible for your actions. There are countless pieces out there on why self-care is necessary for living a good life. While it is true that everybody needs time to recuperate from the business of day to day business, it is the pleasure of overcoming personal pain that will build up your empire. So don't be afraid. Start disciplining yourself now while the night is still young, and perhaps, in a decade, you will be sitting upon a treasure chest. Best of luck, my friend!
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By: Kayla Pinkerman Everyone deserves time for themselves, especially now. Tensions may be high within families, stress levels at an all-time high. However, there are ways to get away from that tension, even just for a little bit. One of the best ways to this is to simply step back, go to a quiet place (or listen to calming sounds/music), and just breathe. Lay on the floor, sit in a chair, do a handstand, whatever is comfortable for you. Just be there, enjoying the moment. Don’t think about anything else that’s happening or will happen. Deep breathing has been proven to be one of the best ways to relieve stress. It also sends a message to the brain to relax. Another, more productive way, to relieve stress and get away is to organize your room. Fold your clothes, color-code your closet, make your bed. In between these tasks take a deep breath and look at your accomplishment. If your room is already clean, do a load of laundry, fold it, then put it away. While the laundry is running organize any shelves in your room. There’s got to be something you can do. You could practice journaling. There are many different ways to journal. You could try a daily gratitude journal, at the end of the day write something your grateful for. Maybe a dream journal, every time you have a vivid dream, good or bad, write it down in the notebook when you wake up. Or if none of those seem right you could look into a bullet journal, you can make that into whatever you want. It can range from documenting your mood to keeping a schedule. Whatever journal you decide to do, just remember to take time throughout the process to breathe. The last suggestion is sitting or laying down in a comfortable spot with a good book. Dim the lighting, but make sure you can still see the book. Make the space as relaxing as possible. Maybe even snuggle under a blanket. Sci-Fi, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, it can be any genre you want. Just make it something you want to read. You might even listen to an audiobook or read from your phone. There are a lot of ways to step back and decompress. However, the most important thing to do in each of them is to breathe. No matter what you decide to do, it could be something completely different, remember to take time for yourself. Take a step back and breathe. Written by: Midechelle Avril When was the last you went twenty-four hours without scrolling through Instagram, retweeting a tweet on Twitter, or watching a Tik Tok? When was the last you totally unplugged from all types of social media? During these unprecedented times of heightened racial and political tension and in the midst of a seemingly never-ending global pandemic, social media can be a great tool for informing yourself and connecting with estranged loved ones. These days, almost everyone is spending more time isolated and plugged into the digital world. However, users are discovering that being constantly on social media can be costly. While it is vital to be aware of what is happening around you, witnessing such tragic events can take a toll on your mental health. Videos of police brutality and reports of daily Covid-19 death rates can increase feelings of anxiety, depression, and grief. Additionally, the usual negative effects of using social during less tragic and emotionally exhausting times still remain. When you are plugged into other people’s lives constantly, you become a spectator to their graduations, promotions, vacations, and relationships. Then, it is easy to start comparing yourself to them and your accomplishments to theirs. This can increase feelings of inadequacy, sadness, and self-deprecation. Along with this, the pressure to be productive is increased. You might begin to notice you are not accomplishing as many tasks as your peers, or you are not participating in as many activities. This can cause you to feel guilty and ashamed of yourself for not doing as much. The news cycles portraying the horror and grief of these unprecedented times and the usual negative effects media combine to make social media a source of harm to our mental health. So what should you do when social media becomes too much for you? Simply, unplug. Log-off from the sites or delete them from your devices. Sometimes it’s necessary to stop consuming information, voices, and the lives of others. It’s necessary to take a break from the digital world and simply focus on your everyday living. In order to cope with today’s world, unplugging from social media can be the biggest act of self-care. By: Anna Janumov It’s that time of year again. Us high school seniors have to anxiously wait, pray, and even manifest an acceptance letter from our dream schools. Lots of us see it as a gateway to a new chapter in our lives, maybe a whole new book for others. It’s the thing that we’ve all been told to work towards at school, everything from grades to volunteering, basically anything you do with your time. However, one important thing to remember is that college is NOT the “end all, be all” path in life. You have to remember that it doesn’t matter which college you get into at the end of the day, it’s all about what you achieve with what you are given in life. Now, onto the main point: once you submit the application, that matter is out of your control, so there’s no point in stressing about it. Instead of sitting next to your mailbox waiting for a letter, I’ve put together a list of things that helped me be less nervous about my applications. Feel free to revisit this list any time you need a reminder that it’s all going to be okay. You’re in control of your own life, and whatever happens, you’re going to do great things in life in your own ways. Cooking and baking! This one is honestly my personal preference, I find a nice and easy recipe that I love, and I try to work with some of my favorite music playing. As long as my mind is occupied and I’m making my favorite foods, I can feel the stress melting away. Plus, it gives me some time to rationalize my thoughts about the applications. Play with an animal! If you have a cat, dog, lizard, spider, anything really, go and hang out with them for a bit. Studies have shown that pets (especially dogs and cats) can reduce stress levels, and it’ll be nice for both sides because they get some extra playtime. If you don’t have a pet, that’s totally okay! Visit or volunteer at your local animal shelter or pet store and play around with those sweet little pets. Give yourself a self-care day. You’ve worked hard on those applications, you deserve a bit of time for yourself. Put on your favorite show, take a nice bath, maybe put on a face mask, do whatever you’ve been putting off for yourself. Why? Because you earned this. Don’t be afraid to talk about your worries. College application season is always a stressful time, and chances are that your friends could be going through the same things. Contact some friends and have a chat about your thoughts, it’ll be a good chance for you to let it all out rather than bottling up your worries. Again, whatever happens with the colleges, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the response you wanted. -- I know the circumstances are less than optimal this year because of COVID-19, but don’t let that get you down about college. Stay determined, stay strong, and stay healthy. Written by: Joy Dong If we look back at various historical figures, those who fought for equality, shaped our everyday life, and have changed the world for the better; a consistent trait that all of them share is courage. Courage to me has multiple definitions, including: bravery, compassion, consideration for others, leadership, strength, and being able to work through fear. It can be shown through many different deeds, varying from ordering at a restaurant by yourself, to being a doctor battling COVID-19. Courage is an incredibly valuable characteristic, and shouldn’t be taken for granted. One of the most influential and revolutionary figures in the Civil Rights Movement was Rosa Parks. Parks was devoted to standing up against the unfair treatment of African Americans during a time of inequality, in the 1950’s. It is important to note that during this time, buses, like many other things, were segregated. Only white people were permitted to sit at the front of the bus, while Black individuals needed to manage with the back seats. There was also an expectation that if a White passenger wanted to sit, and all the seats were taken, a Black person would stand and let him/her take their seat. The bus Rosa boarded that day was no exception. When it became overcrowded, she was asked to give up her seat, in which she firmly refused. According to the article, An Act of Courage, by Lauren Green, “She knew that the bus driver’s request was not right or fair and, even though she knew her resistance would not be well received, she defended her beliefs.” This is one of the many acts that demonstrated Parks’s extreme courage. Though she knew the negative consequences that would come, she stood up for herself, her community, and what was right. She wasn’t afraid of what people would think, say, or do, which takes a great deal of strength and bravery. Parks also knew that most people would disagree with her, and instead of giving in, she vowed to share and preach her controversial opinion, and wasn’t afraid of being different. Parks was also courageous by being a leader. She encouraged other African Americans to fight for justice, as well, by standing up for herself. The author of the text writes,“Her actions inspired other African Americans to rally for equality. They organized a peaceful boycott of Montgomery’s buses, led by a young and still mostly unknown minister named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” The boycott and protests lasted 381 days, and contributed to the unconstitutional ruling of bus segregation by U.S. courts; and, the ultimate end of segregation altogether. Another way she was a leader was by taking initiative to end the injustice she and too many others experienced. Parks served as the secretary of the NAACP (Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and was heavily involved in multiple other organizations. Parks inspired and influenced so many, changed peoples’ lives, and in the process, changed the world; all by being courageous. Clearly, the nickname, “the mother of the freedom movement” was well deserved. Ten remarkable women from around the world are given the International Women Courage Award, by the U.S. Department of State, annually. All of the women show limitless amounts of courage, and as remarked by Michelle Obama in the article International Women of Courage Awards, “show leadership, bravery, and a willingness to sacrifice for others”. One example of this is a quote by Beatrice Mtetwa, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer. She states, “This has to be done. Somebody’s got to do it, and why shouldn’t it be you?” This is the type leadership and courage shown by so many of the honorees; taking up a challenge, working hard, and creating change, to not only help yourself, but others, too. These women also encourage and uplift others, by leading by example. As noted by Michelle Obama, “I always walk away feeling inspired by these women, determined to reflect their courage in my own life.” By showing courage through their own actions, they influence other people to do the same in the process. Rosa Parks, Beatrice Mtetwa, MLK, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and so many more, are all people who have shown courage, and in turn, have changed the world. You don’t need to be anyone special to be courageous; “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” True courage is being able to take risks, challenge yourself, show compassion, help people, show bravery and strength, become a leader, overcome obstacles, and push through fears; no matter how small or big an act. Written by: Lina Amraoui Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by an uncontrollable outburst of anger, unexplainable mood swings, and unmanageable emotions. BPD can be caused by several different factors, including trauma (specifically childhood trauma), and being a victim of emotional or physical or sexual abuse. In some cases, it can even occur out of nowhere with no explanation. Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): - Emptiness - Abandonment issues - Unhealthy coping mechanisms ( drugs, smoking, self harm...) - Unstable relationships ( with either friends or partners) - Outbursts of anger out of nowhere - Uncontrollable emotions - Mood swings - Having a “favorite person,” which is someone that a person with BPD will rely on emotionally. They will become obsessed with this person, and their whole mood is based on their favorite person. Losing this favorite person feels like grief to someone with BPD. - Intense feelings - Dissociation - Constantly searching for validation - Euphoria/maniac episodes - Depressive episodes - Controlling others These are some symptoms of BPD, but there’s many more that most people don’t talk about. In order to be diagnosed with BPD, you have to at least have 5 symptoms out of the 9 basic symptoms. Triggers of borderline personality disorder: - Relationships - Being left on read or delivered for hours - Their past - Criticism - Overthinking and self doubt - Stress - Lack of sleep - Drugs and alcohol Helping someone with BPD There are a lot of simple ways to help or calm a person with BPD. The first step would be researching it. When you research about BPD, you can start to understand why they do what they do, or how they would react to this certain situation- which will make it easier for both of you to set healthy boundaries (especially if you are their favorite person). This way, your relationship won’t be toxic. The next step would be to support them. A lot of BPD people have intense feelings of loneliness, and having someone support and comfort them would make a huge difference in their lives and well-being. Furthermore, reassure them that they are indeed a good person. People diagnosed with BPD often feel less of a good person. Because of the misconception and the stigma going around borderline personality disorder, many assume that people with BPD are attention-seeking, narcissistic, and manipulative, making the person with BPD feel like a horrible person, especially when cutting people off out of nowhere because of their abandonment issues. However, if you ever feel like your relationship with a BPD person is overwhelming you, try and explain to them how you feel, and set boundaries for yourself. You need to protect your mental health as well. By: Dohyeon Kim A good book is a window into the lives of others. By reading books, we are able to understand and empathize with people across cultures and nationalities. The more diverse our book choices are, the more open-hearted we can be. But sadly, in the status quo, foreign literature makes up only two to three percent of English publishers’ output[1]. In other words, Anglophone readers read very few books from other languages. In order to encourage the publishers to translate more widely, it is important that people read many authentic works by foreign-language authors. So I’m sharing with you some must-read books by Korea’s most beloved authors. I’ve read all of these books myself, and I absolutely loved them. I hope my recommendations will help you discover the beauty of Korean literature and expand your reading horizons. Human Acts (Han Kang) Han Kang, with her novel The Vegetarian, won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for fiction. Her another novel “Human Acts” is based on the 1980 Gwangju uprising, which is one of the most tragic moments of Korean modern and contemporary history. After a military coup took place and martial law was imposed, citizens in Gwangju started a protest calling for democratization. A brutal military crackdown followed. The soldiers clubbed, bayoneted, and fired on its own citizens, which left hundreds of people dead or missing. “Human Acts” revolves around the story of 6 victims and survivors of the massacre—a teenage boy named Dong-ho, a university student, a factory girl, an editor who tries to avoid censorship etc. Han Kang focuses on describing the individual identities and lives of these ordinary, yet brave people. It feels as if these characters are our own families and friends, which makes this novel even more heartrending. What’s interesting is the author’s personal connection to the uprising. In the final section of the novel, we find out that Han Kang had lived in Dong-ho’s house before him and moved from Gwangju just before the uprising happened. By accounting for what happened in Gwangju in an unflinching attitude, “Human Acts” constantly questions what humanity is. Is cruelty an innate part of human nature? What makes humans good and what makes them evil? Is the human soul indestructible even under extreme violence? By reading “Human Acts,” you’ll be given a chance to think about these questions that we should definitely not shy away from. Quote: “After you died I could not hold a funeral, and so my life became a funeral.” Please Look After Mother (Shin Kyung-sook) “Please Look After Mother,” since it was first published in 2008, was sold over a million copies in Korea alone. The book is about a family’s desperate search to find sixty-nine-year-old So-nyo after she is lost in a bustling subway station. So-nyo has always worked hard to take care of her four children and her cheating, alcoholic husband who often yells at her. As she gets older, she suffers severe headaches and dementia, but the family members simply dismiss her symptoms as forgetfulness. Her daughters and sons who have moved to Seoul, the capital city of Korea, are too busy supporting their own families, which makes So-nyo even more lonely. Only after she disappears do the family members gather and spend time together, recounting their memories about So-nyo. In the process, they painfully realize that they have been indifferent to her pain and sacrifice. They learn that they have always treated So-nyo as a wife and a mother, rather than a woman who once had dreams of her own. “Please Look After Mother” reminds us that we might not actually know the person whom we think we know so well about. Through her novel, the author seems to tell us that family love is not a given. In order to retain family love, you need to put in your time and effort to express gratitude and actually care for your family. Quote: “Only after Mom went missing did you realize that her stories were piled inside you, in endless stacks.” Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (Cho Nam-joo) Although “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” is a debut novel by Cho Nam-Joo, it garnered a huge attention as soon as it was published in 2016. A big part of the reason why it became so popular is because the year 2016 marked the “feminism reboot” in South Korea. When a woman was murdered in Gangnam by a man with a misogynistic perspective, women in Korea started to speak up about violence against women and rampant sexism. Then came out this novel, which features the main character Kim Jiyoung and her strife against everyday sexism. Kim Jiyoung is an ordinary woman born in a typical middle-class family now in her mid-30s. In fact, Jiyoung was the most common name for Korean baby girls born in the early 1980s. The author has intentionally set the main character this way in order to emphasize the universality of Kim Jiyoung’s experiences. This book traces every moment of Jiyoung’s life: her nurturing, school years, college, entering the workforce, getting married, and becoming a mother. Living in a patriarchal society, Jiyoung faces barriers in front of her in every step of her life. The novel deals with issues including gender pay gap, sexual harassment, victim blaming, assigned gender roles etc. As you might have guessed from the title, this book is written in a simple, stark reportage style. The overall tone is extremely restrained and clinical, but the reality that it portrays is absolutely heartbreaking. While some of the injustices covered in the book are only understandable in the context of Korea, I’m pretty sure there are many parts that resonate with your own society as well. Quote: “Jiyoung grew up being told to be cautious, to dress conservatively, to be “ladylike.” That it’s your job to avoid dangerous places, times of day and people. It’s your fault for not noticing and not avoiding.” Who Ate Up All the Shinga? (Park Wan-suh) Park Wan-suh, although she passed away 9 years ago, still remains as one of the most revered authors in Korea. In her childhood and youth, she experienced the Japanese colonization of Korea and the Korean war firsthand. Having spent her formative years during the most turbulent periods of Korean modern history, Park Wan-suh has published many novels based on her experiences. “Who Ate Up All the Shinga?” is one of them. This autobiographical novel elaborately portrays her early life immersed in the beautiful nature of Bak-jeok-gol, a small countryside village. Then the novel chronicles her life as Park moves to Seoul and spends her youth in the city, devastated and ruined due to war. Although the novel is set in the times of war, ideology and the struggles for power is not the main focus. Rather, Park concentrates on more personal stories and daily episodes: the games that she played with her childhood friends, the friendly relationship between her mother and her aunts, the shamanic rituals that provoked her curiosity, the insecurities that she felt after moving to Seoul etc. By reading the book, you can easily grasp the lives of Koreans from the 1930s to 1950s. In addition, the vivid imagery and exquisite expressions that Park Wan-suh uses is unrivaled by any other authors. That is why this book is so beautiful despite the heavy topic it discusses. Quote: “And to come upon a slander, sensuous squash, lying under lush, dew-laden leaves early in the morning, before the heat spread—ah, sheer rapture. The expression likening an ugly woman to a squash? Obviously, an invention of ignorant urbanities.” [1] https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140909-why-so-few-books-in-translation By: Samayeeta Maitra Learning from home is now the new normal. But are the students even learning anything? Is it as interactive and fun like offline classes or school? Being a student, I would say the answer is no. In online education, most of the teachers aren’t that tech-savvy and thus take time to adapt to the online education system. It’s hard for them to make the classes or courses fun. Teachers can focus only on the theory part but performing practicals are nearly impossible. Usually, teachers can easily discipline students in offline class but here they have negligible control. So if a student is not severely self motivated, he or she misses out a lot. Since the classes aren’t that interesting most students turn off their videos while studying. With their microphone or camera off, students wander off,sleep or eat while being present in the class. There is limited interaction and negligible feedback hence it damages the communication skills of students. So to improve the education situation right now, the main goal is to attract the student’s attention and make studies a bit more fun. And teachers can do that if they follow a few of these steps: ● Regardless of the online platform one should take time to learn how to use it properly and know the tool well enough to support students in case they have any doubts. (Some applications are Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams!) ● Teachers must make sure to know all participants in the room, password-protect their meetings and not share the meeting information in other forums. This helps to avoid random people to join the classes. ● One should make their content interactive. With the classes being interactive, the student has no choice but to participate and be more active! ● Conducting weekly quizzes or small exams can also help students review the lessons they have learnt. Other interactive activities like puzzles, brainstorm sessions can also be conducted! ● Teachers should start recording the meetings. This is really important because a child might be unable to attend the class. It will also help the teacher to keep a track of the topics they taught. ● Most important of all, teachers should keep asking students for their feedback. Amidst this pandemic, it’s really difficult to keep all of these steps in mind. But slowly, we all will be able to adapt to this new mode of learning and make the online education platform even better! Until then, happy teaching and happy learning! Advice | By: Kiana Maria There is no doubt about it that this school year is going to be different than any other year. 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. One thing making it that way is the Coronavirus which has taken the world by surprise and fear. In the United States, some states are allowing access for students to re-enter their school facilities. However, with acceptance comes great responsibility, meaning there are many guidelines students must follow to keep everyone safe. Students in some cases get to choose if they wish to work remotely or attend school. Whether school work is being done from your bedroom, or you’re taking precautions entering the classrooms, here are a few tips to stay focused in a crazy time! If you are going back to school for in-person learning, make sure to wear your mask and be very vigilant. This pandemic is not a joke, nor is it something to take lightly. Make sure you adhere to all the guidelines. They aren’t there to hurt you, they are there so that you and your family can stay safe, while you’re still able to get an in-person education. If you are going back, make sure that you don’t have relatives that you’ll most likely visit who have underlying conditions that put them more at risk for the virus. Whether or not you are going back for in-person learning, this next tip is super important! Communication is key for any relationship, especially teacher and student relationships. While many students across the country get to go back to school, others won’t get the chance to meet their teachers until they are allowed back in. This makes it super difficult if the material is hard to understand, if a student has a question, or if a student needs extra time on an assignment. It is very beneficial for both the student and the teacher to have a consistent way to reach each other. A teacher’s job is to further your education, therefore if you aren’t telling them you need help, then they can’t help you. The same objective goes for the teachers as well. Understandably, being a teacher at this time is not easy, but students are hurting in similar ways. Great communication goes a long way! The number one tip for the school year of 2020-2021 is to stay calm and try to relax. There are thousands of students experiencing the same thing as you. Between the anxiousness for how your teachers will be, or the desire to be back into some form of normality, the feelings are mutual between all students. It’s hard to know the unknown. During this school year, try not to stress yourself out too much. Try to take time to decompose from all the projects and Zoom meetings and take a breather. It is okay to take a rest, that is human, not juvenile. Lastly, just wanted to note that it has been a hard year for the Class of 2020, and in all honesty, it’s hard to know what will happen for the Class of 2021. To the rising Seniors, enjoy your last year of high school. Enjoy being young, adventurous, and spontaneous. This may have not been your idea of how you’d spend your last first day of high school, but let this be a lesson to appreciate what you have, and understand that things don’t last forever. You are becoming adults soon to venture off on new endeavors. Never forget your roots, and always remember how far you can go when you are determined. This school year will be one unlike any other we’ve seen. The country has students at home, and in school buildings again, but that doesn’t mean school work will be any easier. For this year, if you’re going back, remember to follow all health-related guidelines. Secondly, even if you’re staying remote, remember to keep communication with your teachers, and to take time for yourself to relax. The school year of 2020-2021 will be a challenge, but this is no different from any other challenge because as Gen Z, we face every obstacle together, and this will be no different. By: Mohammed Ghattas As humans, are we sealing our fates, or autonomous and given our carte blanche? I may be compelled to do a plethora of things and their ramification is inevitable from the set in train, or I may choose without let or hindrance, and the reverberations of my choices will be miscellaneous grounding in my selection. As the twilight of this cogitation, am I given the carte blanche, or I am jolted out of choice? A dagger-dawn story: Here is a story; In 2000, there was a man called Alex. This man’s sexual propensities rehabilitated drastically and in a blot from the blue manner. He has set the wheels in motions watching sexual movies for children in torrents; this fomented and aggravated that he took the time endeavoring to molest one of his relatives. His wife became dubious; it leaped out of her skin when she saw the manifold children’s sexual movies on his device. After a fleeting time, he was arrested from his home; he was convicted of sexual abuse and was sent to the prison’s sanatorium for recovering from such a minefield. To be writ large, his tendencies remained that he endeavored to assault one of the workers. By dint of that, he was sent to the prison. In one of the evenings, he has a pernicious headache. Sent to the emergency room, the doctors found out a big tumor in his orbitofrontal cortex after examining the rays. The doctors made the surgery of jettisoning this lump; he recuperated after this operation. Subsequent to a year from the surgery, this woe exacerbated again. He went to the hospital. The doctors realized that a part of this tumor was not eradicated from the last operation. He has been on the same surgery, and the lump was shed. When delving into such a story, you will find that it is eminently abysmal; small transformations in the brain can influence our lusts, predispositions, our deeds and our ability to assume airs controlling them; it may abandon us from choice. For instance, Alex was not disgruntled or indignant; he did not feel that a tumor was conquering him. When asking before knowing about the lump, he avowed that he gave in his lusts. A more-often-than-nor queried question: This story begets asking a question -- are we have the latitude, and the free rein to make our decisions, or we are just a biological machine governed by a brain in a specific community, that we did not rest upon. Courtesy of such a trifling change in the human’s brain, a heinous action like sexual abuse transpired. Molesting children is exceedingly prejudicial and deleterious; the amount of the psychological harm on account of that is appalling, and it may occasion this child to be a criminal, molester, or even a slaughter. Pursuant the ministry of justice in the USA, about 70 percent of criminals has met with psychological harm in their childhood. Since only a tumor can occasion implementing such pernicious actions, which will be germane to other ruinous behaviors, ergo where are we from all these? Science meddling and elucidations: Indubitably, this question is abstruse but famous in the scientific society; it has upset the apple cart for a profusion of years. In 1985, Benjamin Lebit published a paper concomitant of that; he put an electroencephalogram (EEG) to know more about the brain’s electricity. After putting the EEG, he placed a clock against the volunteers and asked them to press on its button at a time telling him when they wanted to press and when the have already pressed. After examining the EEG, Benjamin perceived the awareness of intention and the action; this was languid. On the contrary, he discovered something new before the awareness -- the readiness potential. Why there is so? This experiment was an apple of discord amid people between a proponent and an opponent. Everything was like an arcadian life till 2008; John Hayens published a paper in nature neuroscience that was the apple of discord that was not for 20 years. His experiment was similar to Benjamin’s, but the new thing was that he was able to detect the brain’s action 10 seconds before it is in 60 percent via the brain’s intensity, employing such devices like FMRI and EEG! In UCLA, Itzhak Fried was studying the people meeting with epilepsy where electrodes were implanted inside their brains. After recording each cell, the percentage augmented to 80 percent. Owing to this paper, the conflict resurged. In 2009, a paper was published in Science magazine. While people’s skulls were cut and they are awake by the way, surgeons tried electrifying some parts of the brain. As soon as applying so in inferior parietal cortex in a low intensity way, the person yearned for licking his lips. This is mundane! Our body needs things that is indisputable. After doing the same but deployed a high intensity electricity, the person thought that his licked his lips and uttered something, albeit he has not done neither. Moreover, when electrifying the premotor regions, the arm will move even if you did not do that. Wittily, did we reach a remedy to this conundrum? No, or it may change grounding in each person’s comprehension of the meaning of both of course provided there is an explication. Even if on condition that the person is self-imposing, there are a cornucopia of evidence that all these choices are scarce; the body has his position, power, and authority— which will couch not only his desires, but his volition into the bargain. Sundry scientists construed that these experiments would surmount this paradox; they said that the person can make his own choices. Others said that freedom is not in deciding; it is in controlling it. Humans can make their own choices, but with somethings they had not the ability to pick and choose them like there genes, their parent, their choices, their community whose woes will be their propriety as time passes. The choices are, but they are rare. The less the thing is, the more valuable it will be. |