Once we start comparing, we lose power as a community. The other day, I clicked on an article that I knew would be an unpleasant read. What else is new, right? It was an article about the legal distinction between rape and sexual coercion. Being an advocate for victims of sexual violence, I have to stay in… Continue reading To The Victims That Treat Trauma Like A Contest
Tag: Personal
Seasonal
I was breathing deeply. I was gazing at golden leaf piles. I was spooning warm stew. I was creating a masterpiece of September muses and then, as quick as the chill in the air after equinox annexation, I was drowning. I felt the burden of breathing grow heavier than my will to exist. My shoulders… Continue reading Seasonal
My Expertise
Because creativity and storytelling are not scientific or mathematic or measurable or algorithmic- they are warm soup and wool socks for the soul- they are invisible to the big-wigs and CEOs. They can't grasp commodify, predict or control this kind of brilliance. It's individual. It's yours and it's mine. Everyone has their own perspective, voice,… Continue reading My Expertise
How A YouTube Video Snapped Me Out of A Downward Spiral
After a very unprofitable summer on Medium, I made the decision that it was time to look elsewhere for paid opportunities. The company is going through turbulent growing pains, and it’s obvious that many writers are unhappy with the lack of communication about a problematic algorithm. The evidence is damning, the denial is irritating, and the… Continue reading How A YouTube Video Snapped Me Out of A Downward Spiral
Imaginary Conversations I Have In The Shower
I admire your effortless ability to not concern yourself with things that don’t personally affect you and to things that are anything less than validating to your stone solid beliefs. How does one have such high and mighty steel barriers and a lackadaisical disposition? The pure perplexity of this question draws out my envy and… Continue reading Imaginary Conversations I Have In The Shower
Are Women Overlooking This Important Aspect of Feminism?
Here it is. The essay I’ve been avoiding. The ‘what feminism means to me’ chicken scratch I’ve kept in my drafts for two years. Because who wants to tackle something so broad, controversial, and — dare I say — introspective? Well, usually, I do! So, what is it about defining feminism that drives me up a wall? For… Continue reading Are Women Overlooking This Important Aspect of Feminism?
I’m So Vain, I Bet You Think My Selfie Is For Attention
When are we going to stop shaming people for liking themselves? Since middle school, I’ve struggled with my self-image to a debilitating degree. That was when I remember noticing that school felt less like education and more like a cut-throat beauty pageant — the aspired prize being a slinky, doped-up teenage boy. Once I started comparing… Continue reading I’m So Vain, I Bet You Think My Selfie Is For Attention
Human
I am doing the best I can. When I fake a smile. When I fool you with false confidence. When I feign self-belief just to manifest it into the eventual truth — someday. I am doing the best I can. When I contradict myself. When I calculate and manipulate. When I'm cynical of every detail… Continue reading Human
Mass Casualties Will Never Motivate Change When The Politicians Do Not Value Our Lives
Here we are again. Tuesday’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX marked the 213th instance of gun violence in the United States this year. This occurred days after the brutal murder of ten innocent civilians at Tops market in Buffalo, NY. It feels as if we’ve been witnessing non-stop tragedy since gun violence hit its peak… Continue reading Mass Casualties Will Never Motivate Change When The Politicians Do Not Value Our Lives
The Price of Our Empathy
I was twenty-five when my vision of the world changed. It wasn't the first time, but it was the most crucial shift of my life. I shed my naivete and spread my wings. The clouds parted in revelation. Not of the crystal pure sparkling sky I imagined, but of beauty overrun by murky squalls of… Continue reading The Price of Our Empathy