humanity

For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.

Reflections in the Waves. Top Story - June 2019.
The ocean and I have always had a complicated relationship. I have a fear and respect for it that dates long before I moved to California. But every time I find myself near the ocean, I am mesmerized, and in awe of its power and rhythm.
By Braden David7 years ago in Humans
Gossip, Lies, Truth, and Gospel
Dear Gossips, Gossip, who doesn’t love good juicy gossip? I am hooked on Ex-Wives of Rock for three reasons, first, those ladies are damn entertaining. Second, I sort of/on the outer echelon of, lived that lifestyle for a hot second, and third, I can’t figure out how to work my DVR to not record it, so I get sucked in when I have a few hours to decompress and watch TV.
By Katie Dunham7 years ago in Humans
Peace in Our Time
Peace, the long sought after word, feeling, belief, and standard that generations before us have tried and failed to achieve.
By John Ames Birch7 years ago in Humans
What a 'Perfect Day' Means to Me
If you could describe a 'perfect day' what would it look like? For me, a 'perfect day' consists of a few things. The person or people you care about Smiles and laughter A feeling of peacefulness A lesson learned
By Kirsten Nicole7 years ago in Humans
Pride, Prejudice, and Equality
It's Pride month—everywhere we turn, we see it. Google, social media outlets, small and large businesses, we're all reminded with bright, vibrant colors. Now, I'm sure you have your own opinions on it, and more power to you! I believe one of the beautiful things about this country is that we have freedom,to believe what we want, practice what we want, and the right to pursue happiness! But over the years, I've noticed something a little concerning and disturbing. I've noticed some hypocrisy in our society, and it's time to bring it to light.This is not an article specifically about my personal and religious beliefs, but I'd like to give some context, as well as make some things clear before I delve into what's on my heart right now. I am a Christian, and I've watched as Pride has grown and become a very large thing over the past couple decades. While my personal beliefs are unique and not exactly popular in society, I also believe in loving, respecting, and being kind to everybody, even when our beliefs are strongly different. Hence, even though my religious views do not line up with the theme of the month, I still have friends who live the Pride lifestyle in their own ways, and I'm not ashamed to have them as my friends. We disagree, but we are all open and honest, and we respect each other. And on a political level, I definitely believe consensual LGBTQ+ lifestyles should be legal—it is not the place of the government to tell us what is right or wrong in that area. It is a very personal decision. I don't believe in a government controlled by a certain religion or a belief system. Therefore, I don't expect or want the government to align the laws with my (or anybody else's) personal beliefs.But what I'd like to talk about today is society and equality. Guys, I am a HUGE advocate of equality. Equality for all—for men and women, for heterosexuals and the LGTBQ+ community, for the old and the young, for the born and the unborn, for all the many, beautiful shades of skin, for all the extraordinary, broadly different and yet similar ways of living, for country and city, for cold and heat, for everything! I'm a supporter of both women and of men, and I wish amazing opportunities for us all. One of my favorite makeup artists is gay, and some of my other favorite artists and creators are in the LGBTQ+ community, while others still are straight. I have both straight and homosexual friends, friends who are more liberal or conservative politically, friends in various religions, and I love them equally. If you feel belittled in some way, I'm the one to come to for a pep talk and an equality boost. And in a nutshell, I just really want the best for everybody, everywhere. So when I see people in the world being hated and stereotyped and discriminated against, I don't care who you are, I don't care if our beliefs align or not, I'm definitely going to be your friend, and I will be there, standing for your rights and equality. Because we all deserve respect, kindness, and courtesy as fellow human beings. We all have a voice and need to be allowed to use it. We all have the right to decide and choose what we wish. We all have the right to speak out or stay silent as we see fit. And so when I look around society and see people being disrespected, hated against, and treated as lesser than others, I'm not okay with it. Who are these people who are being discriminated against? Who are getting death threats? Who are being shut down and silenced on social media? Well, actually, it's people like... you and me.It's some of the Christians and Mormons and Muslims and Atheists and people of other religious and personal beliefs who do not agree with some of the views being talked about in society today, whether that's Pride/LGBTQ+ topics, or abortion, or religion, or something different all together. It is absolutely ridiculous that people of various beliefs feel the need to either apologize or follow up even the most gentle of statements with "I hope that's not offensive to you." You should not have to feel the need to hide your beliefs (I would encourage you to not hide your beliefs, no matter how much you may feel you "need" to—stand up for what you believe! It's my goal to do the same, even though it can be hard). I was recently in a discussion with a neighbor, we'll call him Drew, and we were sharing with each other books that have really moved us and motivated us to step up or make a change. One of my very favorite books to this day is Love Does by Bob Goff, and it's about life and Christ and, well, love. I was telling my neighbor about it, my eyes gleaming, and voice eager to express how much it helped me to take another look at the love of Christ and apply it to my life, when suddenly I stopped, my heart skipped a beat, and I found myself saying shyly, "Oh, it's a Christian book, I hope that's not offensive to you. I don't mean anything by it." Now, Drew is not a Christian, and we have very different religious, personal, and political beliefs, so his response surprised me strongly, and I'll never forget it—he rolled his eyes and chuckled, saying, "Oh man, don't worry about it! I think it's great, and that sounds like an amazing book! Isn't it crazy and dumb that we live in a day and age where people feel afraid to share their opinions and religious views? I think everybody just ought to be nice and willing to listen to everybody, just as long as people are polite and kind and all." Since then, he and my husband and I have chatted and shared opinions about religion, politics, personal struggles, thoughts about the world, life, and society, not infrequently disagreeing, and we always leave each other more built up and edified than when we started talking, often even complimenting each other as we open the door to our own apartments. But once we've gotten settled inside our dwellings, I see a very different world on social media, a much more unfeeling one, much harsher and unforgiving. I see people yelling at each other, slinging the strongest and meanest of vocabulary that I've ever seen, saying the most hateful, inhuman things to their fellow man. I walk into my workplace the next day, and realize that most of my coworkers don't agree with some of my views, and I don't know if I would be able to have a peaceful conversation with them, or if our differences would offend or trigger them. I look around me at the world, and I wonder if it'll be friendly today or not. I wonder if we'll be good to each other, or if more damage will be done.I'd like to live in a world where open and honest friendships with people of different beliefs and lifestyles were common and the norm. Where somebody could kindly express an opinion online without getting called horrific names. Where people could share their beliefs that they hold dear without fear of persecution. Where people could practice their freedoms without receiving death threats later. Where people could have healthy, positive debates and discussions. Where sharing your religion and belief systems with others was respected and treated kindly instead of seen as an intrusion and problematic. Let's turn our world around—be kind and respectful to everybody, see all people as equal to you, nobody is more of a person or less of a person. And treat others as you'd want to be treated—that phrase is an oldie, but a goodie! If you want to tell your opinion, be willing to genuinely listen to other's opinions too. Be kind! Be like Drew!Regardless of your thoughts and opinions about Pride month, let's take the opportunity to reflect on how we treat each other, how we listen, how we love our fellow man. Let's look inside and find areas within ourselves that we could improve—we all have them! Let's take a deep breath, start fresh, and carefully think before we react to people, especially if it's emotional for us. I know it's June and summer is in full force here in America, but let's all try to stay cool, and be that refreshing breath of air in society that we all need. Be what you want to see in the world—you won't regret it!
By Eva Jean7 years ago in Humans
Being Plus Size and Black at a Predominately White College
Going to one of the most "diverse" schools in the country was a true blessing and quite an experience. Not only was I able to meet many different people from many places, but I was also able to learn more about myself that I did not know yet. Even though the school portrays their university as diverse, they did not mention how different it actually was. The school claimed to have such a wide range of races and ethnicities, but yet the school remained a PWI, a predominately white institution.
By Remique Richardson7 years ago in Humans
I'm Not Coming Out—I'm Letting You In
I never thought I’d be here, writing this letter for the world to read. But, times have changed, and I want to share this with people. First, though, you have to have some backstory—so here we go.
By Levi Sanders7 years ago in Humans
Welcome Class!
Dear Internet Users, Look I get it, for a long-time people didn’t have an outlet to air their grievances and what not and along comes the internet. We finally have an easy outlet for spreading the word around the world that we still need reminders not to leave dogs in hot cars or that Ivanka Trump’s clothing line isn’t made in the good old USA. I’m constantly being tagged, shared with and notified of all the latest kitchen hacks, ways to save the environment and prevent cruelty to animals. I love that we all have that information at our fingertips now. It has made us better people. We now can collectively realize that maybe the way things have been done isn’t necessarily the right way to do them.
By Katie Dunham7 years ago in Humans
Truth and Honesty
Truth, many equate this to honesty, but truth has a deeper meaning than just the antithesis of a lie. Truths are evident in many things throughout society. We find truth many times per day, no matter who we are and where that truth presents itself. Many of these truths are misunderstood, biased by our own personal experiences or overlooked completely.
By John Ames Birch7 years ago in Humans
"Hypothetical" Letter
Dear Friend, I am taking a psychology class and I think that the main factors affecting a person’s behavior are society, social media, and nurture. Society focusing on the social media end has always been an influence on a person’s behavior but it has been reaching more people than ever. I believe it has its good and bad aspects. For example, Reddit (social media platform) has become a place for anti-vaxxers children to seek advice. We don’t choose our parents and what would happen if you don’t agree with your parents about a medical problem? Where would you even go to get help or advice? Now, I know what you're thinking about: how does this connect to a person’s behavior? Now, before social media, the only people you can get information from are people who most likely have the same values as your parents. I see it as a form of manipulation. Retaining someone's ignorance will 100% affect a person’s behavior. Society teaches us to find out own answers, not the ones that were given to us.
By Pi3ces OfWork7 years ago in Humans
Can't We All Just Get Along?
Welcome to 2019, and the wild frontier known as the internet and social media. In this day and age we can capture everything, and post it to social media so we can all collectively unpack it. And boy do we unpack it, posts are either glorified and praised, or they are shunned and scolded. From the smallest events going viral, to big huge moments being overlooked, there is a lot of “noise” on the internet. There is a lot of SHOUTING and name-calling going on, and it’s getting us nowhere. We are stomping on the feelings of the young ones, while disrespecting those that came before us. We need a referee, a fair and just group who has the patience to listen to the needs of the young ones, and can translate to the elders in a way not to offend and give them heart attacks.
By Katie Dunham7 years ago in Humans
Real
A writer's life is always an interesting thing to research. Meaning, their writing always typically reflects emotions they feel in that moment, or how they want to feel—who they are, and who they want to be. Even in the craziest, most creative works there is an underlying subconscious communication within it.
By Sabrina Sthay7 years ago in Humans