6. Kaiyue L. The Struggle To Be a Nice Person

One of the best life advice I've been given are gifted by my therapist, "Be nice at your own risk". 

As much as kindness is being praised as a thoughtful, caring, and generous behavior, some people still think it’s a sign of weakness. There seems to be a perception that a kind person is soft and emotionally frail, while an individual who is rude and blunt, more often than not is someone who is considered tough, socially intriguing, and even admirable.

At first this advice was incredibly hard for me to take in. As a people-pleaser, I've always thought that people would like me better and see me as more valuable if I gave as much as I could.  Instead, I realized that people actually appreciated it less. In fact, because of my inability to say no to people, they only came to me when they needed something, as if I was a tool.

I like listening and taking care of people, but I'm tired of people emotionally dumping on me. Actually, "tired" is a euphemism. It's hard to set limits. It's harder especially when you're a highly empathetic person, have a depressive disorder yourself, and already let people emotionally dump on you before. And it's even harder when those people are family. So I'm really lost on how to set limits since the dynamics with each person is different and all of this affects every aspect of me and my life, including creativity, memory, attention span, sleep... everything.

Don't let people do this to you.

The nicer I was towards my peers, the more I found myself holding unrealistic expectations for others. I would go above and beyond for any of my friends, and took it personally when they were not willing to do the same for me.  What I did not understand was that they were taking care of their own needs, and that it was my responsibility to do the same for myself.

My point is NOT to be unkind toward other people, but to be nice with limits. When the little voices inside of your head are telling you that helping this person might put your own mental health at risk, don't do it. Having boundaries is NOT egotistical nor cruel, repeat after me. 

Word count: 378

6- Khiem D. : The Regenerative Man And The Undying Flame: Analysis Of Agni From Fire Punch

 The Regenerative Man And The Undying Flame: Analysis Of Agni From Fire Punch 

Yes I Used An Image Of Him On a Mug

    Fire Punch by Tatsuki Fujimoto is a manga focused on the story of Agni, a boy who is “gifted” with the power of regeneration. The following are technically spoilers but mostly for the first chapter so not that big of a deal. In the world of Fire Punch, the world is engulfed in an ice age after an unspecified event gives everyone powers. We pick up as Agni and his sister willingly sacrifice pieces of their bodies to feed a village of the elderly and long story short, some organization finds out their cannibals, and one of the generals with the power of a fire that will not go out torches everyone. No one survives but Agni and his sister, except his sister only has a strong enough regeneration to tell Agni one word, “live”. And so for eight years, Agni writhed on the ground of the village, flesh in a violent circle of regenerating and burning. Only one word Burned(Pun Intended) into his mind. Live.

To avoid spoiling the incredible story I will be vaguely describing events that develop him as a character. As mentioned before he burned for eight years before the start of his journey so he has the mental maturity of a 15-year-old in a 23-year-old man’s body which also happens to be in constant agony. Throughout the first half of the journey he mostly is focused on revenge and mostly only focuses on since there is nothing left in the world, that is until he meets Togata. Through Togata the plot develops along and now he has a new role to play, literally, as in he is forced to be an actor. Through Togata he builds his first real friendship in the story and the bond goes well. Fast forward a couple more story arcs and now we get to why you get to look at that hilarious mug above. Basically long story short he basically has now adopted an amnesiac person that resembles his sister and is basically making her into his memory of the sister he lost. Along with this, he is living in a house with a bunch of people who he killed the entire family of, which they are unaware of. As you might imagine, this does that lie well in anybody’s conscience to the point where a brutal depiction of depression is splayed out with the common signs like loss of appetite and the less normal action of fatally wounding oneself with the knowledge that you cannot die. The mere mediocrity of my writing cannot encapsulate the feeling the manga feels in this arc to which I must urge you to read it yourself.

He goes through a major change after this but covering it without spoilers is literally impossible but I will vaguely describe it so you have something to think about if you finish the manga. Well basically the end touches on the nihilistic end of everything and even has a space tree that has our main character inside. Now for that part done I’ll wrap this up. I’d be lying if this wasn’t a blatant advertisement to read Fire Punch and I really think it is a manga worth reading, though I can’t promise it is one that you will feel great after reading it. But where it strikes is the quality of Fujimoto’s writing as he produced such a work of art that despite being a heart-wrenching tale still pulled me back in. If interested, look for it on Mangarock.to. 

Word Count: 589

6 - Antonio L. :Dishes, Naturally Spawning In Houses

 Dishes, Naturally Spawning In Houses

In my house, my sister and I have to alternate monthly between chores. This month, I have the downstairs area of my house, which includes the kitchen. Everyone’s always running back and forth in the kitchen, either to get food, make food, or just stare into the open fridge until it starts beeping and the ice dispenser freezes over. 

I’m a very lazy person, so I don’t like doing chores at all. However, my parents have me do them in preparation for when I get my own place to live at. At least, that’s their argument.

Whenever I do dishes, I always assume that everyone just puts their dishes in the sink, like a respectable person, but then I remember that respectable isn’t hip anymore. I would clear out the sink of its dirty dishes and load up the dishwasher. 

Then on my way up the stairs, I hear the call of my mom as she brings news of a sink full of dirty dishes, 2 minutes after I’ve already loaded the dishwasher. Apparently, there were dishes left out on the counters and all over the house that I didn’t pick up and wash. 

I don’t really mind cleaning at all, wiping off counters, sweeping and mopping, cleaning the toilet, but dishes build a special concoction of confusion. I would listen to what my parents say and look on the counters and throughout the house for any dirty dishes and wash them. 

But when I think it’s all over, when the sponge has been squeezed out of the soap and water used to scrub so many tough stains from left out trays by someone else’s cooking, somehow, through the power of literal summoning, and dark magic, there exists a pile of dirty dishes, left from my mom cleaning out the fridge, eager to be scrubbed cleaned and put through the dishwasher. 

I wouldn’t call my mom a wizard, but she’ll always pull out more dirty dishes like it’s literal magic. She also helps out sometimes when I’m at school, but I feel guilty knowing I could’ve taken the time to do them. And considering that I’m at school for most of my day, expect me to be confused with what happened at my house for there to be dirty dishes that fill both sides of my sink and extend to the counter. 

Unloading the dishwasher and cleaning the bathroom aren’t really a problem for me at all, since I rarely break any dishes at all (even though the dishwasher itself breaks dishes sometimes). I guess I really do expect things to play out in a certain pattern, as I have to do dishes and clean off the counters daily. 

So the reason I hate doing dishes the most, is because of the unpredictability of dishes popping up around the house, and me not being prepared for the unexpected.

Word Count: 478

6 - Charlene H: Honoring Harriet Tubman’s Legacy

 

Women you should know: Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman is an important and heroic figure in American history, and her legacy has inspired different people of all races and backgrounds. Not only was she the first woman in American history to lead an armed military operation, but she was also especially important in the abolitionist movement.

Tubman’s difficult upbringing significantly influenced her beliefs as an adult and her desire to make a difference. Additionally, the traumatic head injury she experienced as an adolescent contributed to not just headaches and sleeping spells for the rest of her life, but also dreams that she perceived to be religious visions or messages from God. These visions were one of the reasons she dedicated herself to helping people in need.

In 1849, when she was in her 20s, Tubman escaped from slavery after the death of her owner and after hearing rumors that she was about to be sold. She escaped to Philadelphia, leaving behind her husband and her family.

She soon became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and she returned to the South several times in order to lead her family and other enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secretive network of routes and places that provided help to those escaping to the North.

Tubman’s work put her freedom and safety in jeopardy on a regular basis. She had to avoid slave catchers and bounty hunters. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was also another danger, which made it illegal for people in the North to help enslaved people escape to freedom and created harsher punishments for those who were found helping.

Having Tubman’s life story documented for a widespread audience to watch can be impactful, and it can show why Tubman is worthy of attention. I watched the 2019 biographical movie Harriet in my Ethnic Studies class just a few weeks ago. It is a powerful and emotional film; it includes excellent acting and provides a look into the oppression that traumatized Black people in the past. While there are a few bits of fictional characters and moments in the film, I surely recommend watching it.

There is even a plan for Tubman’s image to replace Andrew Jackson’s on the $20 bill, though it is unknown when or if that will occur. Whether or not that happens, it is still important that we as U.S. citizens recognize Tubman’s contributions, bravery, and leadership.

Word Count: 402

6 - Alejandro M: Ice Cream Scoopers and Every Other Lefty Nightmares

 

Most people in this world scoop their ice cream and have no problems, unless it’s like very frozen ice cream but that’s an exception. But about 10% of the world has a hard problem using an ice cream scooper. And of course, these people are lefties. 

Like with many other things around us, ice cream scoopers are just useless for us lefties. I am a lefty and I use the ice cream scooper to just scoop, and then use my own pressure so the ice cream can go in my bowl or cone. The scraper is absolutely useless to lefties as it’s upside down which causes it to not function properly. 

This is not the only thing that a left-hander has to struggle with in their everyday life. At school, there are many other things that lefties just have to get used to. From pencil lead stains on your hand, to righty school desks, to spiral notebooks, and to scissors. Everything is just designed specifically for righties. It’s just the world that lefties have to live through almost every day. 

With ice cream scoopers, I really don’t care anymore. I, for one, rarely eat ice cream, so scooping ice cream isn’t really something I should complain about. But for a person who loves eating ice cream, what do they have to do? They either just use my method of scooping it with the scooper and just using pressure for it to fall, use a large spoon or something like that, or they have to buy a left-handed scooper. 

Everything that causes difficulties for lefties have their own left-handed specific option. There are left-handed pens to avoid smearing, school desks with a left armrest instead of a right one, spiral notebooks with the spiral on the right, and left-handed scissors. But why does everything, every little object, have to be designed specifically for righties? Well, that’s obvious. If 90% of the world are righties, then of course everything will be designed to comfort them more than lefties. So, for now, us lefties just have to continue to struggle in this righty-designed world. 

Word Count: 351

6-Krishna C: Acceptence

 

If there is one thing I wish older generations could learn from my own, it would be acceptance. Accepting people's differences.

 I wish I could teach older generations to see past skin color as a social status, an image of their trustworthiness, or their integrity. I want them to understand that I am still a person, who goes through life just like everyone else. I may look different, but I am still a person.

 I wish I could teach older generations to accept people with different sexualities. They are no different than everyone else, they are people the same way I am. Their choice is their choice the same why mine is my own. Nobody can take that from them.

 I wish I could teach older generations that there are many different paths to becoming successful now. Many more than when they were when they were growing up. Now with the internet, people can make a life from almost anything all it takes is a chance. Just because they are new and could be uncomfortable paths, does not make it any less of a choice. Sometimes to be successful you need to take risks.

 I wish that older generations would be more accepting of the new walks of life added to today's world, change isn’t a bad thing. Without change, we never grow. 

WC-223

6 - Lucas V: Waiting = Reward(in some cases)

    

    Standing in line is really boring to me but in some cases, waiting can lead to great things. I am sure that everyone hates waiting including myself. The longest line that I stood in was a line at comic-con in San Diego where you can take a picture with Pikachu and Eevee because of Nintendo releasing their new game “Let’s go Pikachu” and “Let’s go Eevee” for the Switch. The picture above is the actual picture that took forever to wait in line for(don’t mind how messy I was. Took the train to get there and we didn’t have a car, so we walked around). Of course, I didn’t actually go into the building with the convention since my family was broke at the time and we couldn’t find tickets. This was free which made the lines longer. It was actually in the Marriott hotel down the street. 

    After finally waiting for like half an hour, I finally got the picture and it was so worth it. The costumes that those two people were wearing were very cute. It was exciting to see them because it was the first time around comic-con. Another situation of this would be waiting to play a game for some Shin Black ramen. Same place different venue. I believe that line was longer, but I did win the game and received some free ramen to eat going back to my uncle’s house in San Diego.

    Depending on the situation, lines are alright to stand and wait. If there’s something that you want, waiting it out is a good choice. Having said so, some lines you can’t really wait forever as places close or you have other things to do. If you are patient enough, you get a nice reward that you can enjoy for years to come.

Word Count: 303