Humans are paradoxical creatures, made from a complex recipe of our own individual experiences. However, we often define ourselves based on our relationships with others in the form of binary opposition. Modern politics and social media trade on labels and increasingly polarized positions that can organize people quickly and play on strong emotions, but those labels also limit our ability to understand each other.
My Halloween costume in 2024 honored San, the heroine of “Princess Mononoke.” While she is flawed and biased, she is passionate and driven, and no one can deny her strength. But the concept of “strong” female characters raises many questions about what that word means and how it is portrayed in popular culture. Director Hayao Miyazaki has a perspective more grounded in reality than most.
2024 was hard, and thinking about resolutions at a time when I’m simply trying to hold myself together seems pointless. This year I intend to focus on building strategies for resilience instead of trying to make myself a “better person.” I hope I can succeed at achieving some level of self care – and that my actions can inspire others to do the same.
We use machines to make our lives easier, but we are not making use of the time we save in a meaningful way. Omnipresent AI tools in our daily lives are contributing to our reduced capacity for long attention spans, research and curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity. We’re relinquishing some of the things that make us human, and it’s not AI’s fault; it’s ours.
The hateful phrase “good enough” always feels like a cop-out to someone who strives for perfection in all aspects of her life, but I’m learning to live with it during what has been a very difficult year. Knowing I wouldn’t achieve a perfect Thanksgiving dinner, even if I tried, my goal shifted to something far more important: spending time with my dad.
It was only a matter of time before members of my Climate Lab cohort would be asked to produce something as a result of our learning, instead of just cramming information into our heads. In a time when my country feels more divided than ever, I wanted to find a way to work toward equitable, sustainable solutions that addressed concerns of conflicting parties.
With days left to go until the election and the eyes of the world on Pennsylvania, I’m looking for ways to bridge the political divide no matter what the outcome is. Reaching across the aisle is not popular and can be a scary prospect, but there are steps we can take to disagree better and find that we have more in common than we think.
Finding common ground is easier said than done, especially during election season. With one week to go until Election Day, this post examines the concept that a majority of Americans are actually quiet or uninvolved entirely in politics, possibly driven away by exhausting hyper-partisan rhetoric. For those of us interested in attacking positions, not people, there are some resources available to help make that happen.
With two weeks to go until Election Day, I’ve been exploring both theory and practice regarding shifts in perspective, particularly when it comes to politics. Tribalism within political parties can be severe and lead to violence when people get desperate. Fortunately there are examples of people coming together after a tragedy to move forward, such as the one described in this post.
As this post goes live, we’re nearly three weeks out from Election Day in the United States, with critical races happening up and down the ballot. I always hesitate to tell people how to cast their votes, and at a time when we are more polarized than ever, that approach wouldn’t do much good anyway. But there could be a better way to mend division.