I still remember how life was before quarantine, being carefree and indifferent to the big problems of the world; living life through the highs of today rather than the worries of tomorrow. And many people say that quarantine made kids grow up too fast, showing them that the world isn’t a perfect place, rather a collection of imperfect ideas that when looked at from the right angle gives the illusion of tranquility. An illusion that was broken in seconds. When people say this, they usually mean it negatively, as if to say being older is being thrust into a world with problems, without the solutions. And I completely agree with this, but is it such a bad thing? As people, we naturally feel lost when there’s nothing we’re working towards, like a big promotion, a group project, or a nonprofit cause. But children haven’t developed this sense of self-awareness. Naturally, as we get older, this universal fact becomes clearer and even self-evident. I feel lucky that I got a taste for this dur...
I honestly first understood the purpose of close reading fiction just last year (something most people probably don’t know), in part because I started writing more but also because I had an excellent teacher that inspired me to explore literature deeply. People create stories to show their perspectives on the human condition, every book you’ve read, movie you’ve watched, and song you’ve listened to follows this trend. And this is also the reason we enjoy these forms of media, we get either relatable or unique ways to understand how the world around us works. I think this is a known idea that has been documented before, but there’s some subtle nuance that can decide whether interactions with media are overstimulating or transformational, and that lesson extends into almost every aspect of our lives, including in the ongoing ‘fight’ against AI. It goes without saying that we are heavily influenced by the media we consume, and this media potentially has a lot of power over us. When we sta...