The Whole World

searched for the tallest mountains, the biggest desserts and imagined living there, much like in the Jungle Book. As I got older, my interest in maps and geography grew. Every year, when my grandmother presented me with a new Rand McNally Road Atlas, a world opened before me filled with roads, mountains, rivers, national parks, and forests. This fascination was one of my most defining interests, which began before kindergarten and has continued throughout my life. During my first year at school,…

It was like the weather. Some days were sunny, some cloudy, and every once in a while a great deal of rain. I could try and fathom what would happen next as if I actually were a weatherman. But what would be the point? I knew I had depression. I would just have to wake up each morning and see how it went. I thought maybe I’d outgrow it. Maybe I still can. My family is what drove me to the edge, but somehow they managed to slam their foot on the break before it was too late. I grew up a child…

Often times, maturity is known to be heavily dependent with that of one’s age. However, this common belief is not necessarily true. Maturity is often gained through experiences and understanding, rather than seniority. Although being older does offer more time for enlightening experiences, this does not fully cancel out possibilities of younger individuals being exposed to the same instances in a shorter time. Many adults who lack meaningful experiences grow into debatably pathetic human beings…

Do you ever think about the rapid growth of technology and how it changes our day to day lives? Does it make you a little anxious? Well, don’t freak out just yet, implies Clive Thompson, a Canadian freelance journalist, a blogger, science, and technology writer. He is the author of the book Smarter than you Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better: he explains that this anxious feeling is normal and has been evident whenever we discover new technology. Thompson says it’s okay…

someone felt cheated doesn’t mean it is actually true. Is it bad to gain an advantage over someone else? Of course not, as long as that advantage was gained through work and practice. Some say that dishonesty and cheating is common in the corporate world. Not so. This conclusion is likely based on peoples own biased…

A hero is a person who is idealized for courage and sacrificing themselves for the greater good of the people. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, new asylum admission, Randle McMurphy, is portrayed as the hero to the other patients. At the beginning, the patients of the ward are closed in with lack of self-confidence, but when McMurphy shows up he changes that and helps the patients become their own person. The patients believe that McMurphy is their savior because of how he stands…

Inspiring role models are hard to come by these days. The main, and only, reason for this shortage is that no one is perfect. An article written by Freddie Silver from Livestrong.com, describes a few of the characteristics of good role models, “A good role model has high moral values.” Silver insists, “Role models behave ethically and demonstrate honesty.” The values, expressed above, are tested by the persons in the story “Wheelbarrow Kings” by Jess Walter. The characters in “Wheelbarrow Kings”…

of the many Holocaust heroes is the cyclist Gino Bartali. According to BBC Magazine article, “Gino Bartali: The cyclist who saved Jews in wartime Italy” by Peter Crutchley, Bartali was an Italian cyclist who had won in many big world races but his real secret during World War II was a carrier of information and forged document, that would be hidden in his bike, to protect and rescue Jews. This shows that Bartali was a hero since he risked his life for jews even though he was a devout Catholic.…

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen year old boy, has a cognitive disorder and ends up working at his father's law firm after he suggests that he needs “real world” experience. In Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco x. Stork, Marcelo has to overcome multiple personal struggles. To begin, one of the first internal conflicts that Marcelo had to go through was when he had to decide if he wanted to keep Wendell’s friendship. Wendell states, “I’ll take care of her feelings. There are ways to create…

Hi, I’m Marilyn Monroe. I have the ‘dream life’, I’m a famous model and wealthy yet I’m slowly dying inside. All I do is smile for pretty pictures and put on a show for everyone. They don’t know what has been going on. It feels like I’m drowning with each click on the camera for photos. On a daily basis, people come up to me saying how blessed I am and how they wish they were me. Actually, they don’t want to be mentally disturbed, depressed, and not be able to show it. Fame is not all people say…