If Our Roles Were Switched

If I were my own parent I'd honestly be exhausted. At home, it seems that all I tend to do is complain about how much I disagree with school. Now, my parents don't act negatively or tired towards my complaining, which I am very grateful for. But if I were my parents I would act the complete opposite. Maybe it's because I'm very impatient when it comes to adolescent issues even though I have many of them and am an adolescent myself. 

I would think along the lines of:

Wow, how can someone dislike school so much. Was I like this at her age? Maybe there's something fundamentally wrong with her. Hopefully she'll grow out of it when she goes to college. Or maybe it will get worse... I'm really looking forward to that...

Mental Environmentalism

"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction"
-Albert Einstein

Honestly, I think Einstein got it right this time, as he did many other things. He feared this day, and it has come. 

I wake up every day wondering why I have to. Not "why do I have to wake up at all," but "why do I have to wake up at this exact time every day and have no choice in the matter?"
Is there some big set of guidelines imprinted in the sky, forever locked away, forcing us to listen everything people say until we turn 18. Is 18 a magical number, where the minute I hit it, my life magically changes and I'm freed from the chains of listening to anyone older than me and forced into believing they're right because they have the right to be?

I feel like being a teenager has many limitations, simply from the title. To many, any opinion, however intelligent or logical, will be seen as irrelevant and stupid just because the person who believes it still has a 1 as the first number of their age. Quiet frankly, it's completely unfair and quite idiotic.

My mind nowadays is filled with impossibly fantastic fictional events with fictional characters from books and shows that make me want to run home from school everyday just so I can meet them again. Lately, I've been finding that feeling rare because many other things tend to get in my way. Like my super, vitally important math test on how to graph logarithmic functions. I have no idea what balancing a cheque book means or what a mortgage is, but I can tell you what Meursault from The Stranger had for breakfast, but hey? That's what truly matter right?

Wrong.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'm pumped and eager to know how taxes work, but to me that will stick with me in the future more than any other thing I've learned. As cheesy and fake as it sounds, I love learning. The only problem is that school completely killing it for me.

If books, shows, movies, travel, are what make me happy and what give me a reason to wake up in the morning, then why can't I have it? Why must I be forced to be part of this system of education? And most importantly, why is no one doing anything about it? It just makes me believe that the minute you turn into an adult, your memories of your adolescent feelings and beliefs get wiped out. It seems nowadays the only people who care are us. Now, I'm sure there are people who aren't teenagers who agree with us, but I feel it's scarce because it's scarce in our society.

I find myself constantly worrying about the most trivial and pointless things. 

I haven't checked my Twitter in a few hours.
*Logs on*
"@KewlGurl81: my rents ddnt get me new iphone 5! uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh"
*Logs off*

Repeat cycle every few hours/minutes.

I don't want to rely on such stupid things but I feel that since I was born in this era, then I have no other choice in the matter. Once again.

So I ask you, in your opinion, why can't people do as they please as long as it's no harm to others? Who dictates these rules and why do we have to follow them?

Collective Global Security

What is need to achieve Collective Global Security?
Personally, I don't believe CGB can be achieved. I believe we can always have less conflict between nations as time progresses, but I don't believe there's a way to give everyone what they want, making it fair to all nations.
How should a collective international body handle nations that are a threat to collective global security?
First, there should be no threatening towards the rogue nation. If there is, then the whole point of peace and security is being contradicted. Perhaps a way to handle the nation is to reason with it and find out if there are valid reasons for their demands or whether there's an underlying reason.
Where would the international body get its power and legitimacy?
In the body, all nations would be equal, with no nation leading the rest. A representative from each nation would get together and decide on some ground rules. However, the people should be agreed on the representative so it doesn't become forced on the citizens.

Snowflake Avalanche

"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible" -Voltaire

What avalanche is your snowflake in?

I'm part of several avalanches.
I'm part of the technological "avalanche."
We are the first generation to grow up on the internet. The way we learn, develop, and grow in the next few years is part of what will determine how internet and technology is perceived.
I'm also part of the avalanche that destroys gender and gay inequalities. Even though I'm not personally involved in changing anything, I'm a firm believer of those rights. When a movement has enough followers, sometimes that's all it takes to make it happen. This is the age where same-sex marriage is being slowly legalized across some countries. It's also the age where people start realizing that women are being portrayed and treated unequally to men, in ways other than jobs and roles. Being a person who believes in these movements, I am part of the avalanche.

Neutral

Being neutral is when you're impartial, and when you neither oppose or support a situation. The situations in which I remain to stay neutral is when I don't know enough about the topic or situation being brought up. Even if I do know about it I still form an opinion on it but might not voice it because it won't be a strong issue for me. Also, if arguing the issue will cause more problems than the situation actually causes, then I chose to remain silent. There are many issues concerning various human equality rights that I feel very strongly about. If any of those topics are brought up, then I can't really help myself but voice my views because I feel very strongly and defensive about them. Examples would be my defense on feminism or gay rights.

War and Violence

Why do wars begin?
Wars usually start for the same selfish reasons; nations benefiting from the other country's loss. It's either about oil, food, money, military, or any types of resources. If a nation sees a benefit in fighting with others or involving themselves in other wars, they jump on the opportunity.

Are they always justified?
There's a difference between wars being "justified" and justified. Nations always claim that the next war will help advance their nation, or that they're doing it in the name of God. These excuses are usually excuses for nations to gain power and money. However, I've never really heard of a war that was fairly justified, and I doubt I ever will.

Is violence the answer to getting what you want?
Technically, wars end up getting their nations what they were after. Whether it's a just and right reason is another question entirely. Personally, I believe there are ways of compromise, without including violence, for nations to settle their disputes. However, I think it'll be a long time before that happens.

Vincent Van Gogh and the IB Learner Profile

Vincent Van Gogh is known today to be one of the most famous painters of the 19th century. He's known for his magnificent paintings and his unstable mental health. One of his main traits would be his inquiry. He's a great inquirer due to the fact that he taught himself how to paint. Inquirers show independence in learning anc it shows in Van Gogh when he began moving around in 1880, teaching himself different painting and drawing techniques. 

Another trait Van Gogh possessed was being a risk-taker when it came to his work. He was never famous in his lifetime and never managed to make it as an artist. In his lifetime, he only sold one of his paintings. The people were never fond of his style of painting. He was a risk-taker because of the way he never changed his style for others, defending his style and beliefs. Even when his works weren't received well, he was courageous enough to keep pursuing his style and dream of being an artist.

In addition, Vincent Van Gogh was reflective. You can see how he was reflective towards his paintings and the techniques used. Around 1886, he was influenced greatly by Impressionism, where his style became lighter and brighter. By changing styles, you can see how Van Gogh reflected on his old works and tried improving and changing his techniques.

Though Van Gogh possessed many traits, he also lacked some. One example is balance. He was a very mentally unstable man. He focused a lot on his work and not so much on his emotional wellbeing. He spent a lot of his time in a out of psychiatric hospitals. He also quarreled with his friends, and threatened his friend, Gauguin, because of his instability and lack of understanding of the importance of balance between intellectual, physical, and emotional health. Another trait he lacked was being a communicator. He never worked well with people, Gauguin being an example. In 1888, Van Gogh got into a fight with him and threatened him with a razor. Later, he felt remorseful and cut a part of his own ear off. This shows his lack of communication skills towards others.

However, even though he had a troubled life, he still became one of the most famous artists today, even though he never knew it.