Risking

Destiny is a concept coined and embraced by the mediocre. Greatness is not reached as a dash on a timeline but achieved through personal struggle and the great art of risk taking. Risk is an essential component in progress. At a point in the existence of every great thinker, innovator, creator, or just plain successful person there was that frightening walk down a plank with nothing but a boat of angry pirates to turn back to and a head full of hopes about the depths into which they are about to plunge. It is a courageous act to step away from the comfortable, from the safe and make an economic, social or emotional gamble when the odds of failure often outweigh the chance for success.

A risk is a daring adventure that can produce great rewards. A part of the true value of the risk, however, lies not in it's rewards but simply in it's taking. Risking is a pure act of humanity and is the ultimate step of commitment towards a goal. With that initial risk taken, with no escape from the consequences of that risk, positive or negative, the spirit is in a state of fulfillment. It no longer drifts about the realm of the safe and mundane, but takes flight in the skies of unrestraint. The sense of freedom that one experiences when no longer earth bound by their doubts and precautions renders connects them to their spirit in a manner that no other feeling can produce.

The art of risk taking is calculated and refined, but through it’s process of weighing and considering the odds, is whimsical and beautiful. Men and women take risks on the things they feel most passionate about, when their desire overpowers their fear of failure. The true risk taker is not the over privileged teen deciding to steal his parents car. No, the men and women who stake something dear to them, something that could damage their lives if lost, in order to reach a goal that is desperately desired or necessary, with the purest of intentions are the embodiment of the phrase risk taker. Risk taking does not ascend to a person at birth, but comes about through years of confidence building and extreme desire. The intentions of a person who is willing to risk in order to fulfill these intentions rank among the most noble on earth. A goal that leaves a man or woman willing to risk everything is truly life, or even society altering when reached.

What were once risks have now become some of the greatest attributes in my life. As a fourteen year old I struck out to Reno, Nevada on a Greyhound bus to enroll in an intensive wrestling camp. The schedule of the camp frightened me more then the lonesome, intimidating bus ride, requiring rigorous workout routines of video game softened adolescents. From that two week stay amidst some of the strangest mid-westerners imaginable I gained invaluable experience in the ways of coping with those who would not budge from their conservative opinions, as well as a greater appreciation for my own, more accepting background. The camp also heightened my abilities in wrestling, a sport that instills in me great joy, and that I will take great risks to excel in. Risks that I have taken to turn away from harmful activities that I once partook in have made me a stronger, and more focused person. With the most trying period of my life looming just months away, I realize that risks will again become necessary. These risks will be taken with full confidence, because I cannot rest while my spirit wanders the forest of indecisive safety.

The Greek roots of the word risk embody its meaning. In Greek the word means cliff, and that is precisely what a risk is according to novelist Ray Bradbury, who states "Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down." Often when a risk is taken, the outcome isn’t clear and failure is impending. This uncertainty ultimately fades and a better understanding of oneself and a feeling of confidence and fulfillment is reached. While everyone may not be able to make that leap, the few that do enjoy fulfillment regardless, for one is far better off at the bottom of the mountain, preparing to scale it in order to attempt a second leap then still at the top peering over the edge. Failure is often preferable to an unscathed wondering about what could have happened without the fear to risk.

Waiting...

by Kenny Campbell

"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."

~ Arnold H. Glasgow

Another cold, crisp, and callous morning rolls around in January and I look out of my wide window to find a bare, pathetic mention of a tree obstructing my towering view of the quiet and lifeless street on which I live. This tree, I think to myself, must sincerely long for spring. Alas, it stands still in the fog all the same; it cannot pick up its roots like a dress and drag the extended framework to a more temperate setting. It must endure. I pity the plant for a minute, and then, shaking my head of these strange thoughts, I step downstairs inaudibly, so as not to wake the others at such an early hour. I push in a red button on my remote, and become irritated that it takes a whole five seconds for the television to show me the picture that I expected. A weather channel shows a forecast for that day and it is currently a bone-chilling thirty-six degrees outside. Suddenly, I realize this is true as the shiver reaches my skin and I blow on my thumbs to keep warm, hoping that maybe I can change the season if I dream long and hard enough. But changing this cold reality is impossible.

And what an idea of waiting—to wait is a unique action in which, ironically, one must do nothing to achieve. “Praestolar,” the Latin word for waiting, originally had a limitation: the action was with much expectation of things in the near future that were to be better than they were currently. In many ways, waiting implies some degree of undesirable delay, sacrifice and perhaps suffering, all endured for the fleeting hope of a better tomorrow. My discipline wanes.

As I wait, I can reclaim those things that have previously brought beauty to my awareness. This truth I discovered on that one day last year; as a result, I now enjoy the cold of winter and all of its unique majesty and marvel. It is here but for a short season, and to miss it would be an injustice. I dress myself minimally so as to endure the elements and thereby more fully appreciate the starkness of winter – to feel the sense of chill and the cutting winds. I want to feel the season and live it, not mock and dismiss it.

Yet my mind and ambitions wander. Would it not be sublime to have my driver’s license and enjoy the greater mobility and freedom brought by the internal combustion engine? Couldn’t high school end sooner, allowing for a college experience that would open new thinking and new worlds? What about being older, to enjoy the rite of passage and the resulting liberties, leading to a more full life with endless possibilities? Yet these things that I yearn for are not as liberating as they seem. To drive would surely bring suffering in the form of car payments, insurance, and gasoline, leading ultimately to the unthinkable – a job. I then remind myself of the simplistic virtues of my bicycle and public transit. I struggle with the many challenging classroom assignments, longing for the semester to draw to an end, but conceding that a subsequent semester may very well be equally or increasingly distasteful. A desire to be older demonstrates farce and tragedy; fully revealing my folly, and lack of contentment. This is likely the same folly that caused George Bernard Shaw to opine that “Youth is wasted on the young.” Perhaps I will come to my senses, or else later realize that life was easier, more enjoyable, and encompassed less responsibility during my youth – surely attributes which should not be squandered.

Yet I remain in a hurry – in a perpetual state of waiting avoidance. To many, fast food and the microwave oven are worth the sacrifice of proper taste, nutrition, and texture because of their simplicity and speed. We become numb to the revolting attributes of “food” prepared in this manner. I hope that instant gratification will not lead me astray, stripping me of all my desire for culinary propriety and leading me down the well-travelled road to obesity like so many of my compatriots. Am I doomed to become that which I despise – the shapeless sloth-like appearance of Americans, recognized and mocked around the planet? When realizing my liberty on the freeway, will I stoop to endure the incessant babble of a ride-sharing drone, all in the name of saving time by driving in the commuter lane? How many times have I actually enjoyed movies piped instantly into my home through Comcast “On Demand”? This drivel is somehow virtuous or entertaining at times, perhaps merely because it is fast.

I am reminded of the infamous Heaven’s Gate in 1997. Its highly charismatic leader claiming that a spaceship was stationed behind the Hale-Bopp comet, seeking the opportune time to take his followers to heaven, instead led them to their deaths: they took phenobarbital tablets, washed it down with vodka, and placed plastic bags over their heads. Curiously, the mother ship never arrived. Am I destined to a similar fate as that of these cultists? Will I lack contentment to such a degree that I would be willing to place my faith in a dubious cultist who promises a better life – instantaneously? Or can I wait to enjoy all that life has made available to me, and at the same time find contentment in that which is here and now?

While We Wait
by Jack Johnson

It feels right
It feels wrong
It feels like when you have it, then it's gone
I want more
More and more
And if you steal the fire
Give me some
Cause the sun Disobeys while it waits for a friend to arrive from the past
What holds us around, and around
While we wait

Laughing

by Anisa

“HA!” A great gust of air explodes out of your mouth, sending rollicking peals of laughter echoing for miles around. The sound carries away with it your tension and worry, leaving behind relief and exhilaration. This basic human reaction is universal—people around the world may not be able to communicate through words, but they can connect in laughter. It stretches across cultures and languages, through oceans and borders, from days-old infants to the oldest person alive. Derived from the Middle English laughen, from the Old English hlæhhan, believed to come from the sound of laughter itself, a laugh is one of the most primitive expressions of emotion. It is automatic, it comes out without our consent, and it is insuppressible.

People laugh for a multitude of reasons; for humor, anger, nervousness, fear, embarrassment, or tragedy. We laugh when we hear a joke, when we see someone else fall, when we have no other reaction in us.

When we are anxious, a fit of laughter can alleviate our stress; when we are sad and vulnerable, a few good chuckles can brighten us up; and when we are simply in the course of our everyday lives, a round of booming “HA-HA”s, or even a few short giggles, can add just what we need to keep going.

In a world where there is often too much stress, a laugh is more important than ever. It’s a simple action, really. All you need is yourself and the air around you. You gulp in a lot of air, very quickly, preferably through your mouth, filling up your lungs and expanding your chest, and then you simply let it all back out, forcefully and in short bursts, with sound effects.

This is part of the reason why it is so good for you: it forces you to breathe deeply, and often. It increases the heart rate and stimulates circulation. It increases the production of feel-good endorphins in your brain, while also decreasing the production of stress hormones.

It helps so much that many hospitals offer Laugh Therapy to raise the quality of life for their patients, proving that laughter actually is the best medicine. The relieving effects of laughter have been known almost as long as laughter has been around. It is mentioned in proverbs in the Bible, and was already being used in medical situations as early as the thirteenth century.

Almost 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln said, “With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.”

I have often felt the relieving benefits of laughter myself. I remember distinctly a time, a few months ago, when I had not laughed for days. It was a horrible week; it was journalism deadline, I had a math, chemistry, and APUSH test, I had two jobs, piano, and AcDec to make time for, and I was just barely keeping up. I was cooped up inside almost all day, every day, and I barely saw my friends outside of class.

Then, while I was walking to yet another classroom, a friend said something funny – it wasn’t even that funny – and I laughed. I laughed so hard and so freely I could literally feel the tension coming out of my shoulders. I had no idea how tightly I had been holding myself, until that moment when it lifted and went away. Minutes later I was back in class and back in my hectic week, but my mood was substantially better. That less-than-a-minute of laughter gave my body what it had been craving for: release, oxygen, and a good, heavy heartbeat. It gave my mind what it had been craving for as well: peace, calmness, and sanity.

“The most wasted of all days is one without laugher.” – E.E. Cummings

Laughter is highly contagious. Just watching someone else laugh makes you feel like laughing yourself; it’s why we often laugh when in the company of others, or when watching other people, sometimes people we don’t even know, laugh.

Laughing is also highly individual. It is an expression of emotion that is unique to each of us. No two people experience the exact same emotions; no two people laugh exactly the same. Even the same person never laughs quite exactly the way they’ve ever laughed before; though it may sound similar, a new laugh is always just that – new. Technically speaking, each laugh is slightly different in the amount of breaths a person takes, in the exact pattern of sounds made, in the length of each sound or breath, in each little mechanical process. But more than that, each laugh differs in the exact emotion that it manifests at that unique moment.

My friends often tease me about my laughs; yes, laughs, plural. I have several distinctly different types of laughter, as I have been informed.
There is the seconds-long low chuckle.
There is the high, trilling giggle that bubbles up and rolls out from my throat for the mildly amusing.
There is the slightly louder, longer, squinted-eyes chortle that lasts half a minute or more when something is humorous.
And then, there is the way louder, way longer, wonderfully out-of-control, head-thrown-back, shoulder-shaking, body-quaking, crouched-over, grabbing-my-aching-stomach, mouth-stretched wide, falling-on-the-floor, tears-in-my-eyes, real LAUGH that lasts for minutes on end and occurs only when something is truly and outrageously hilarious.
People make fun of me for that. They say I laugh too hard, too loudly, too easily, or too long. But my only response is more laughter.

So there you go. Scientifically speaking, laughing is good. Laughing pumps your heart and invigorates your blood flow, expands your lungs and increases your oxygen intake, releases the feel-good chemicals in and tension out. But more than all of that, it keeps you sane. It keeps your stress levels manageable and your happiness high. It lets you relax, even when you’ve got a lot going on.

So, maybe you’ve got a million things to do today. Maybe you feel like all your work is crushing down on you. Maybe you have a ton of things to worry about. Maybe you just need a good laugh to put your mind at peace. So go ahead. Laugh. It’ll make you feel better – I promise.

“Laugh uncontrollably – it clears the mind.” – Dove chocolate wrapper

Consuming

By Rohan

Barrages of electronics, iPods, brand name clothing, and luxury cars dominate our lives; we, Americans, are innate consumers. The religion of consumerism exists as one of the most unquestioned forms faith there is. Blinded by the glistening façade of class and conformity, we consume with disregard to the environment, we consume with disregard to the workers, and most of all, we consume with disregard to ourselves.



“Who gets the risks? The risks are given to the consumer, the unsuspecting consumer and the poor work force. And who gets the benefits? The benefits are only for the corporations, for the money makers.” -Cesar Chavez

The foundation of the staggering fourteen trillion dollar American economy is us, the consumers; our fanatical desire for superfluous trinkets and toys not only drives this financial powerhouse, but also drives the corportocracy’s Lamborghini's and drives the eternal suppression of the populace through debt. The word consume comes from the Latin consumere meaning to eat or to waste, so aptly derived as we indeed waste our lives consuming. We consume beyond our means. According to the Federal Reserve, forty percent of all American families spend more than they earn—but why? We do not necessarily need a sixty inch Sony LCD television, or a thousand dollar Gucci handbag, or a life-sucking iPod, or a GPS navigated Mercedes-Benz, and yet we spend our whole lives working in an attempt to obtain these material goods. We are ingrained, entrenched, infatuated in consumerism. We live to consume. However, the consumption of goods brings forth a great plague, a rampant disease that is cauterizing the working people of America: debt.

“A man in debt is so far a slave.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Debt is viral. Whenever we swipe that credit card, sign that car loan, or take that mortgage, we are further sinking into the black abyss, the void of debt. This is America, and thus people believe we are truly free—but we are not. Who do you think owns that new iPod you just bought on your credit card? Who do you think owns your recently purchased car? Who do you think owns your house? The bank.

“The Bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to kill me, but I will kill it” -Andrew Jackson

The bank owns everything. Day by day, we are less ruled by a government, for the people by the people, and more ruled by a corportocracy, for the banks by the banks. The majority of American workers are modern wage slaves, enchained in a perpetual cycle of consuming, work, and debt. The concept of debt further establishes itself as profoundly disgusting notion when the aspect of interest is factored into the equation; the majority of Americans’ payments each month is interest on the loan itself. Our consumption of goods has invariably led to debt administered by our prized banking institutions. How interesting is it that our government has recently given these banks $700 billion of the taxpayers’ money. How interesting is it that our government allows Wall Street to keep their $5000 Armani suits while the average American remains incarcerated in the prison of debt on Main Street. We are a country so entrenched in debt that our national debt is rising to the amount of our epic GDP, and even more disturbingly, our money itself is created through debt.

The Federal Reserve created a publication entitled Modern Money Mechanics that reveals the appalling truth of our financial system, stating that the Federal Reserve will exchange US Dollars with government for a United States Treasury Bond, essentially meaning that the Federal Reserve lends US Dollars to the government at interest. This denotes that if the principal of all loans were to be paid off, not a single dollar would be left in circulation. But what about the interest? Unfortunately, the interest can never be accounted for, and like a jet out of fuel, as the interest inexorably spirals out of control, class divisions, poverty, and inflation occur as we witness in these trying times. This outline of the way our monetary institution functions is oversimplified, and there are countless other processes and ramifications to be considered. Nevertheless, our monetary institution is one of the most socially paralyzing structures humanity has ever endured.

The lofty, majestic columns willingly absorbed the sun’s rays as I walked past them. My parents and I ventured into the bank for a mortgage on our new home. Denizens of all ages, of all ethnicity, and of all class used this bank, whether it be a car loan or a mutual fund, the bank was always there to manipulate your money. First appearing friendly, the cunning bank representative in his mind-numbingly gray suit attempted to goad my parents into one of those interest-only mortgages. Firmly refusing, my parents entered a more common, yet also destructive, thirty year loan, in which the house would take thirty years to be paid off. At the time I did not really understand, nor frankly care what was going on. But I understand now. The overwhelming majority of Americans, like my parents, aspire to achieve the American Dream, to own a house in this “free” land. What the overwhelming majority of Americans, like my parents, did not realize is that the American Dream is simply a façade, and there is only the American Debt. The American Dream entrenches its followers in an inescapable pit of work, consumption, and debt. The American Dream is in fact a nightmare, as many Americans live in a perpetual cycle, from paycheck to paycheck, in an attempt to pay their mortgages and bills. The American Dream is an ingenious scheme developed by the banks to suppress the populace, the consumers, with debt.

“Rather go to bed with out dinner than to rise in debt.” -Benjamin Franklin

Driving

By Kaitlin
The act of driving is seen as an environment killing, polluting, money guzzling habit that we humans have fallen into. It is true that the gas aspect is a growing problem, but this mode of transportation has become a norm in the society we live in today. The thing that is not realized by many is that driving is not only a way to get from A to B, but also a way to get away from the stress and hectic nature of life and escape into your own safe haven.

"The car has become a secular sanctuary for the individual, his shrine to the self, his mobile Walden Pond." ~Edward McDonagh

So, is there in fact a beneficial component to driving other than speedy transportation?

I believe there is, but I also believe that too many people are too busy worrying about things that are out of their control instead of enjoying their surroundings. Most of us don’t take advantage of the joys of the journey because we are too focused on only the destination.

There is a relaxing sensation that fills you when, after a hectic day at school, filled with APUSH reading checks, English essays, and math tests you retreat to a place all your own. You get in and make yourself comfortable inside the oh-so-familiar driver’s seat and buckle yourself in. As you put the key in the ignition and hear the calming racket of the engine starting and you immediately feel better and more whole. It instantaneously makes the stress of an extensive morning melt away and creates a feeling of tranquility in even the most frazzled honors student’s day. Having the option to be immersed in silence, suffocated by the sound of your favorite band’s new album, or something in between is truly a blessing for someone at the peak of adulthood. An automobile, for a teenager, is a unique space that is comfortable, just spacious enough and a free area for a young adult you be alone or to invite others to share their space. It’s a brief period of independence during each day that keeps us sane and enables us to slowly ease into the self-dependent college world.

Control and independence are key ingredients in the recipe for a successful rise to adulthood. Teenagers today are much less self sufficient and constantly need assistance to get them through the day. This tiny amount of freedom allows us to gradually earn independence from our parental units and to gain self confidence along the way. This confidence fuels a more reliable and efficient generation and on and on this method continues. A car is not only a means of transportation between the start and finish of a journey, but also the transportation of an individual from an irresponsible child to a competent adult.

Relaxation may not be the first word that comes to your mind when you think about driving, but if you look past all of the traffic, road rage and blaring horns, it can be a very calming time of the day for any commuter. The simple action of gently pressing a pedal with your foot while simultaneously steering a wheel is much more simple than most of the other chores each one of us has to deal with throughout our day. Another way to increase the relaxation of an afternoon drive is to listen to music that genuinely makes you happy. Beatle’s songs always seem to have a tranquil sense to them that makes tasks like driving enjoyable and even something you can look forward too. With a comforting song playing on the stereo and a clear mind, driving is a very peaceful experience and can even become one of the most profound parts of your chaotic days.

Without the coasting feeling that driving gives us, we would be much more stressed (if you can imagine that) and we wouldn’t drive as often as we all do. There is a certain “off switch” that we are able to use when we drive a short distance across town because it is so familiar and we know it so well that we don’t need to use so much brain power to get us there. It aids us in the fight for out own sanity and in the fight for the little independence that us non-adults are allowed. It is a very modern answer to an age old question of travel, but it is so much more than that because it gives a chance to be ourselves in a portable “bubble” that is part of us and can be altered to meet our needs. When I have the Beatle’s lightly playing while I’m driving the familiar route home from school I experience a clarity that helps me escape from my scheduled life for the 5:27 that it takes to get home. This lucidity creates an excuse for me to drive and experience this lovely wholeness as much as possible throughout my crazy homework filled week.

Listening

by Erin

A baby whines and cries and screams as his mother tries to rock him back to a soothed state; the bass of the long-haired rocker harmonizes with the vocalist’s harsh cadenza of low and excruciating high notes; the silent night pairs with a cricket croaking in the garden and branches brushing against the window. These are a few simple pleasures that we love to indulge into, allowing our ear’s attention to linger on the sounds.

Hearing is a puzzle piece in our web of senses; but listening is a completely different game. Seeing is not enjoying a sunset, relaxing and paying attention to the beauty that our eyes allow us to see; that is watching. Touching is not wrapping ourselves in a soft blanket while petting the dog; that is feeling. Tasting is not eating a chocolate truffle, as we close our eyes and “mmm” and revel in the rich sweetness that floods around our tongue; that is savoring. What makes the simple senses of seeing, touching, and tasting different from watching, feeling, and savoring is that the senses are single acts of noticing something while the latter is appreciating what you observe. So when it comes to listening, just knowing that a sound is being produced will not suffice.

The pre-requisites for listening are patience and an open-mind. Without these, you are doing nothing more than hearing. In order to listen during a conversation, you must take in the words being said, apply meaning to the words and put them in context, comprehend them, analyze them, and form opinions to them. Only then are you prepared to respond once the other is finished. Without this process, a conversation is merely blabbing about unrelated subjects every time it switches speakers. Patience is needed to allow whatever you are listening to to come to a close. An open-mind is needed to stop your mind from wandering; once we listen to something that we have a preconceived opinion about, we automatically block out the sound and begin hearing instead of listening. Then, responding would be unjustified.

The word “listening” typically triggers one word in most minds: music. Music is the most acknowledged thing that we listen to. The melodious character of music is expressed in different genres. Different genres appeal to different people. The experience of listening to music is a harmonious blending of personal relatable experiences with the soul of the music. A slow song, full of snapping violins, a tinkling piano, a crescendoing guitar, and a deep raspy voice digs into the feeling of regret, passion, despair, and wanting. While we listen to music, we translate the beats and rhythms into emotions and sensations.

El Tango de Roxanne - Ewan McGregor/Jacek Koman/José Feliciano

The strongest memory I have of listening involved very little sound at all. I was awaiting a phone call that determined whether or not I would be cast in a stage production. Those 27 minutes sitting near the phone were spent in near silence. While anticipating the sharp repetitive chime of my telephone, I decided I had to have my mind wander away from the worried thoughts that were deluging my brain. Refusing to give up my post, I sat, listening to the everyday sounds that I never gave my attention to. I listened to my father typing confusing gibberish like codes onto his computer; I listened to my mothers stirring spoon kindly tap against the sides of the pot while swirling the pasta; I listened to my cat’s purr; I listened to my dogs snore; I listened to my computer’s hum; but most of all, I listened to the silence of the phone. Only then, after many minutes, the phone rang. I listened for a few seconds before answering. The piercing flickering high-pitched tone had a connotation of two strong emotions: relief and disappointment. As I picked up the receiver, pressed the glowing “ON” button, the ringing ceased, and a rather faint sound of congested breathing of the person on the line attracted my attention.

Luckily, the emotion that came with this phone call was relief.

Listening does not require a relationship with God, nor any other god or higher existence; it is a personal experience and needs no approval. Though “listening in” on a conversation may be forbidden, no one will arrest you for sitting silently, closing your eyes, and paying attention to the sounds of the zooming cars, the gentle laugh of the children playing in the park, the soft chatter of the mothers supervising nearby, the rolling of shopping carts with one wheel that always points left, the sharp barking conversation between neighborhood dogs, the dripping of the rain against your window, the rushing of the river’s water against protruding rocks, the rustling of the leaves on a wise and aged oak tree, or even the silent nothingness of a deserted park. All you need is an interest in a sound.

So the next time you walk down the street, do not just hear the bustling blossoming morning full of life; listen.

Sleeping

By Hannah

Comfort, warmth, and the act of being purely content. Everyday our bodies are constantly moving, out minds are endlessly racing, and we move though cycles of emotions, dilemmas, and daily routines. We, as civilized human beings, are powerhouse machines, always working and producing. Throughout the day we may only rest for scarce moments, but it is at night when our minds are set free as we lay peacefully in our sleep. Sleep is a key element to surviving. In our sleep, we restore our bodies, we begin to think more clearly, and we dream. It is said that to stay sharp, energized, and creative, a person must spend one third of their life sleeping. It is sleep that keeps us functional and (somewhat) sane. As we drift away from the problems of the world in this soothing state of mind, our brains keep ticking and our bodies become restored. Ancient Egyptians believed that in sleep, our souls are freed from the physical body and our spiritual double becomes disengaged from our everyday worries. There is nothing more rejuvenating than this sweet slumber which we so solemnly leave its curious nature unappreciated.

I remember a time and a feeling of being overwhelmed. I was truly exhausted from school, work, projects, and every other element that fulfilled my days. Staying up late finishing work and waking up early for another day of the same events was beginning to take it’s toll on my mind and body. Stress and anxiety seeped through my pores and my once calm, cool disposition was quickly vanishing. My health began failing and it felt as if my brain was working slower. There was no question to what my remedy was. I needed a good night’s sleep. As I rested my head on the soft comfy pillow a huge blanket of remorse that had been suffocating me with troubles was lifted from above me and I began to breathe again. Things that hadn’t stop spinning through my mind for days were halted and all worries began to fade. I slept over 24 hours that weekend. This demonstrated how badly I needed sleep. When I woke up for school that Monday, I was happier, I was not worried, and I had a feeling of readiness. Not sleeping for how much I should be and constantly working my brain abused my mind and soul. I restricted myself from my true potential just by not getting enough sleep. It is the simplest cure that anyone is capable of.






Sleeping allows our bodies to repair cells, cuts, bruises, and sore muscles. We are given time to interpret events that occurred throughout the day. Our bodies are restored and our minds sort out problems. Brain activity is sensational during sleep. We begin to think more clearly which assists us in solving problems. We also remember things in our sleep and sort new information into our memory banks. Creativity is also produced in our sleep as we think of new ideas. Hippocrates had a theory that we were capable of “judging the balance of the whole and to perceive in dreams the cause of illness” as we sleep. Sleep is not only a time for rest but a time to let our bodies heal and concoct great new things. Along with these positive attributes of sleep we also dream and as we enter this demio oneiron-village of dreams-anything we desire can become real for a few moments.

Researchers believe that a person needs to dream to be emotionally and mentally healthy. Our heart rate and blood pressure increase and our eyelids begin to twitch as our own personal movies play through our heads. Most dreams are wishful dreams. Dreams of things we want to happen but most likely never will. Dreaming of these things is a way to fulfill our wishes. We can also have dreams of contradiction, hypocritical, anxiety, and hysterical events. Dreams can also be a representation of something bigger or a sign for something coming. Sigmund Freud focused many of his studies on the interpretation of dreams. A falling dream could mean a person feels out of control in a situation in their waking life. Being pregnant in a dream could also symbolize new beginnings and creativity. Dreaming is another way to let one’s soul escape and be unleashed from one’s physical state.

Even though we don’t always realize what the act of sleeping does for us, we truly couldn’t move on through life without it. We get dragged down and emotionally tortured when rest is lacking. Without dreams, whether we remember them or not, our wishes would never be able to even seem possible. So whenever anxiety is taking over, being overwhelmed is the only thing you can relate to, and you just can’t figure how to get well, take some time, stop what you are doing, close your eyes, and let sleep do what it does best.



^Strictly for the song.