Canned Water: An issue of Institutional Trust and Change

Friday's business section of the New York Times provided a small article that grabbed my attention. "An Unclear Option From Pepsi: Water in a Can" discusses Pepsi's concept of providing water in an aluminum can instead of in plastic bottles. While the article focuses on the environmental reasoning behind Pepsi's concept, the responses from two individuals interviewed about their thoughts of drinking water out of a can showcased the double standards American Consumers have when it comes to institutional trust and our resistance to change.

Mrs. James, a 53 year old, was quoted in the article stating "Something like that would scare me. You see juice in a can, not water, You see water in a bottle." Hector Orantes, another individual interviewed for this article, was quoted "I need to see the contents of the water, I need to see there's nothing inside." How many things do we buy where we can't see the contents - or even fully know the contents? We can't see what's in soda cans, yet we buy them. We can't see what's in canned soup, vegetables, or fruits. We trust that the label matches the contents. I'm willing to bet, unless one does his or her own canning, one might not know what all of the ingredients are under the "ingredients" label in many canned items - whether it be drinks or food.

As consumers, we are hypocrites when we declare we have an inability to trust water in a can, yet purchase and use items daily that are in a can where we cannot see what's actually inside. Friday's quotes were intended to serve as a counter argument for Pepsi's canned water idea. However, the quotes serve a much deeper purpose by highlighting how resistant we as American Consumers are to change and how we act as hypocrites when it comes to the products we trust.

Success or Failure

As close to daily as I can I remind myself that I am not a failure. My apartment is filled with motivational quotes and bible verses that remind me of my self worth. Pictures of my closest friends and loved ones (along with my four bunnies) also cover up much of the wall space. I can honestly look back at all the opportunities that were placed in front of me and say that I embraced them to the best of my abilities. I'd like to think I should be proud of what all I've already accomplished and what I'm doing now. I'd like to think that while I don't have my life figured out, as long as I embrace everything that God throws at me with enthusiasm and gratefulness, everything is going to work out. 

Here's the thing, failure is one of two things.

1) Failure is the lack of success.

2) Failure is the omission of expected or required action.

So how do we define success? How do we define what is our expected or required action? We could turn to a dictionary yet again where success would be defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. However, just like with failure, there are more ways to define success. One of such ways, combined with the power of social media outlets such as instagram, has led to a semi-quarter life crisis so to speak where I struggle to be patient and I struggle with jealousy.

Success can be defined as the attainment of fame, wealth, and social status. 

Keep this definition in mind as you find yourself scrolling through pictures of instagram, there's pictures of new cars and vacations. There's pictures of new houses, fancy weddings, and new parents. With the exception of a few instances where social media is used to share the progression/recovery/treatment of a disease or injury, I'm willing to bet very few people are willing to be open about the not so lavish things going on in their lives. It's not until the bad things have passed that the celebratory posts are often made.

Being completely honest, seeing the pictures of weddings, job promotions, and people having their life "together" in general isn't easy to stomach sometimes. Most days it's alright and I can understand the fact that at 23 I've accomplished some things that others haven't and that others have done things that I haven't. However, some days I let the social media get to me. I get anxious because I find myself comparing my own life to those I see on instagram. I compare myself to others in terms of relationships, wealth, "adulting" milestones, and just about everything else. I find myself listening more to the voices that say "you failed" and less to those that say "keep your head up". 

Its during those days that I take extra time to talk to God, read his word, and open up to him about literally everything. Much like in Lauren Daigle's song "You Say", I'm reminded that I am not a failure, that I am loved, and that I am strong. I am also reminded that social media and others should not establish my worth or my identity - that all of that is established through Christ.

Every life is different and different degrees of adversity. Some milestones might have came easier to some and harder to others. Keep in mind how rarely that adversity is shared publicly. Realize that your successes and failures should not be determined by social media posts. Take the time to be proud of yourself and where you are right now; take the time to listen more to the voice that says "keep your head up". 

I Wonder What Lady Liberty Would Say

It's day 31 of the U.S. government shutdown. Federal employees have gone 31 days without getting paid for their work. National Parks have been damaged. Our economy is suffering. The cause? An estimated $5.7 billion wall that stands for everything we would like to believe our nation is not. If built, this wall would represent how one man has taken fear and used it to control us. It will demonstrate how one man, one twitter account, and one vast array of fear-inducing inflammatory language has managed to turn a nation that was meant to be ran "for the people, by the people" into one ran by fear. This wall would definitely be a monument. Not one such as The Statue of Liberty, which could be viewed as symbolizing how we once were brave enough to embrace others who are seeking refuge. This wall would be a monument that rather shows how we have let fear take the better of us.

Recently "The Killers" released a single "Land of The Free". Highlighting many of the problems that we face in the U.S., the song also emphasizes how building a wall would symbolize everything we don't stand for. On the single's cover, there's the Statue of Liberty. I wonder what she would have to say about this wall. I wonder if she would agree that we do have a problem in the land of the free.

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol and monument even children can recognize and point out in a heartbeat. Given to us by the French, Lady Liberty is not only a symbol of democracy, but is also a universal symbol for freedom. She's welcomed immigrants to the east coast since 1886 and is seen as a symbol of welcome and hope for many. On the National Parks website, the following is said about "The Immigrant's Statue":

"Between 1886 and 1924, almost 14 million immigrants entered the United States through New York. The Statue of Liberty was a reassuring sign that they had arrived in the land of their dreams. To these anxious newcomers, the Statue's uplifted torch did not suggest "enlightenment," as her creators intended, but rather, "welcome." Over time, Liberty emerged as the "Mother of Exiles," a symbol of hope to generations of immigrants."

If Lady Liberty could speak, I wonder what she would have to say about a wall being built to keep people out. I wonder if she would agree with our president, that we need it for security. Would she agree that a wall would prevent drugs from being smuggled into the country and that it would prevent the murders, rapes, and other crimes committed that are being blamed all immigrants without taking into account those crimes committed by our own citizens? I wonder instead if she would point out that we, as a nation, are the first to cast blame on someone who we believe doesn't belong, but refuse to acknowledge our own faults and flaws?


I wonder if she would disagree with those declaring we need this wall for security. I wonder if she would say that there are other ways to improve our security without building something that can be climbed, broken down, and dug under. Would she point out that some of these people have such a strong will to flee the circumstances they were in because they truly believe nothing could have been worse than staying there. I wonder if she would point out how fences and and borders in the middle east haven't stopped weapons from being smuggled across those borders. I wonder if she would point out that we really don't know who the enemy is and that maybe our greatest enemy can be found within our borders. Maybe our greatest enemy, and our greatest threat to our democracy is ourselves. Maybe we're so caught up in being afraid of what could happen that we don't stop to realize we're boxing ourselves in. We're so caught up in being afraid, we've forgotten to look at facts and investigate instead of going with the opinions of others.
I wonder if she would welcome those who are trying to cross the border and seek refuge and safety or if she would turn them away. I wonder if she would point out that walls have a history of being used to keep people, and their ideas, from mixing with others. Something that goes against the saying America is a "melting pot" of cultures and identities. I wonder if she would point out that it was in 1987, just over 30 years ago, that President Reagan stood before the Berlin Wall and famously said "Tear Down This Wall". I wonder if she would point out, it's pretty hypocritical to demand one government to tear down a wall as we now build our own.

I wonder if Lady Liberty would point out that, by turning away refugees and those coming to the U.S. because conditions in their home country are beyond what we could imagine when we think of horrible, we're not really living up to the fact that we claim to be a Christian nation. In fact, I wonder if she would point out how we've managed to become conditioned towards immigrants trying to cross over much the same way many of us are conditioned into walking past a homeless individual asking for food and not donating a thing. The bible is littered with verses teaching us to be kind to foreigners. I wonder if Lady Liberty would draw our attention to Leviticus 19:33-34...

"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt..."

I wonder if Lady Liberty would like to open our eyes to what some of these people have had to live through to make the decision to risk and abandon everything to come to the U.S. I wonder if she would use her torch to cast light on where these people came from instead of where they are going. I wonder if she point out that we, as a nation, are blessed. We have the freedom to think for ourselves. We have the freedom to protest our government peacefully. We have the freedom to help others. We have the freedom to have a voice in our own government and the decision that it makes. We have the freedom to get an education regardless of our sex. We have the freedom to not turn a blind eye to situations unfolding that impact more than just ourselves. We have the freedom to practice our own religions, wear our own choice of clothing, and marry who we love. We have the freedom to make the decision not to take our freedoms for granted.

What I wonder most, however, about Lady Liberty, is whether or not she would she would agree with The Killers that we do have a problem in the land of the free and that we have forgotten where we have came from, that we have forgotten what we stand for as nation, and that we have somehow managed to let fear get the best of us.

Divided We Won't Stand

Scrolling through social media,  it is evident the extent to which our country is divided. Issues such as racism, immigration, police brutality, and sexual assault have seemingly split our country with everyone wanting to declare their say in endless "he said, she said" arguments. Simply being able to "do the right thing" has suddenly become an even more difficult task because we don't even know what the right thing is anymore. There is an underlying issue that has caused this. One that, unless We the People are willing to recognize, will forever remain. It's the same thing that our first president, George Washington, warned our country about. Political Parties.

Today, the two political parties that have divided our country are the Republican and Democratic Parties. The fact that they have succeeded in dividing our country might be the only thing that they have achieved that is a bipartisan effort. With ease, one can recollect moments each party has made claims that their actions are "to remain in power" or to "gain the majority" or to "promote their platform".

I've got to hand it to them, it's working in a sickening and nauseating way. With a complete disregard to the the needs of the country, these two political parties are placing their needs first. It's time for we, as the general public responsible for electing officials, to take our own stand. We should not be divided over a "he said she said" debate concerning sexual assault. We should be united in agreeing that something should be done about sexual assault and working on a solution. We should be united in agreeing that racism is still very much evident and work on tearing down ignorant and insulting stereotypes. We should be united that immigrants, regardless of their status, deserve to be treated as human beings. We should be united on working towards ending cases of police brutality against all individuals. We should be united in listening beyond the hate speech and fear instilling language to understand exactly what is going on and to act in a manner where we can be proud not just to be an American, but to be upholding American Values.

So this election season, I challenge you to do something that is truly unique from popular campaign phrases declaring "Vote Democrat" or "Vote Republican". I challenge you to vote united. Vote not for the political party that claims to do the right thing, but vote for the individual who's actions resemble those that you wish to have done to you.

An analysis of the Confederate statue crisis

The American Civil War demonstrated just how clearly divided our nation was both culturally and in terms of ideology. In the North, states had a surplus of industry. In the South, farming and agriculture was the way of life. The North was "anti-slavery" while the South was "pro-slavery" and the reasons for this ranged from morals, beliefs, ethics, to economics. The war is remembered throughout history, not as a war that brought together a fractioned nation, but as a war that "finally" ended slavery. However, even more than 150 years after the surrendering of the just newly formed Confederate States of America, our beautiful country is still suffering from some of the same issues that were faced during the Civil War and post-Civil War era.

Racial and cultural tensions and violence spanning across the nation since the South surrendered and came back into the United States has yet to cease despite the Civil Rights Movement and leaders such as Martin Luther King, and President Obama. Now, a new movement has started with the banning of the confederate flag and the tearing down of confederate monuments/statues. With the violence in Virginia, followed by law makers across the south voting to tear down confederate monuments, it's important to make sure we aren't setting ourselves up for more of what we are actually trying to end.

Let's start by asking these questions:

1)These statues honor slave owners. So does that mean we should also remove the statues of our first few presidents who were also slave owners such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson?

2)These statues now serve as a reminder of what this country has been through because of white supremacy and racism. While removing these statues seems like the ideal short term solution to eradicate racism, what happens when you "Sanitize" your history? Why don't we find a way to combining with the statues a way of reminding us that, at one point, we let an blockage of freedoms promised to every American and a violation of clear modern-day human rights cause our nation to divide?

3)Why don't we relocate the statues or make a museum around these statues the same way that Europe has done for Hitler's concentration camps? These wouldn't glorify the cause of the confederacy or slavery. These would emphasis what happens when we fall as a divided nation and when we chose to forget our core values.

4)What is the real motive for the removal of these statues? As Condoleezza Rice argued, when we become ashamed/embarrassed of our history and choose to hide it, bad things happen. We must ask ourselves are we saying that we wish to remove these statues because they possibly represent racism or are we removing them because we feel guilty for what has happened and wish to pretend racism is dead to make "white southern society" feel better? If the answer is the latter of the two, we need to find a better solution.

In conclusion, we as a society must ensure that we chose to find not only a solution, but the proper long term solution to an issue that has been relevant since our founding. The solution cannot be short term anymore. It must educate Americans about the dangers of history repeating itself and demonstrate that hatred, racism, and slavery will never win. It must do all of these without eliminating the history itself.

Skinny

     

        Everyday as I get ready to go to work I look in the mirror and remind myself I am beautiful. 9 years of swimming, 5 of which were at the college level, have allowed me to have a 5'5" 160 lb. frame and shoulders that make it possible for anyone to identify I spend a lot of time in the water and impossible to fit into any dress at forever 21. I cannot fit into a size 0. I probably will never fit into anything below a size 9. However, I look in the mirror everyday and remind myself I am beautiful. 

       Body image isn't something I've been entirely confident with. It's something I've struggled with from the first day I walked onto a pool deck as a kid through college. I can remember being in middle school and going through the awkward "chubby" stage and sucking in my stomach because I thought I would fit in more if I was skinnier. I remember comments made in high school about how weights and swimming combined affected my body shape. Even in college I've struggled trying to figure out how to balance body image, the typical swimmer appetite, and what the ideal weight was for me. 

       Just recently graduating from college, one would assume that the comments would stop. One would assume that, in the real world, people wouldn't associate body size or type with being pretty or beautiful. People would realize as long as you were healthy and happy with yourself, there was no need to lose weight or try to change something. In my first five days of being a college graduate I've already heard comments. One really stuck out to me.

  "You have to stay skinny so you can stay pretty." 

       What is skinny? Is skinny just the antonym for "fat"? Is skinny being the size of some models where you can practically count all their bones without an x-ray? Is skinny wearing a size 0? 

According to Webster's dictionary skinny is: (of a person or part of their body) very thin.

          Skinny is a very vague term. Models wearing a size 0 are considered skinny, so are models who grace covers of magazines, tabloids, and fashion shows. Women on red carpets wearing dresses that could possibly weigh more than themselves are considered skinny. Musicians and Actresses in videos where their bones could be counted by any audience without the use of an x-ray are considered skinny. Anyone not considered fat is considered skinny. This is dangerous. This is especially dangerous when using "skinny" to determine beauty.
           Beyonce Knowles's song and music video "Pretty Hurts" emphases just how dangerous the notion of associating "skinny" with "pretty" is. It leads to eating disorders, decreased levels of self-confidence, the inability to be satisfied with one-self, and never truly being happy with who you are. I think it's time more of us begin to realize it.

           Beauty does not come from weight, body type, or body image. Beauty comes from being healthy, active, confident, and proud of who you are. So next time someone makes a comment that you have to be skinny to be pretty, brush it off because you are already more beautiful than they will ever realize. Realize that as long as you are healthy, active, and confident about yourself there is no reason to change.