A collection of my rants and articles

Opinions on alcohol vary, people of different genders, ages, races, etc, all argue their thoughts, however most of their opinions come from their culture, or from their experiences. When you aren’t drinking, but the people around you are, you tend to notice things about the people around you that you wouldn’t normally see. That’s because people sometimes change when they are under the influence. Some people claim to not drink because it makes them “someone that they are not”, however, alcohol does not actually change a person, but rather makes them lose control on their inhibitions, and strips away their masks, and magnifies their inner, or truer, personality, which is why it affects each person differently. This truer personality isn’t so much as who the person is, but is pretending not to be, but more how they are programmed to be, over who they chose to be. However what people do, is already inside them, and not being intoxicated “changing” them. This said, it is still arguab...

Mental health has been a taboo subject for a long time, but why? You wouldn’t hide a broken bone, due to the shame of having broken it, so why are people ashamed of having a mental illness, and why do people try to hide it? No matter if the issue is physical or mental, there is no reason to hide it, as there should be no shame behind it. Yet mental health is a taboo subject? Society makes it hard for people suffering with mental illnesses to be open, as the world we live in just make people feel alone and full of shame. Over 2/3 of people suffering from mental illnesses have told someone that they feel isolated, worthless and ashamed, which is ridiculous as the mind is just another part of our body, and talking about mental illnesses, especially common ones such as anxiety and depression, should be as easy to talk about as a grazed knee. Mental health issues can affect everyone; age, gender, race, career, none of it matters, they can still be affected by mental health. Within te...

The use of tablets, or any technology, taking over from textbooks and teachers seems to be becoming a very popular subject within schools and colleges, especially as a key part of teacher training is now Technology for Learning, but it’s also a difficult subject to find one opinion on. Some people love technology within their learning, and finds that it makes learning easier and more enjoyable, especially for people with learning disabilities, as dyslexia is easily overcome with a green screen on a tablet which eases the distortion for the person. However, other people hate technology within a learning environment, as the resources should be provided by the teacher, rather than the internet, otherwise what’s the point in leaving the house and even going to school or college. There are many pros and cons for each side, however, what is better; tablets or textbooks? An automatic con of technology use instead of textbooks is the health problems associated with it, as tablets contri...

In our world, today, we’ve become more accepting than our previous generations. However, there are still a lot of people in our world that demand to continue living in a binary world; yes or no, black or white, good or bad, gay or straight, normal or weird. Part of me believes the world will never accept that nothing in life is as simple as yes or no. But why is this? It’s understandable that dividing the world helps us to be less frightened by what is in it, but have we taken it too far? A key example of this; it's turned into a day where people are either a hero or a terrorist, but it’s possible to be neither, or perhaps both, all depending on personal opinion. But people have stopped showing these opinions because it has become wrong to go against the majority opinion. Time seems to be going backwards again, refusing to accept new possibilities, and going back to a status quo that rejects individuality. This leads me to my next point; are you a weirdo or are you normal? Can...

People use the word “love” all the time, especially around this time of year, and it’s a major part of several cultures, as we find it within song, books, and film, but what does it really mean? Many people simply believe love is an animalistic or genetic urge that dictates our behaviour, and a survival instinct so humanity doesn’t become extinct. They consider the feeling of “love” to be an extension of chemical-biological elements of the human nature that takes place when choosing a mate. However a problem for this is that it doesn’t explain the affections for those who cannot have kids or do not wish to reproduce. Others believe in Plato’s version of love; that love is made of a series of characteristics, in which the animalistic desire or base lust is suspended by an intellectual conception of love, based on sensual attraction and mutuality. Ancient philosophy suggests the idea that love is made from eros, philia, and agape. The term eros refers to the part of love made of a...

The 14 th is quickly approaching, something we have all noticed since the pink and red has appeared in shops ever since Boxing-Day passed us. Stocks appear very quickly, even before the new year is in, shoving down our throats this “day of love”, which naturally affects us all in different ways; some find themselves spiralling into depression, and others find themselves hurrying desperately to find themselves a sweetheart. The holiday rooted from ancient Roman times, the festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration, which was recast as a pagan festival, known today as St Valentine’s day. But today, in 2017, is it still the same? As people hurry to find a loved one for this day, it’s hard to wonder if it’s still a festival of celebration, or whether it’s simply a day of consumer-driven and trivial interpretation of love. People don’t understand the pressures this day puts on people; both the single and the taken. People already romantically involved have the stress of having to...