The Unhealthy Side of School

This morning I got up at the ripe hour of 6:30. Offcourse, I didn't actually get out of bed for another twenty minutes, as I can't help but roll around in my bed, and dream of sleeping in it all day. This has become a daily routine of sorts, which isn't a good habit. However, I'm not the only high schooler who dreads getting out of bed. Truth is, if most high schoolers had our way, we sould stay in bed all day. I've always thought school causes ridiclious amounts of stress, at least New Trier. I have 14+ tests in the next week, so can you blame me for wanting to stay in bed? The stress that comes with styuding for these tests builds up, and makes me anxious. It upsets me that even though I have workedbeyond  expecatations this past semester, my grades might all be ruined by finals. Finals are more than a "test", they are a societal function which proves your worth to your future college. This thought, is the thought that ends up stressing out countless highschoolers. If we don't score well on our final tests, we may ruin our chances to get into a good college. Finals are unfair because they make me feel worthless. Excessivley studying over materials I am already supposed to know, is frustrating. In school I commonly think it's okay to bomb a test ONCE in a while, because there is always a new unit after. But FINALS, makes this statement false. During the weeks before finals I have to cram study. The past week I have already started studying, and cramming to know what I do not. I haven't had enough time to make my own food, eat in peace, or even shower. Yes I went there, For three days this week I didn't shower, and it felt nasty.

               A picture of me stressed out 

 Stress during finals, and school, is more than an 'annoyance'. It is outright cruel. There is something wrong with a system that puts education over your emotinal well being. Furthermore, if a person is not in a good sense of well being, they perform poorer on their tests. Therefore this system  is not only cruel, but also unfair. School is unfortunately the root of almost all the stress in my life, I've even realized acne starts to appear when I have large tests coming up. This is because I don't get enough time to eat, shower or sleep. If I didn't do a good job convincing you with my rant...Check out this podcast: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/12/02/246599742/school-stress-takes-a-toll-on-health-teens-and-parents-say. 

 

Why Wealth class played a factor in Laquan Mcdonald's murder

I'm a privileged white, wealthy male teenager,  living in a wealthy American neighborhood. I have a 2015 Jeep Wrangler, I drive to school, and I wear a Rolex Submariner to school daily. To put it simply, my life is awesome. Though like anyone living a near-utopian lifestyle, I pretend my life is a chaotic,  and stressful hell hole. If you're still reading my blog at this point, it's for one of two reasons: You are wealthy yourself, and can relate to  what I am saying...or...you're an average person, who is angered by my comments and wants to continue reading to judge me ( I'm slightly judging myself for even writing this). Both of these reasons are understandable, because we as human  beings we instinctively enjoy being around the company of people we can relate too, and fathom others who have what we do not. This is why wealth classes, are controversial in our country. Wealth class literally separates people from enjoying the company of those who are poorer or wealthier than they are. Wealth class separates us just as race separates us... though of course we love to pretend neither of these major boundaries exist within our society. If I were to hop on a highway, and drive just 30 minutes, I would end up in a different world. Thirty minutes away from me is a world full of crime, grime, and terror. Kids are horrified to walk to school for the chance of them of being shot dead, is high.  This city is known as Chicago. However, all of Chicago is as dangerous as the news makes it seem. In reality it's just the South and West sides that make Chicago famous as being America's most deadliest city. About a year ago, a black man Laquan Mcdonald was walking on the streets of the west side, waving a knife into the air. The Chicago Police Department received a complaint about the man, and sent a police officer out of his patrol car to subdue the target. As the man turns around and starts walking away, a police officer made a disgusting move. The officer, Van Dyke, decided to shoot the 17-year-old boy, sixteen times. The boy never even tried to assault the officer.  There's video proof of the incident, you can check it out here:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/01/us/chicago-police-shooting-explainer/index.html

I hate thinking these incidents still occur in our country, who doesn't? And yet, the thought of an innocent black man being killed on the streets is nothing new. I am outraged that a man can be shot to dead on the street for simply holding a knife--- in a state that allows the ownership of guns. The Laquan Mcdonald incident brings special pain to me, because it happened right near my house.The neighborhood Laquan was shot in was a lower income area.  As a kid, I used to imagine that I could go down to the city, and help those who suffer. I always imagined a future where my money would be spent towards helping the needy...and yet I realize now, I am distancing myself from that path. I spend money on myself, I want too many things, I have adapted myself to buy 'stuff' so I can be happy. Is this sad? Sure, but it's only as sad as I choose to let it make me. I refuse to let stuff consume me. I like most people my age always tell myself: "One day, when I have what I need, then I will help those who are needy." I tell myself I'm a great person, by promising myself that one day soon, I will lend a helping hand to those who need it. This cycle is the curse of 21st-century wealth. Middle-class citizens get so caught up in buying, and "living the good life", that they forget that real problems exist in the world. We want to live a perfect utopian style life, and we want to pretend the whole world lives the way we do. To this day, we find many racial problems continue to persist within our society (Such as the police shooting of Laquan), and yet we turn a blind eye. We do this as a way to "defend" ourselves from the harsh reality of the world... for we live in a blind Utopia. We must join, or die. Poor, rich, black, white, Asian, it doesn't matter, for nothing will ever change until we start seeing eachother as equal.