Respect

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to me!" These wise words from Aretha Franklin are still relevant, believe it or not.

To me, the color of someone's skin or the religion that they practice couldn't matter less. If they respect me, I respect them. It's kind of hard to come by nowadays. We're all so self-absorbed and we pay too much attention to social media rather than social issues. I'm not perfect, you're not perfect, heck, no one is perfect.

We're told in kindergarten that respect is important, and it's the basis for the Golden Rule. Treat others how you want to be treated? Why does that seem to be so difficult? Everyone has their own motives, their own reason for doing things and a different goal in mind. Does that mean that we have to disregard the feelings and beliefs of those individuals that "get in the way"? No.

You can dislike someone, and trust me, I dislike a lot of people. But that doesn't mean that I'll disrespect them. I try, to the best of my capabilities, to keep my opinions to myself. It's hard sometimes, but you have to think about it this way; if someone were looking you in the face and saying these things to you, how would you feel?

Respect is so many different things, its sincerely and genuinely caring for someone. Checking in on them to see how they're doing, making sure they're okay. It's helping them with any issue they may have, regardless of what it will cost you. You don't have to love someone to respect them, you just have to be a decent human being.

There are a lot of people that I don't see eye to eye with. There's a lot of people that don't see eye to eye with me. That's just a part of life. Not everyone will be in one-hundred percent agreement with each other, and that's totally okay. There are groups, supremacy groups, who don't care about others, they care about their superiority. That's scary and terrifying and unbelievable.

It's so incredibly shocking how little empathy some people can possess. I think of myself as a compassionate person, I think I get along well with others and I identify well with others if they're in need. This is such a huge part of respect. Being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes or seeing a certain situation through their eyes will make life so much easier for you to understand.

"If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die." -Maya Angelou

Defunding Planned Parenthood Would Be Really Really Stupid

The Senate has recently passed a bill which promotes the defunding on Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the United States. This passed bill will head to the senate for voting, and if passed, will land on the desk of President Obama. Yet another example of old privileged men in Washington D.C. influencing and having say over what women do with their bodies.

Individuals who support the defunding of Planned Parenthood probably don't know what they're actually about. Planned Parenthood is often associated with abortion. Going back to the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting, the shooter thought that the clinic he was shooting provided abortions, it didn't. Only 3% of all PP health services are abortion services. It's so much more than that. Defunding Planned Parenthood would force over a million women to find a new source of affordable health care.

Here's just a few of the services that Planned Parenthood provides:

Pap smears, breast exams and contraceptive services make up the majority of care provided by Planned Parenthood. Over 2.7 women and MEN have visited Planned Parenthood services for a reliable and safe source of healthcare. Planned Parenthood provides information and answers questions for teens who are uncomfortable or don't feel safe asking these questions to their parents and families. Where will they go if Planned Parenthood is defunded?

Planned Parenthood is centered around women and most often associated with women, but they provide services for men as well (who would have thought?). PP provides information on male birth control methods, information on infertility and precautions and warning signs of testicular cancer which is more common in young men. I didn't know that they were so invested in everyone in the community and not just women.

Planned Parenthood is also focused on educating the public, in all areas. Information on birth control, abortion, healthy relationships and even body image. I wasn't aware of all the work they do to provide each and every individual with the right information they need to lead a healthier sex and overall life. So much work is done by Planned Parenthood staff to ensure the safety of the public.

Last, but certainly not least, STI/STD screenings and treatments are provided by PP. These sexually transmitted diseases and infections are becoming more and more common in today's society, making prevention and education even more important. Sometimes it's too late, and people just need treatment, and PP doesn't judge. They're only interested in helping individuals, regardless of age, with anything they need.  


By defunding Planned Parenthood, millions of Americans are affected. Not just women searching for an abortion. Learn more about Planned Parenthood before you agree with the defunding of it. They provide specific and crucial treatment and services for men and women of any age, which is something we can only praise in today's world.

stay peaceful (and informed)!!

Silly Trump, The Presidency is for Professionals

One of the most talked about men in the world at this moment is Donald Trump, and unfortunately he's running for the office of the President of the United States. This is going to strictly be an opinion post, so if you love Trump and will be easily offended I don't suggest reading it.

Donald Trump grinds my gears. He's a billionaire who has claimed he'd run for presidency multiple times in the past, and now he's finally followed through with his word. He's extremely wealthy and rude and annoying.

Trump accused Megyn Kelly of having a hormonal imbalance when she asked him questions regarding his treatment of women. Just like a bully, Trump felt offended and resorted to insults to make himself feel better. Politics have always included bickering back and forth, but Trump gets personal and down right mean. Sure he's honest, but do we really want to have a high class butthole representing America? I think not.

However annoying these characteristics may be, the utmost horrific thing I have ever heard regarding Donald Trump is his policy and political views regarding Muslims. Trump is an Islamophobic. He wants to require all Muslims to carry special identification cards. He wants all Muslims who enter the country to be required to stay here for the rest of their lives, essentially holding them hostage. He wants them to be routinely monitored by the government and to travel in groups in special vehicles. He does this in the name of national security. But I see it as radical absurdity. There have been tweets and posts comparing Trump to Hitler. I don't think and I certainly hope that Trump does not plan on eradicating all Muslims. He just hasn't wrapped his head around the concept that not all Muslims are terrorists.

Politics are confusing and so are old white men who believe they are the center of the universe. Whatever your opinion is, I hope you own it. I don't like Trump and that's ok. You may love Trump and that's ok. Differences of opinion are important.

stay peaceful (and open-minded)!!

Si Fuera Un Chico

Si fuera un chico, if I were a boy. It's a song, by Beyoncé. A pretty great song that you should check out. I typed it in Spanish because this blog post is stemming from an activity that I did in my Spanish class. We're working with "si" or "if clauses". If this happened, this would happen, pretty radical stuff.

To ensure we knew what we were doing and to practice our speaking skills, my teacher divided the class, boys on one side, girls on the other. We went back and forth saying "If I were a boy I would do this" or "If I were a girl I would do this". Pretty exciting stuff. I know it was a joke and not meant to be taken seriously, but some of the stereotypes that came out of this game stuck in my head.

One of the boys (whom I can't stand, but that's beside the point) said that if he were a girl he'd be a feminist. Me being the crazy feminist that I am proceeded to shout out, "EQUALIDAD." Because that's just how cool I am. Why is feminism so negatively viewed in society. Boys are misogynists and women are feminists. Why can't there be zero misogynists and more feminists? Is that even possible? I cannot stress this enough, feminism is equality for all. Men and women of any race, religion, and sexual preference. Equality!!!!!!!

Another stereotype these boys mentioned, gold-digging. Not all women are gold diggers. A strong independent woman doesn't need to find love solely based on the amount of money in his wallet. I'm not at all saying that gold digging is ok. But 150 years ago women had to look for a husband with wealth if they wanted to survive. The patriarchy didn't allow women to work for themselves and taking initiative in finding their wealthy counterparts was the most control they had in their life.

Stereotypes are annoying and so are misogynists. Feminism is equality for all and the patriarchy started the whole concept of "gold-digging" or finding a husband for money and success.

stay peaceful (and avoid stereotypes)!!

Mental Health Week

On Monday, I clicked in my little subscription box after pulling up Youtube and Buzzfeed had a multiple Mental Health related videos. This hits home for me. Mass shootings bring up mental health because that is the only time it's "okay" to talk about. Mental health has a huge stigma behind it and I'm sick of that. Why? Not everyone is 100% ok 100% of the time.

Click here to watch their video,  6 Untrue Facts About Mental Health You Probably Believe. I'll give you a couple minutes. Did you really watch it? Really? How many of those "facts" did you believe? Probably more than half, because I did too.

Mental illness is not something we should be scared to talk about. Antidepressants are a thing. Depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder are all things that get shoved under the rug. 1 in 4 people struggle with their mental health. Probably someone, if not multiple people you know. It's scary but true and we need to come to terms with it.

Mental illnesses are different for each and every person that they affect. Sometimes medication works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes therapy works and sometimes it doesn't. I think mental health is extremely hard to talk about because of the way people look at you and how they react after you've told them what you suffer with everyday. If only I could see your face while reading this blog.

Depression isn't just being sad. Depression is being sad and not knowing why. Not wanting to get out of bed and preferring to stay alone than to interact with people you once loved to be around. Anxiety isn't just worrying about a test. Anxiety is worrying about that test and thinking that if you don't get an A, you won't make it into college.

If you know someone who suffers from any mental illness, talk to them. Let them talk to you. Even if they repeat the same story ten times, it means something. Listening is key. You may not understand what they're going through, but that's ok. Opening you arms and ears will help them immensely.

If you need help understanding mental illnesses and ways you can be there for someone, I strongly suggest checking out Buzzfeed's videos, they helped me and I'm someone that's struggled with anxiety and depression for years.

stay peaceful (and supportive)!!

Human Rights Day, Yay!!

Whilst writing my assignments down in my planner this morning, I stumbled upon a fascinating fact. It's Human Rights Day!! Everyday should be Human Rights Day but, unfortunately, not everyone has the rights they deserve and not everyone faces the punishment they deserve for their actions.


Human Rights Day commemorates the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration of Human Rights is pretty self-explanatory. It's many articles state that all human are born equal, have the right to life, property and security, cannot be enslaved and no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, degrading punishment.

This declaration may seem like a lot of common sense. But not everyone has picked up on this easy lesson. Many individuals are still held as sex slaves and sold for profit. Hate crimes still exist, crimes against an individual based on their religion, sexual orientation, race or gender identification is still not acceptable.

This year's Human Right's day is devoted to year of honoring the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Both of the covenants are pretty self-explanatory. Stating that each individual has the right to pursue their own social, economic and cultural interests, while respecting the interests of the individuals around them. The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights focuses on the duties of the state and other political figures and officials to protect the right to life that each individual human being has.

Let December 10th be a reminder to us to recognize the rights that each and every one of us has. But let everyday be Human Rights Day. Every single day we should work together to make the world more peaceful for everyone.

"On Human Rights Day, let us recommit to guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms and protecting the human rights of all." United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

stay peaceful!!

Melanie Martinez Is Pretty Dang Awesome

My taste in music is so various it's kind of crazy. One day I'll listen to Frank Sinatra and Country music, and the next day I'll get my jam on and listen to Halsey and Melanie Martinez. We listen to music that connects with us and has a specific message that sticks in our minds for a multitude of reasons.

Case in point, this morning I was listening to Melanie Martinez, an incredibly talented singer and songwriter who first appeared on The Voice. She's edgy and her own person, which I absolutely love, and you can definitely tell from her music. But she also writes and sings songs that can be interpreted different ways by different people. Which leads me to one of my favorite songs of hers, Mrs. Potato Head.

Mrs. Potato Head deals with body image and how girls of any age worry about their looks. I think everyone deals with body image issues. Boys may feel the need to get big and have huge muscles, have an eight pack and melon sized biceps. That's not realistic. Girls may want to have a tiny waist with perfect hair and flawless skin. This may sound cheesy and cliché, but everyone is beautiful.

Mrs. Potato Head focuses on girls body image issues more than boys, and I think that is solely because Melanie Martinez is a girl. In the song, Melanie is talking to little girls and then she's talking to Mr. Potato Head. Asking him if he'll still love his wife after she's aged and may not be considered as beautiful as she was.

Here's some pretty awesome lyric clips from the song that stick out to me.
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"Don't be dramatic, it's only some plastic. No one will love you if you're unattractive." This stuck out to me because it digs into the normalization of plastic surgery to cover up what we don't like about ourselves. I'm not saying that people who have plastic surgery procedures are unconfident, but I wonder if they had waited a little bit longer to have their operation, maybe they would've been able to find a way to be comfortable in their own skin.

"But little girls are learning how to cut and paste. And pucker up their lips until they suffocate." This again ties into how we are perceived on social media. So many kids are getting social media and with each year, the minimum age seems to drop. If social media is something they want to have, go at it. But I think we need to teach kids that beauty isn't an Instagram filter.

If you like alt-pop and liked Mrs. Potato Head, I definitely recommend Melanie's debut album, Cry Baby. The music beautifully written and sung, and we can jam out together if you like it as much as I do. I'm always down for a dance party.

For anyone who may possibly be reading this, you're beautiful. Beauty is not pain, beauty is confidence. Beauty is the way you smile when no one is watching, beauty is all of the things you do in a day to improve your life and the life of others. Love yourself and love everyone around you to the highest of your capabilities.

How Many Mass Shootings is Enough?

Last year, the police office at my school came into my Spanish class and taught us what to do if there was ever to be a school shooting. You hear it on the news, "many wounded in mass shooting". Whether it be at a movie theater, a community building or an elementary school, it's still traumatizing.

Last night, when I got home from teaching five year-olds how to be big siblings, I turned on the news to heard about the San Bernardino shooting. Fourteen people were killed and another seventeen while they were supposed to be attending a holiday work event. A happy and exciting party turned traumatic and extremely sad in a matter of seconds.

Last week there was the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting. The shooter, 57 year old Robert Bear was believed to be motivated by pro-life and anti-abortion political views. These beliefs do not give him any right to walk into a health clinic and open fire. Killing a police officer and terrorizing women who were solely seeking health care. Ironically enough, Bear targeted the clinic with anti-abortion motives and no abortions were performed at this clinic. This specific Planned Parenthood clinic was solely used to provide women with counseling and certain medical services like birth control and STD screenings.

There have been 355 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. 355 mass shootings in 337 days. That's horrific and heart-wrenching. While watching the news last night, they shared a father's story. His daughter was in the community center during the San Bernardino shooting. His daughter had texted him saying there was a shooter in the building, that she loved him and wanted him to pray for her and the other victims in the building. This man broke down in tears because he daughter was safe. Tears of joy, celebrating the fact that his daughter will be coming home for Christmas, but tears of sadness for the families of the victims who were killed, they will never hear their son or daughters voice again.

Mass shootings are horrific events that need to be controlled, and can easily be reduced with some gun control. This may be controversial, I'm not bashing the second amendment, but I think there should be more control. More check-ups and re-screenings of gun owners to ensure they are still mentally and physically able to own and shoot a gun. That's my two cents, but I think we can all agree mass shootings need to come to an end.

stay peaceful (and thankful for your beautiful life)!!

Pro-Choice Doesn't Mean Pro-Abortion

The recent Planned Parenthood shooting has made think about abortion, and made me realize that many people don't understand the Pro-Choice stance.

I'm Pro-Choice, but I'm not Pro-Abortion. This may be difficult for some people to understand, but I really don't know why. I believe any woman has the right to control what she wants to do with her body. Abortion is a choice, a very difficult choice that about 3,300 women will make today. There are many different situations where a woman may choose to have an abortion.

Rape and incest are common reasons for abortion. If it's not the right time of life for the woman, she may get an abortion because she doesn't want to raise a child in a stressful situation. Some people may say adoption is the answer for these situations. However, I believe adoption may be just as difficult as choosing to get an abortion. Having to physically give away your baby after you've spent hours in labor bringing it into this world would be absolutely heartbreaking.

With today's increasing medical technology there are tests that are completed to make sure babies will be as healthy as possible when they are born. If a mother receives test results that conclude a stillbirth or a painful birth for the baby that will result in instant death, it is her choice whether she wants to watch her newborn suffer and be put through pain or if she will have an abortion to save the potential pain that the baby would have suffered.

Any consideration of abortion is painful and emotionally wrenching. I, personally would not have abortion. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself. I'm not saying that women who receive abortions are heartless or that they don't love kids. I'm saying they are most likely stronger than me. They're able to go through something so emotionally wrenching and heartbreaking, and for some women it may be an easier choice than it is for others, every woman and every woman's body is different.

The main point of this blogpost was that I personally would never get an abortion, and don't "endorse" it, but what right do I have to tell another woman that she can't have one? In fact, what right does some privileged white male in Washington D.C. have to tell a woman she can't control her body?

 The pro-life viewpoint, however, doesn't give anyone the right to control a woman's decisions or body.

stay peaceful (and considerate)!!