THIRTY THIRD ISSUE
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4. THE COLOUR OF THE SKY AFTER A RAINSTORM MADISON MELTON
12. THE BANE OF BEAUTY 18. THIS IS A CALL TO ZAREEN CHIBA
NON-SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. SHARON TIRADO
22. SUCCESS BIANCA BARSAN
30. WHAT SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT EDGARDO SCHIENA
notions of success
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The Sk
THE COLOUR OF THE SKY AFTER A RAINSTORM
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MADISON MELTON
e Colour of the ky after a Rainstorm F
or as long as she could remember, the young girl had heard stories of the city at the heart of her kingdom. Neighbours who returned from the long journey did so with their heads held high and their bags stuffed with enough wealth to satisfy even the greediest king. Back in the village, these people became the envy of all, and their wealth granted them the status to serve as leaders and advisors of the community. One only had to be willing to make the long journey first.
MELTON, MADISON @nomad_melton
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In the girl’s fifteenth year, as the winter frost thawed and icy droplets dripped off the branches of the trees to the flowering spring grass below, the girl decided that she too was ready to make the journey to the city far away. She told her father of her plans and he was ecstatic. He rushed to tell all of their friends in the village and to ask for provisions from those who had travelled the road before her. “You must come back with goods that will impress even the merchants!” her father said as he packed a satchel with food and water. With the glowing lights of the city in her eyes, she set off down the road, her eyes trained on the ground in front of her. The girl was gone for many months, and although her father worried, he thought most about the success she must be finding in the city during all this time, and the vast fortune she would soon bring home. When she finally arrived back in the
village almost a year later, she found her father in the garden. He rushed over, wiping the sweat from his face, and with excitement so great he could barely get the words out he said “we must throw a great feast for all of our neighbours to celebrate your return!” He spent the whole day preparing the food he had saved all year in honour of this moment, and that evening the young girl and her father gathered all of the villagers at their home. There was much drinking and joy around the table, as there always was upon someone’s homecoming. Finally, as the plates were cleared, one of the neighbours stood up. “Let us see what this daughter has brought back to honour our village!” he exclaimed. The young girl had been waiting eagerly for this moment. She gathered her satchel and produced the riches of her journey: several long sprigs of bright blue berries. There was silence around the table; her father lowered his head.
THE COLOUR OF THE SKY AFTER A RAINSTORM
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MADISON MELTON
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THE COLOUR OF THE SKY AFTER A RAINSTORM
A young boy who had arrived back in the village just a week before stood up. “The city is not for the faint of heart,” he said, looking at the young girl sympathetically. “It takes much strength of body and mind to succeed there, but fortunately I have been able to bring home enough riches for all!” He produced a bag filled with silks in many colours, bright jewellery, and precious stones. As he unloaded the bag, hands reached eagerly for the spoils and the people forgot about the young girl. Amidst the excitement, however, she spoke up. “I am happy for your success,” she said, “but I would like to ask you what colour the sky looks when you travel through the mountainous territory after a rainstorm.”
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MADISON MELTON
The young boy’s surprise did not conceal his pity. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “I am curious because it was the most beautiful moment of my journey,” she said, “and I was wondering if it was a memory we could share. If not that, perhaps you know the sound of the water in the small river north of the rocky valley when the fish swim upstream for their mating season?” The young boy shook his head. By this point, the attention had turned back towards the young girl. “Well, please tell me your favourite memory from the journey. Perhaps you will give me somewhere new and beautiful that I might find on my next trip!”
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The young boy considered her question for a moment, but all he could remember was the city. What these neighbours did not know was the many meals he had foregone, the exhaustion and the hours of work, so that he might save enough to bring back these riches and hear the community’s praise for his success. From the journey itself he could only recall the dusty roads beneath his feet. “Young woman,” he said, “I am sure those sights were magnificent and I hope that on my next journey I might be as fortunate as you were to see so much, but I must say, it seems you spent an awfully long time looking at the mountains to only bring back some berries for those here that love you.”
these berries is enough to make an old man young, or to keep a baby’s health intact far past its first birthday. When I arrived in the city, many traders were willing to give me their best goods in exchange for these berries, but I could only look at their silks and imagine how they might tear after just several days’ work here in the village. How the jewellery would tarnish and one would have to return to the city for the supplies to do no more than to make it shine again. Instead, I thought that I could plant these berries in our garden. Perhaps in ten years or more their tree will produce enough to sustain our whole village. In the meantime, I am sure there is much more to see along the road when I collect them from afar.”
Now it was the girl’s turn to be surprised. “Do you not know what these are?” she asked. “They were everywhere along the road when you came to the place with the thick forests! The nutrition in
After a long silence, one neighbour spoke. “This sounds wonderful, but how do you know so much more than all of those who have walked the road before you?”
The city lights day I tripp road and, looked up
The n young gir respect. T berries as Instead, th she gently in her sat corner for returned she said. so hard to there is m around!” back into could do w with wond
THE COLOUR OF THE SKY AFTER A RAINSTORM
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MADISON MELTON
girl shrugged. “I had the s in my eyes, too. But one ped over a branch in the , as I fell, I suddenly just p.”
neighbours looked at the rl with a different kind of They did not grab at the s they did with the silks. hey watched in silence as y placed the sprigs back tchel, brought it to the r the following day, and to the table. “Please,” “My father has worked o prepare this meal and much more wine to go As the neighbours fell merriment, all the father was look at his daughter der.
MELTON, MADISON @nomad_melton
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The Bane of Beauty Why We Should Tap Beauty Pageants as a Lesson in Anthropology and a Machine CHIBA, for Social Change ZAREEN @Zarcchi
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he human race owes the successes of its survival to its varied genotype and expressed phenotypes that have generated individuals of exceptional beauty, empathy and intelligence. It seems that it has evolved up to a point where it celebrates the first characteristic by parading near-naked women (and men) on stage, make them gyrate to a musical number, and crown more aesthetic individuals with a plastic crown. I’m referring to beauty pageants, their winners and their exalting audience.
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THE BANE OF BEAUTY SHARON TIRADO
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This begs the question of how these prizes are utilized: many winners choose to invest in social causes by starting charities, others choose to spend privately. The responsibility that comes with newfound fame I refer to is not the tangible use of cash money, but the use of this fame as a social With an ever growing platform for advocacy, since after viewer base that comes with the all, personal expression is free. increased accessibility to social Some of the largest pageants such media, the contests garner more viewers every year, and contestants as Miss Universe expects winners to invest one year for travel to spread are scrutinized for their every awareness of the control of diseases, word and step. In many regional competitions, the winning package peace and AIDS awareness or work for allied charities like the Cordaid entails cash, property and some fund which raises funding for form of ticket into media or modelling circles, incentive enough natural disaster relief from Typhoon to draw contestants from all walks Hagupid and related causes. Other pageants entail no such obligation, of life, even from Cambridge proving disappointing as there is little law graduates, one of whom was follow-up for what winners achieve crowned Miss Hong Kong just in subsequent years. last week.
THE BANE OF BEAUTY
There have been some winners who should be commended for their work, and have set an example of the power that comes with fame and beauty. Recently, Ashley Burnham, an aboriginal Cree woman from Alberta who was a victim of sexual abuse and a childhood of poverty, was crowned Mrs. Universe (not to be confused with Miss Universe). Being the inaugural woman from a First Nation to win such a prize, she did not skip a beat in campaigning against the objectification of women and for the rights of Canadian
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SHARON TIRADO
First Nations peoples. Linor Anargil, an Israeli actress and victim of rape, took the crown of Miss World in 1998, and became an advocate against sexual violence. These women share the similarity of representing true grace in adversity, and have channeled their suffering as a tool for social advocacy. Their influences have taught their supporters, especially young girls, to strive to be respected for something beyond their beauty, and to utilize their beauty in a socially influential manner.
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The “I want to strive fo realized by the beaut With globalization comes a demand for racial and intellectual diversity, and beauty pageants have stepped up their game in like: in 2012, Miss Universe began to accept transgender contestants as long as they have been nominated by their locality; in Hong Kong 2013, a Chinese white dolphin was approved as a contestant to raise awareness of deteriorating marine health in the region; Ariana Miyamoto , an African-AmericanJapanese contestant was the first “haafu” to take the title of Miss
Japan, depictive of a gradual change in social sentiment in a country that is stereotypically xenophobic. These changes have been approved or initiated by institutions or the pageant bodies; there is hope that change will come from the individual contestants themselves. The archaic definition of success is “the good or bad outcome of an undertaking”. In this context, it all boils down to the responsibility that comes with fame, regardless of whether the beauty war is won.
THE BANE OF BEAUTY
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SHARON TIRADO
age-old pageant answer of or world peace” needs to be ty queens who speak them. The age-old pageant answers of “I want to strive for world peace” or “I want to be a tool for social change” needs to be realized by the beauty queens who trumpet them. Many scientists, social workers and physicians are already realizing this ideal out of personal obligation, devoid of the advantage of fame and media exposure. Each young individual in modern society should have a basic obligation to be engaged in a cause for their local or international community regardless of background, and thus it’s time
CHIBA, ZAREEN @Zarcchi
beauty contestants commit to a cause and return some good to the locality that reveres them so. And for those of you were not coded to be less physically aesthetic or to possess a desire to join a pageant, when that five minutes of fame rolls around, prithee, use it for a good cause.
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L
ife is a continuous fight. We were born fighting. We fought for learning how to walk, how to talk and how to think. While we grew up, we started putting more effort in everything we were doing in order to make our steps better, our words bigger and our thoughts more reasonable. Success is a continuous fighting to be better, to put effort in what you are doing. But the secret is that: “nobody wants you to succeed�. Nobody wants you to succeed as much as you do and the truth is that sometimes you can be your worst enemy. That is why you have to put your effort in
THIS IS A CALL TO NON-SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE.
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SHARON TIRADO
THIS IS A CALL TO NON-SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. You have to read this.
TIRADO, SHARON @shatirado
the goal you want to achieve, and once you have achieved it, then you can show to yourself that you have succeed. There is a timeline in between the moment you come up with a goal, you set that goal and the time when you have to dedicate effort in order to achieve it. In other words, there is a time when you have to dedicate hours to a certain job and that time is going to be crucial. Most probably is during this time when your brain is going to ask you to stop. Your brain is going to ask you for a break or you brain is going to ask you to abandon your dream.
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We all know how tiring it can get to achieve a goal but at the same time we are aware that success is a quite daily set of small task that you have to do, and nobody else is going to push you to do it. The way to success can be easy if you have the proper beliefs in you live. If you believe you can make it, if you think you are unique, if you truly believe that you can be the best artist, the best accountant, and the best journalism… if you truly believe in you, nobody can stop you. Your beliefs, your perseverance, your work are going to bring you far. Despite the fact that it might see that you are not doing any progress today, as I said before, success is all about “small daily quite tasks”.
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THIS IS A CALL TO NON-SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE.
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SHARON TIRADO
So if you are one of those non-successful people, there is one thing you should remember to yourself everyday: “You can make it�. If you are undecided where to start, a change in your habits could be a great beginning. Start planning more and stop making so much multitasking (it really does not work), Prioritize what is important but at the same time make time for yourself. Also, remember to be willing to fail, this means that you are hardly trying, and the harder you will fail the bigger the victory at the end. Is never late.
TIRADO, SHARON @shatirado
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SUCCESS
I
have to admit, I thought writing about success would be an easy job; I mean we all want to be successful and it is a widely-used term nowadays as well - how hard could it be, right? Having given it some more thought though, I quickly came to realise it is definitely not one of those articles that will just kind of ‘write themselves’. However, when you are assigned a job, you’d better do your best, so here goes my interpretation of success.
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BIANCA BARSAN
Ever since I was a little girl, the word success would make me think of something that was golden and sparkling, as if it were in my head that success and wealth go hand in hand. In addition to this, I think many of you, as have I, grew up being told what success meant: having expensive things, holding a good position in your company or owning a company - even better, finding your other half and starting a beautiful family together and so on.
BARSAN, BIANCA @biancaomikami
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However, I am turning 24 soon and I realised that my life is not exactly how I had imagined it when I was younger: I do not even have a proper job yet, I live with my parents, I cannot even drive and I have just decided for a change in my life path. Everything just seemed to be the opposite of success, as I was taught about it, until I had this revelation - so to speak - that maybe, just maybe, success is different for everyone. I know how dreamy it must
be when you think you will get that perfect job and have those perfect friends and that perfect boyfriend or girlfriend and then reality kind of kicks in and all of a sudden it’s all you again applying for another dozen jobs and still figuring out whom your real friends even are. So what have I learnt? A few things: Success is all a matter of perspective and of being independent and true to yourself, because maybe your parents wanted you
SUCCESS
to be a lawyer or a doctor, when instead, you decided to be a chef or a fitness instructor. This does not mean you are not or cannot be successful; on the contrary, it is a successful act in itself that you dared to take life into your own hands and have the confidence you will make it. There is no universal meaning of success, so why not just follow your own? Success is following your own path, which will be different from your friends’, your parents’ or your siblings’ path. Some of
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BIANCA BARSAN
us just take longer; some of us face more obstacles. If you think you need straight As in college or two-three university degrees in order to be successful, think again. Most of the people you consider successful probably do not have either of those: think Bill Gates, for instance. Intelligence, skills and talent are not to be measured on rigid scales, and if there is one thing I have learnt in university, it is that academic intelligence is not all that matters. So even if your path looks a bit tangled, keep going, because if it were that easy, everyone would
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be there at the top. Oh, and make sure you do not compare yourself to others - you may not know all the facts or it may make you doubt yourself. Just hang in there, do your thing and be patient. Success is having faith in your self and not being scared of making changes in your plan. If, along the way, you find yourself confused and not so keen on your previous decisions, do not be afraid to let go of them and make new plans. Whether it is a change of degree, of career or social environment, do not be scared to put yourself and your dreams first. You are never too old or too young to make it happen.
Success is not just about the money - it is about making a difference. As I said before, a lot of people associate success with wealth - and fame, perhaps -, but there is so much more to it than that. Success is not all that ‘successful’ if it has only helped you on the way there, or if it is only providing joy to yourself. Success, at least to me, is about making a difference in someone else’s life, helping someone, leaving something behind. Success is about going to sleep at night knowing you have done your best to make someone a little bit happier in a world where everyone manages to avoid each other and ignore one another’s suffering. We have the potential to do
SUCCESS
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BIANCA BARSAN
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SUCCESS
so much good, we have it in our nature and we have the knowledge to put our thoughts into action - just do not be scared.
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BIANCA BARSAN
of failure or of being judged. But do not let me tell you what success is, after all, and I did repeat this quite a lot, it is all a matter of perspective and personal choice.
Ultimately, I think success is found in our mindset, in our courage to colour outside the lines, to explore our possibilities where others would be intimidated by the possibility
BARSAN, BIANCA @biancaomikami
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W hat success is all about SCHIENAS, EDGARDO @Eschienas
S
ince our early ages of life, our parents make their best effort to raise us with concepts and ideologies that we will carry with us throughout our entire life. They teach us what life is all about and they try to transmit all of their knowledge to teach us which is the right path in life in order to become successful. In my family, my mother always spoke to me about being successful in life; in her opinion, me becoming a successful person in life means everything to her. Success, in my opinion can be acquired throughout time or can be a privilege that some people are born with. Most likely though, people (including me) will have to work hard many years in order to achieve what they always desired and reach their objectives. It is pretty obvious that everybody in life wants to become successful, become
WHAT SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT |
EDGARDO SCHIENA
somebody influential and play a major role in our society. But what does it really mean to be successful? What do we all have to do in order to live a life full of success and excellent achievements? Nobody ever managed to clearly understand the steps a human being has to undertake in order to build their reputation and nobody will ever find a clear guide to success. All human beings are different in many aspects and they believe they have their own ways and methods to become successful. In my opinion there are some steps that I strongly believe will help somebody build their own reputation. The first step I believe to be essential in order to become successful is to be always prepared for unexpected episodes and events that can happen in your life. As we all know, life sometimes doesn’t go as we want and some of our plans
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and dreams will never come true. It is essential not to let yourself down in case life turns its back on you, instead keep your head always high and keep fighting for what you truly believe in. Another aspect my mum especially always stressed is to keep yourself healthy and fit. Health is essential in every human being’s life; in order to concentrate on your professional carrier a body has to be healthy, fit and active. Once you took care of your body, consequently your mind will be more free and able to concentrate on your professional career. Also, being healthy means dedicating time, something that not everybody does. Another one is to think big. Never stop setting you basic goals. Go beyond your expectations and believe more in your capacities and potential. Test yourself and always try to make the impossible possible.
Another essential aspect in order to become a successful person is to find what you most love to do and just do it. Find your passion and if you don’t have one cultivate it in order to understand what makes you happy in life. Having the job you always desired will make you happy and will give you the incentive to improve and dedicate yourself to it in order to achieve the objectives you always wanted. One last piece of advice I would give, even though it could not be that relevant to some people, is to travel. Travelling in my opinion means freedom; explore every aspect of the world different people, different cultures and different ways of living opens up the mind, the heart and the soul to understand what is relevant and what is not in life. These are some tips that my parents always transmitted to me in order
WHAT SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT |
EDGARDO SCHIENA
to become successful and I keep treasuring them especially now at the age of 21. My parents taught me a lot and I hope that by following these steps one day I can become successful and make them proud of me. I wish to every reader that will read this article that they will find these points useful and one day will help them to achieve their dreams and goals. Good luck to everybody!
W hat
SCHIENAS, EDGARDO @Eschienas