Catalyst: 'INFINITE', Issue 1, Volume 77

catalyst

77

IS S U E 01

E PI S O D E INFINITE I N A HE A L I NG

THIS IS NOT

PASSAGE

WOR L D

A FABLE

O F TIME

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EPISODE INFINITE

EDITORS Chloe Karis Ellie Barclay Sayali Harde

COMMITTEE Bella Sewards Bridget Hayhoe Isabella Podwinski Jasper Riley CohenHunter Jean Wenjing Zhang Jonah Epstein Lola McKimm

DESIGNERS Ellen Waite Sushmita Deb FRONT COVER Sushmita Deb CREATIVE WRITING EDITORS Charles Oliver Noa Shenker CULTURE EDITORS Beatrice Madamba Savannah Selimi

EDITORIAL

SOCIAL MEDIA Diane Armstrong ENTERTAINMENT OFFICERS Mackenzie Stolp Molly Magennis

NEWS EDITORS Mackenzie Stolp NEWS REPORTERS Isabella Podwinski Molly Magennis PHOTOGRAPHERS Bridget Hayhoe Jasper Riley Cohen- Hunter Kelly Lim CATACLYSM TBA SPECIAL THANKS TO Sydney Road Brunswick Association

CATALYST Issue 01 2021 RMIT student magazine est. 1944 CONTACT catalyst@rmit.edu.au rmitcatalyst.com RMIT Building 12, Level 3, Room 97 PRINTER Printgraphics Pty Ltd 14 Hardner Road, Mount Waverley Victoria 3149 Australia

Catalyst and RMIT University Student Union acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we contact the business of the University.

RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past, present and future.

Catalyst and RMIT University Student Union also acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where it contacts its business.

Catalyst is the student magazine of the RMIT Student Union (RUSU). The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, the printers, or RUSU.

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CONTENTS

C ONT EN T S

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CO N T RIB U TO R S

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L E T T ER FROM T HE ED I TO R S

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LE T TER FROM THE PRESIDENT

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JOURNALING HELPED ME BECOME A BE T TER WRITER — AND PERSON

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TIMELESS

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N O S TA L G I A A N D P O P C U LT U R E

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THE ENNUI OF CONVENIENCE

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IN A HEALING WORLD

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A P R I L / M AY C A L E N D A R

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IDENTIT Y IN A WORLD OF PREC ARIOUS WORK

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R O L L E R S K AT I N G I S B A C K — B U T I T N E V E R L E F T

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TIME

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JOHNNY

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S K Y ’ S T H E L I M I T P H O T O E S S AY

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C ATA LY S T X C O M PA S S

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MINUTES

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T I M E C A P S U L E S A N D C L I M AT E D O O M

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PA S S A G E O F T I M E

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S Y D N E Y R O A D B R U N S W I C K A S S O C I AT I O N

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C ATA C LY S M C A L L O U T

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS CHLOE K ARIS, ELLIE BARCL AY + SAYALI HARDE

Welcome to 2021 – the 77th year of Catalyst, and hopefully a new year with limited lockdowns.

storytelling and sharing our experiences is at the core of student life.

The above group photo was the first meeting of minds for Catalyst’s 2021 Editorial committee, a milestone event for us editors to bring our ideas and experiences together, and to share them with each other for you. Please give a wave if you spot any of these smiling faces out in the wild.

We are currently living out what is going to be the most historic event for not only Australia, but the world. We are so glad to start off the year with INFINITE. An issue dedicated to the concept of Time – including cultural retrospectives, the healing act of journaling, how to accept the pressure of a ticking clock and new ways to spend our time.

We also wish to share a warm welcome to our new editor – Sayali, she is studying her Master of Communication Design, final semester. With a strong background in Design, Sayali is now exploring the rewarding task of editing. She works at a printing press currently and enjoys painting and making photo illustrations. She loves cooking in her free time and loves to experiment with food.

Did you know Catalyst Magazine started in RMIT’s chemistry school journal days in 1944?

For students, by students. We love curating all the student talent at RMIT ranging from photography, creative writing, news articles, fashion and much more, because like us,

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We invite you to explore these student works as they tell us what INFINITE means to them.

If you would like to contribute, visit us, send an email or message on social media.

Office: Building 12, Level 3, Room 97 Email: catalyst@rmit.edu.au Instagram: @rmitcatalyst Website: www.rmitcatalyst.com C H L O E ( S H E / H E R ), E L L I E ( S H E / H E R ) A N D S AYA L I ( S H E / H E R ) — C ATA LY S T E D I T O R S , 2 021

LETTER

THE EDITORS

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LETTER FROM THE RUSU PRESIDENT AKSHAY JOSE

Hi everyone, As the new academic year begins there is a lot happening for students. But while we are now partially back on campus, the impacts of COVID-19 are still being widely felt. COVID-19 has presented many challenges over the last year, but your Student Union has been working tirelessly to make sure you have the best student experience possible, both on campus and online. We are here to support you during your time at RMIT, whether it’s related to your studies, your personal life, or the way the pandemic continues to disrupt both. I want to offer a huge welcome to all the students that already have, and will, make their way to RMIT to start their university journey.

International students continue to be severely affected by the pandemic, especially in the form of travel restrictions that have left thousands unable to enter Australia. It is inequitable to ask students to pay a premium price for an education that is not only inferior to pre-pandemic standards but also inferior to the education received by onshore students. However, RMIT continues to extract full fees from these students. We don’t think this is fair, which is why we are demanding a 20% discount on fees

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for international students who cannot return to campus. Also, onshore students do not receive the full suite of face-to-face tuition, practical, lab and studio classes that they envisaged for their studies. That’s why we are also asking RMIT to freeze fees for all other students in 2021. We believe that no student should have to pay more for less.

On a lighter note, RUSU is really pleased that our clubs and societies will be able to take part in Clubs Fest, which will be running throughout Week 6 of the academic year. With stalls, live performances, and free food across all Melbourne campuses, the event will provide an opportunity for clubs to meet with students face-to-face, share common interests, and hopefully make some lasting connections. It’s been hard for clubs to stay active over the last year, so we encourage everyone to support them as they ramp up their activities. Whether political, academic, social, cultural or creative, RUSU clubs are a fantastic way to enrich your experience at university.

If you want to stay up-to-date with everything RUSU has to offer, make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram. You can also check out

LETTER

A K S H AY J O S E

our website. And don’t forget that membership only costs $10 for the whole year, and grants you access to a range of exclusive competitions, discounts, merchandise and newsletters.

Take care, stay safe, and look out for each other.

AKSHAY JOSE RUSU PRESIDENT

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J A S P E R C O H E N -H U N T E R @JASPERRILEY We ARE Infinite (2021)

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JOURNALING HELPED ME BECOME A BETTER WRITER — AND PERSON

YUSHA AZIZ

JOURNALING HELPED ME BECOME A BETTER WRITER — AND PERSON YUSHA A ZIZ

“Why?”

technique and confidence.

That’s the question people ask when I tell them I journal every day—and have done so for the last three years. I’ll say it’s to improve my writing skills, and that’s why I first started.

By journaling often, over weeks and months, you can catch yourself speaking. That means you develop an awareness of your inner dialogue. You see the negative labels you self-attach, the way you twist and distort external events. And you’ll see how kind or toxic you are to yourself.

But it’s become more than an exercise to hone my writing skills. It’s increased my discipline and self-awareness. It has sharpened my powers of perception and observation, and let me reflect on my past, values, and struggles tangibly.

The above combined have shaped me into a better person—all because I wanted to ‘write better.’

Bryan A. Garner, author of Garner’s Modern English Usage, inspired me to start. He suggested writing non-stop for ten minutes at the end of the day. The point is to flex your writing muscle each day. It builds fluency and confidence. By writing often it becomes second nature. Then, when you start your novel, or your feature length piece, you can dive in with alacrity, writing skills primed, strong, and ready to soar.

Yet the benefits of journaling go beyond

Your self-awareness of your mental patterns grows. Since they’re on paper, and not in the formless void of your mind, these patterns crystallise. You learn to spot the helpful patterns and torpedo the negative ones.

And journaling can serve as a record of your life in all its glory and awkwardness. You can use it for positive, helpful reflection. You see past struggles, like the nerves before a job interview, or the dread of an upcoming exam, and see how you triumphed over each.

You learn to better accept yourself, and importantly, laugh at yourself. It’s funny to witness yourself stress over something that turned out fine.

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In essence, you can witness yourself grow with concrete evidence. You author your own character arc.

Finally, journaling guided me to be a better person. I’m more disciplined because I can keep myself accountable. I plan, brainstorm, and set goals in my journal. And when I fail, I can write and reflect on the why and how to improve. It’s also improved my relationship with family, friends, and the world around me because consistent journaling weaves a narrative of how you treat others. It forces you to see how your actions affect others because it’s there on paper, ready to be analysed, and not shunned away into the ambiguities of your mind. Like seeing the patterns of your thought, you can see the patterns of your behaviours towards others.

Keeping a daily journal was one of the best choices I made in 2018. Start one, write it in often, and I promise you’ll boost your rhetoric and mental health.

A L I F C A E S A R R I Z Q I P R ATA M A V I A . U N S P L A S H

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TIMELESS

TIMELESS ELLIE BARCL AY

E L L I E B A R C L AY

2020 brought us inside in an extreme way but ultimately made us nostalgic for past views – The old is looking new, vibrant and fresh once again.

Fashion design is cyclical in nature, resurgences of vintage trends are bound to happen, yet the term ‘’Timeless’’ is somewhat ubiquitous, representing the iconic silhouettes of historically popular designs in a culture that is always changing.

Over the past two decades, fashion design has cycled through numerous trends, some more influential than others, including 70’s monochrome dressing, Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress, 90’s grunge, Burberry’s iconic check and Yves Saint Laurent’s tailored two-piece, famously worn by Nicaraguan social and human rights advocate, Bianca Jagger in 1971.

Although today’s revival of these traditional styles may look outwardly different, its essence is more or less the same as that of previous iterations.

Comfort, beauty, and a voice that transcends through the years. Anything with a strong character of its own, seems to be what people are craving today.

Of course, it should be noted that this is not a 21st century phenomenon – In 1970, even a young Yves Saint Laurent sent models down the runway in rehashes of his mother’s 40’s evening gowns.

Rehashing vintage wear offers a way forward via the past. Allows us to enhance the original craftmanship using modern techniques and knowledge.

@ E L L I E _ B A R C L AY

While a year of ordinary has seen our daily wardrobe streamlined, a desire for escapism and expression have never been so apparent – More and more people are finding themselves over minimalistic designs and instead searching for a

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little more drama.

So where to kickstart our imaginations? The runways of course. Driven by substantiality and innovation, the looks presented on the runway in 2021 force us to look beyond the standard, towards vibrant patterns, hues, dimensional textures and artfully constricted frills.

Most notable, Zimmerman S21 saw frocks coming long tiered, pouffed and corseted – reminiscent of those worn during Louis XIV’s reign by courtiers. A hallmark of our past and a statement of nostalgia.

A big shift has also occurred over the longevity of our wardrobes, the commitment to live a more sustainable lifestyle has taught many how to fall back in love with their ‘retired’ clothing – Inspiring us to shop vintage, upcycle, care more and know how to make the clothes we love last longer.

With these changes in consumer behaviour even major luxury brands are giving throwback pieces a grand second change.

Coach’s Spring 2021 collection was styled with items from seasons past to make a statement about longevity. Balenciaga doubled down on their material sourcing with ninety-three point five per cent of the “plain materials” in their SS/21 collection being either “certified sustainable or upcycled”. And most draw dropping, MiuMiu announced “Upcycled by MiuMiu” an exclusive collection of 80 one-off dresses, refashioned from antique pieces, dating from the ‘30s to the ‘80s which have been carefully sourced from vintage stores and markets worldwide.

Seeing society finally embrace our history can only be a step in the right direction, particularly if

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it becomes the new normal for fashion. Looking through the lens of nostalgia and sustainability, the lives of garments worn and loved in the past are extended, renewed, sustained and enriching the lives of those who adorn them.

Vintage is not a trend. It is timeless.

N O S TA L G I A A N D P O P U L A R C U LT U R E

NOSTALGIA AND POP CULTURE VIVIAN DOBBIE-GL A ZIER

V I V I A N D O B B I E-G L A Z I E R

Pop culture didn’t die in 2020. It levelled up with nostalgia.

While the structures of power crumbled around us, we locked down and looked back.

Borat 2. Community Zoom reunion.

Cottage-core. After Hours. Pokémon cards.

Skateboarding while listening to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ and drinking cranberry juice.

Sounds and visuals trigger memories within the hippocampus that reward us with warm and fuzzy feelings. Re-watching The Office in 2020 makes one yearn for a time when they were watching the show in less unprecedented times.

Nostalgia is all about cutting to the core of one’s identity and allowing the past to become a safe space to cope with the now.

Time travel without consequences.

The past is a valuable commodity and marketing tool for popular culture and entertainment and that value has only increased in 2020.

Repackaging and selling something that the majority remembers fondly is a sure-fire way to make bank. Nostalgia, after all, helps promote an array of positive responses. Who wouldn’t want an ounce of that serotonin? So, when the entertainment industry is halted by a highly contagious disease that has spread across the globe – where else was there to turn but the past?

It’s safe to say that the bond between popular culture, entertainment and nostalgia will not be breaking up any time and will continue long into the future thanks to 2020. But when does popular culture of the future look back on the “good ol’ days” of 2020?

A common answer lies within communing with the ghost of pop culture’s past and its

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relationship with impactful world events.

Let’s turn the clock back to December 31, 1999.

The Y2K Bug is threatening to crash every computer on the planet and plunge society into a millennium of chaos. Instead, the new year comes and goes and worldwide hysteria doesn’t come to fruition as first-thought. Now, Y2K exists within popular culture through fashion trends consisting of styles popular at the time and an early 2000’s cultural obsession with technology.

Something once feared is now repurposed into a ‘vibe’ on the timeline. Y2K now feels like a simpler period when the only worries were about chunky computers not being able to change its internal timepiece.

The clock winds further back. It’s now the late 1960s and early 70s as the Vietnam War televises the atrocities of war around the world.

This is an era marked by protests against the establishment and advocacy for social change as the threat of 1980s conservatism and capitalism looms menacingly in the distance.

Films like Trial of the Chicago Seven and Da 5 Bloods released in 2020 used this era in history as a backdrop to explore the issues that are still around today. While its place in popular culture adopts the music and fashion, it’s the core issues that are revisited and put under the microscope of a modern context.

It can be easy to be cynical and dismiss nostalgia and its relationship with popular culture as nothing more than lazy profiteering. However, it was during last year that looking back gave us some form of stability when everything was unstable. Finding a common ground and taking stock when the rug is pulled out from underneath helps us make sense of things to tackle and

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explore the problems of now. As that famous quote goes, “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it”.

So, what does a 2020 nostalgia wave look like in the future? Perhaps it looks like a rise in painted face shields as a form of self-expression. Maybe everyone is streaming the next instalment in a Chernobyl-like mini-series about a government struggling to deal with a network of COVID conspiracy theorists over a series of Zoom meetings.

However it manifests, a 2020 nostalgia wave will arrive when the future needs to make sense of the issues they’re facing.

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M O L LY M A G E N N I S

REPRESENTATION OF TIME IN CINEMA MOLLY M AGENNIS

12 MONKEYS — TERRY GILLIAM (1995) In my opinion, 12 Monkeys remains one of the most underrated movies of the last 30 years.

This film stars Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, and I had never even heard of it until I stumbled upon it on a streaming service a few years ago and decided to give it a go.

One of my favourite aspects of film is the way the director is able to manipulate time in order to tell a story. Time has no boundaries in film, it can exist in its linear form, or be split up into multiple different timelines. Characters can time travel, stories can be presented on multiple timelines and events that happened in the past or future can be revealed to the audience at any stage.

The possibilities are endless, and this is why I love when films play around with time - it always makes for such a compelling viewing experience.

Below I have collated a small list of my favourite films which I believe explore time in an original and skillful way. Hopefully, there are some you have never heard of, and if any spark your interest, I implore you not to go to Google but rather to go watch these films completely blind.

12 Monkeys is a science fiction film centered around time travel. In the future, the world has been ravaged by a deadly virus, and convict James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus which killed most of those living on Earth.

Of all the films portraying the (sadly still) farfetched idea of time travel, 12 Monkeys is definitely up there with my favourites. This film is full of mystery, intrigue and beautiful twists and turns, and features superb acting by both Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. It definitely deserves a spot on your ‘need to watch’ list.

@ M O L LY M A G 3

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GROUNDHOG DAY — HAROLD RAMIS (1993)

MOMENTO — CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (2000)

This article about films and time cannot exist without mentioning this 90’s classic. Groundhog Day is so iconic, its title is now a well-known phrase used in the everyday English language.

Guy Pearce stars as the lead, Leonard, in this psychological thriller, who suffers from a form of amnesia which causes short term memory loss every 15 minutes. He is on the hunt for the man who killed his wife, which is the last thing he actually remembers and uses polaroids and

Groundhog Day follows Phil Connors (Bill Murray), a pessimistic weatherman who has been sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. After spending a day there, he awakes to find he is trapped in a time loop where he has to relive the same day repeatedly.

The possibilities are endless when you get the chance to relive the same day over and over, and at first, Phil does not take this opportunity for granted. Until, as you can imagine, it eventually becomes not so fun anymore.

Groundhog Day spurred a whole new genre of film, the ‘I’m repeating the same day over and over again until I learn an important lesson’ kind of film. Although, these inspired films have never lived up to the original (eg: Before I Fall and Happy Death Day).

This film is hilarious, entertaining and heartwarming, and a perfect representation of what it would be like for any human being to be put into this kind of situation.

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tattoos to keep track of the information he can’t remember.

Christopher Nolan presents Memento on two separate timelines, scenes in black and white present events which are shown chronologically, and scenes in colour are events happening in reverse order. I shall say no more to mostly avoid serious spoilers, but also to avoid absolute confusion.

This tale could easily be shown in chronological order, but it just would not be the same.

Leonard’s amnesia allows Nolan to play around with the timeline, having the audience see events play out in an unconventional and unique way.

Nolan is no stranger when it comes to playing around with the construct of time, with films such as Interstellar, The Prestige and most recently Tenet. While those films are all fantastic, Memento still remains my favourite of the bunch.

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M O L LY M A G E N N I S

DONNIE DARKO — RICHARD KELLY (2001) I remember the first time I watched Donnie Darko.

I recall the film ending and sitting there thinking, “What the heck did I just watch?” I was confused but in awe at the same time.

The film follows Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), a teenage boy with a bit of a difficult past, who narrowly escapes death due to a freak accident.

Following this event, he is plagued with the visions of Frank, a man in a rabbit suit, who informs him the world is going to end in 28 days.

Unfortunately, I can’t really describe how Donnie Darko represents and distorts ‘time’ as it will definitely spoil the film and I really do not want to do that. Donnie Darko is the absolute best on the first viewing and I would not want to ruin that experience for anyone.

I would definitely recommend you take a chance on this cult classic, and I’d suggest you keep your eyes peeled for a few very young famous faces in the background (there’s more than you think!)

1 2 M O N K E Y S (19 9 5 )

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THE ENNUI OF CONVENIENCE SAVANNAH SELIMI

The concept of the ‘High-School Sweethearts’ makes me feel queasy. Not because of the title’s oversaturated stance in rom-coms, but because it sends me into a pit of overthinking.

Thinking; About how these two people met in high school.

In the same town.

In the same city.

In the same state.

In the same country.

Even in the same Universe.

They must have grown up together, staring at blemished faces, through a million different lenses. A boyband-obsessed fourteen year old lens; an obnoxious eighteen-year-old bloodshoteyed lens, and the ages continue and continue until they die together, staring at the same faces, now wrinkly, and now through greyed eyes.

I’m off track. And depending on your ideations on love, that could sound quite beautiful, actually.

This facetious fear of people owing their love to proximity, is just a disguise. That’s not the real thing that causes me useless worry. If I had to give a name to it, what I am most afraid of is the ennui of convenience. What I mean by this is subduing to a life that is so comfortable, easy and predictable - or convenient - that I miss the life behind it. So I suppose I don’t really care about high school sweethearts, as much as I am dumbfounded by the idea that people don’t overthink the convenience of everything as much as I do.

What I know for sure, though, is that I’m not alone in this thought-process. It just doesn’t have a name in the social conscience yet.

Gen Z are quite terrified of The Convenient, too. For instance, remember those ‘dream life’ TikToks that once flooded your For You

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THE ENNUI OF CONVENIENCE

Page that consisted of middle class suburbia, a heteronormative couple and crying children, then the whole ‘SIKE’ audio, then came photos of glaring city lights, beach adventures and romantic relationships. It seems our aestheticobsessed, coming-of-age- aspiring generation want as little normalcy and predictability in their life as I do.

I wonder why, though? Our parents generation, and our parents-parents generation, seemed to happily oblige to the convenience in their lives.

They grew up in small towns, or villages, or big cities, even, and stayed there and grew old. I’m not saying everything in their lives were boring or predictable, but there was this social order that they generally abided to and were okay with. To me, personally, I don’t see this same acceptance of ‘normal life’ in our generation.

Of course, this isn’t a general consensus of our generation but just a glimpse. Of course I have friends who dye their hair pink and blue; some who want to live in different countries; some who quit their jobs just because; and contrastingly I also have friends who stay in the same jobs and love their hometowns, never wanting to leave.

I also have friends who met their lovers in high school, by the way.

I think what makes our views on life so different to other generations, is this knowledge we have of the infinite opportunities and pathways of the average human life. This is something I think our generation genuinely digests, like it is their responsibility to seek the best pathways only.

According to Google, the distance between Earth and the edge of the ‘observable universe’ is 46 billion light-years. I’m not a scientist, but that is pretty intense a number. Not only does that quantify whatever we mean by infinite time and possibilities, but it sends our minds into a spiral of ‘what the hell should I do with it all?’.

S AVA N N A H S E L I M I

For me personally, the Ennui of Convenience stems from (over)thinking all the alternate realities there could ever be. I often imagine if I didn’t study at RMIT, where would I be instead?

And would this mean I’d have moved out of my childhood home? I’d have different friends; different style; different passions. The ennui of convenience is that simplistically mind-spiralling.

Every decision we make has a million outcomes and we’ll never know the difference between them all, so long as we keep living conveniently rather than intentionally.

But, then there’s the thought that if I did go to a different university, or lived in a different place, or had different passions, I wouldn’t have the incredible experiences and friends I am so grateful to have.

Ennui.

Using the metaphor of love, I suppose I’ll be stuck in a time-loop wondering, Is it more bewildering if someone had a delayed flight, was stuck in a city they didn’t know, headed into a coffee shop they’d never seen before, and ordered a drink they’d never had from a total stranger who would end up manifesting into the best person they ever met?

Or is it more incredulous that in all the galaxies, in all the worlds, on this very Earth, in this ginormous continent, in this humongous country, in this small city, on a familiar path two people know so well, they crossed each other’s way?

I should probably just go with the flow.

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IN A HEALIN ELIZ A CHUA

SEA TURTLES ARE NESTING IN RECORD NUMBERS AS HUMANS STAY AWAY FROM BEACHES “Nearly 100 critically endangered sea turtles have hatched on a deserted beach in Brazil, their first steps going almost unnoticed because of coronavirus restrictions that prohibit people from gathering on the region’s sands.”

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IN A HEALING WORLD

ELIZA CHUA

NG WORLD

NUMBER OF CAR CRASHES INVOLVING WILDLIFE DROPPED “As states across the country enforced stay-at-home orders from early March to mid-April, road traffic decreased by about 70% in California, Idaho and Maine, researchers found. At the same time the number of car crashes involving deer, bears and other large mammals also dropped across all three states.”

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THIS IS NOT A FABLE GERARD STARLING

When will be today That the cat mews out no longer That the knife gleams in the corner On a box placed in the kitchen When will be today That the wisdom teeth cease conflict For an estate with the molar Or the neighbour in their backyard Breaks their captor’s bones no longer When will be today We can all sit down bare naked With no shame from Christian fodder Or a palette treading lightly To a tone so dark and shattered When will be today That the great white shark that breaches From a seat atop the country Calms a boat in storms that’s rocking Like a lynched man in the Delta When will be today That the hands of all our children Are raised in celebration To a world that’s painted even Not clenched frightened for a future

When will be today That the air we breathe is garnished

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With the faces of the suburbs Gleaming teeth not used for fighting As you’re waiting at the station When will be today That the hand that grips the fence line Can be hoisted by another From both arms that reach out kindly, As it welcomes humans over When will be today That the biased clouded sources Will be broken by the sunlight In a gentle dissipation From collective hands that guide us When will be today Women walk the street at midnight And pursued only by wonder Of the options they’re presented Of equivalence to mine.

When will be today, That the towers made of suffering In the quest for domination And the phallus of hierarchy Are sent topping down in flames

INFINITE

K E L LY L I M

K E L LY L I M INFINITE

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IDENTITY IN A WORLD OF PRECARIOUS WORK ALEX ANDRA LINEHAN

I am now entering my final year of university, and as I realise that I will simply not be returning next year, new complexities emerge on my horizon.

This summer, I have found myself hunched over my keyboard writing endless cover letters and job applications; embellishing my LinkedIn profile; and researching graduate programs. However, it has slowly become apparent to me that nothing is guaranteed. The weight of uncertainty hangs over me and many of my friends as we enter the end of our time at university. Unlike the regular rhythm of returning to university every year, the future now stretches out before me -- an intimidatingly unknown and vast landscape.

Although I am powerless to predict what lies ahead, I want to retain some sort of agency as I start a process where my future is decided by seemingly everyone, but me. So I decided to spend time investigating and trying to make sense of what I have experienced during my studies.

One thing has been made ardently clear to me since I started university in 2017. In many professions, even some traditionally considered stable, a degree is no longer enough. In the vast pool of job applicants, you have to be unique. To acquire a job you seemingly need it all: internships; part-time work; volunteering; studying abroad; connections; a network; and a sparkling LinkedIn profile which displays your achievements to the world.

I’m sure everyone reading this will be somewhat familiar with what I am talking about. It’s when people volunteer in order to put it on their resumé; stand for club committee positions to gain ‘professional experience’; or complete co-curricular activities to get certificates. I saw this concept in action many times, but didn’t understand how to name it until one of my lecturers, Patrick O’Keefe, introduced me to the notion of ‘performativity.’ Performativity is the

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IDENTIT Y IN A WORLD OF PRECARIOUS WORK

name given to the way you must act to construct a version of yourself for the job market. It’s the idea that the things you do outside of university signal your ambition to future employers.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with doing any of the things I have mentioned. It would be immensely hypocritical of me to claim that I have never partaken in anything for the benefit it would bring to my career. In the end, we are all just scrambling to find decent jobs in an economy where jobs are scarce and only getting scarcer. I long for the stability and financial independence of full-time work, but understand that I must devote time outside of my degree to attain it.

However, I also understand how damaging this need to perform is. The problem with performativity is that it begins to blur into your spare time; to influence how you spend your days, who you interact with; and how you perceive yourself. We are a summary of our experiences. Our identity is often constructed from what we do, which reflects who we are. So how do we reconcile this with the fact so many of us are only doing things to obtain employment?

ALEXANDRA LINEHAN

is a powerful antidote to performativity. I also want to emphasise the importance of still doing things you like, regardless of their ‘value’.

Spending time with loved ones will not help you get a job, but to abandon it risks our mental health, relationships, and identity.

Ultimately, the solution to this crisis is stable, abundant and interesting work. But in a world of increasing job fragmentation; diminishing value of education; further social stratification; and declining labour protections, this seems unlikely.

However, to embrace pessimism is to underestimate the capability for change.

Economic and social reforms can create a future of fulfilling and stable work.

Most importantly, we must remember that our worth as a people is not the same as our value to the job market. Failing in the marketplace is not the same as failing as a person. We are all unique people who offer unique talents and perspectives - regardless of whether these can be monetised.

Despite the massive emphasis on individual responsibility in modern Australia, failure in the job market is not a personal failure.

I don’t have an answer to this deeply troubling question. But I do believe there are things we can do to ease the toxic stress of performativity. As students, many of us are forced to participate in the identity charade - yet a happy medium can be possible.

The economy requires us to spend our time and energy cynically shaping ourselves to even break into the job market. However, the lack of meaningful jobs, and an inability to live up to this ridiculous standard, is not our fault as young people.

Compartmentalisation of our personal identity and our work identity is necessary. If you want to volunteer outside of university -- do something genuinely useful. This will benefit you regardless, as a ‘helper’s high’ is a well-known psychological phenomenon. Try to construct, if possible, a sense of self from outside of the workplace.

Many busy students find ourselves fundamentally lacking hobbies, so having meaningful pastimes

It’s the system which is broken, not us.

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ROLLER SKATING IS BACK — BUT IT NEVER LEFT BEATRICE M ADA MBA

For those itching for a chance to get back outside, it has become apparent that roller skating has made a massive comeback.

Escapism from the stagnancy of monotonous screen time and constant news coverage is something that we all craved, which for many, meant basking in the simplicity of past times.

After interminable months spent caged in our homes, it is no surprise that this inherently cool, lively hobby of yesteryears has made its way into the mainstream consciousness once again.

Like many other ‘trends’, its current resurgence in popularity is no doubt a product of its virality across multiple social media platforms. If you’re an avid social media user then you have probably been met with a myriad of roller skating videos circulating online, with the likes of skaters such as Oumi Janta, a Berlin-based skater, who has recently been propelled to viral stardom on account of her stylish skating videos.

Countless videos show teens and millennials alike taking to the streets in eye-catching fashion, gliding and dancing on wheels to tunes new and old. The rise of TikToks and later, Instagram Reels have not only rendered roller skating more accessible to the mainstream masses more than ever before, but in doing so have also epitomized and moulded its trendy image that continues to saturate social media to this day. That is, a skating scene that oozes a certain ease and coolness, with echoes of a vibrant past.

Australian skating instructor, Samantha Trayhurn created a roller skating edit during May 2020 born at the height of COVID-19 isolation.

‘Making Gravy: An Australian Roller Skating film’, showcases what this community is all about. “Sometimes it also feels like we are underrepresented in skating, but I know how much talent is here, and how much fun we have, and I wanted everyone to be able to see and feel that.” The result is —

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R O L L E R S K AT I N G I S B A C K — B U T I T N E V E R L E F T

“SIXTEEN MINUTES OF PURE FUN, SHENANIGANS, SOME PRETTY KILLER SKATING, AND LOTS OF GREAT SPOTS.” Rollerskating’s current resurgence is one of many waves of popularity ebbing and flowing throughout history. Roller skates were first introduced in the 18th century. Their initial design was quite flawed as their inline model of small wheels proved maneuvering to be a trying task. It wasn’t until 1863 when James Leonard Plimpton patented the first quad skate, which featured the four wheels we know today.

In America, the ‘Golden Age’ of roller skating endured from 1937 to 1959, characterised by the need for escapism during the Second World War. This period emerged a range of new skating forms such as speed skating, skate dancing and roller derby.

It was during the 70s and 80s, however, in which the all too popular roller disco first emerged as a cultural phenomenon. This era is marked by the groups of skaters who flocked to roller rinks, dancing and skating to the pop music of their time. Roller skating also trickled heavily into popculture, withfilmssuchasR​ollerBoogie​and​Xanadu​ showcasing their actors on wheels. With hip hop gaining prevalence in the 80s, roller rinks also became the home for emerging artists and DJs.

B E AT R I C E M A D A M B A

for this crowd, skating is not ‘back’ - it never really left.

Roller skating is, and always has been, deeply rooted in Black culture; or rather, Black culture is deeply ingrained in the skating itself. Skating styles such as jamming and gliding (similar to moonwalking) all originate from the Black roller skating community - even before TikTok shone a spotlight at it.

To label it as a ‘fad’ or a ‘craze’ fails to recognise its long existing community and dismisses its cultural and political significance throughout history. A ​ lthough its history is tainted by racial prejudice, roller rinks offered a refuge for marginalised people. “During those times, skating kept the Black community together,” says Terrance Brown, a Santa Barbara-based skater. “Once you unlace those skates, it’s back to reality. But when they were skating, they bonded... It was a foundation.”

With this in mind, there is no better time than now to pick up a pair of skates. As teens lace-up their pastel Impala roller skates, it’s important to recognise that the freedom in which they reap from skating is derived from a history of marginalized communities that fought and struggled for that same liberation.

Such waves in popularity encapsulate the symbiotic relationship between roller skating and music - one that is still inherently present in today’s roller skating scene.

However, I think it is worthy to note that there is a danger of referringtorollerskatingasamere‘trend’.T​ hetruthremains that beneath this white-washed, gentrified skating scene predominantly viewed on social media today is the reality of a longestablished and diverse skating community. And

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TIME

NOA SHENKER

TIME NOA SHENKER It also plants the seed to a scary thought, that once we hit a certain age, we mustn’t have much more to look forward to. Kind of messed up, isn’t it? No one will ever say it out loud to you, but there’s a deep, guttural feeling that if you aren’t everything you want to be by 30, then you’ll never be that person.

I don’t really want to be told how to spend my

I WAS BORN ON THE CUSP OF THE YEAR time – I just want to do it.

2000 – 107 DAYS BEFORE THE TURN OF Last year seemed like a bit of a waste because of THE CENTURY – ON A SUNNY SPRING that. I was stuck, but time continued counting on.

MORNING. I have lived through two centuries and four decades. Sometimes I feel like I have wasted a lot of my time.

I’m unsure if that wastage has even been my fault, though. As a young person, adults usually find themselves obliged to give me advice.

Often they tell me, ‘Enjoy life while you can.’

The implication being that once I really, truly hit adulthood – well, it must all be downhill from there. Cram every bucket list adventure and special memory into the years between 18 and 25, and then spend the rest of your life living off their high. I’ve never really seen that as advice, though; it’s always felt like more of a warning.

It seemed like a threat to use my time wisely while I could. Whilst that offer might seem generous through an older lens, it mostly just puts greater pressure on us young people. There’s so much time spent in our heads worrying if we’re using our time wisely, that at the end of the day the timer’s already run out, and we’ve missed those opportunities we’re told to savour.

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The hours, days, weeks and months bled me dry.

Those months were meant for adventure – a promise I’d made to every adult who had ever offered me that simple advice, a promise I was now inadvertently breaking.

But I know now I have to reframe the way I look at time, and disallow it to dictate the way I go about living my life. It shouldn’t be the arbiter of all things special. Nothing should dictate when something can be accomplished by. And no one should feel as if their best years have ever escaped them.

I won’t let myself carry that burden through my youth. It’s too heavy a load to even bother with.

Once I shed myself of that skin and pressure, the hours will seem less like they’re running away from me, and more like old friends parting for different journeys.

Time, amongst many things, is ephemeral. It slips through your fingers. The point isn’t to hold on to it for as long as possible – it’s about enjoying the feeling of it in your grasp before you let go.

E L L I E B A R C L AY K E L LY L I M I N F I N I T E 02

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JOHNNY

JOHNNY ISABELL A SEWARDS

I S A B E L L A S E WA R D S

It was a Saturday morning and Johnny had parked his Ford Falcon against the sidewalk.

Johnny was wearing his usual blue buttonup shirt, accompanied by a pair of One Star Converse. His hair fell perfectly. It sat just above the collar of his shirt and his eyes let off a sharp gaze, making it difficult to determine whether he was happy or sad.

No one truly understood Johnny. Some would say he was a quiet person, mysterious even. He wasn’t your typical high school crush. He truly just enjoyed a long macchiato on a hot summer’s morning, by himself.

11:00AM Johnny arrived at his local florist. He’d never done this type of thing before. Buying a girl flowers.

A girl he wasn’t even sure remembered that he exists.

After a long time of contemplating and questioning, he finally decided. He decided he’d buy her a bouquet. A bouquet of sunflowers to say, hey I think I like you.

11:30AM The sun started to seep through the clouds, blinding eyes as it bounced off the Ford Falcon’s bonnet. The car was boiling, and Johnny was nervous Johnny was innocent, naive and oblivious, and like many people he lacked the intelligence to navigate the world of common sense. He assumed that time was infinite and that his time on this planet would continue forever. Even school for example, seeing friends, making plans, going on dates, and perhaps even just studying.

It seems to simply never end.

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SKY’S THE LIMIT

K E L LY L I M

SKY’S THE LIMIT KELLY LIM

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SKY’S THE LIMIT

K E L LY L I M

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CATALYST X COMPASS BRITNIE JASMINE JOHNSTON Applied Science, Psychology (Honours) student and RUSU Compass Volunteer

It has been a little over 12 months since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we’ve learnt to work, study and keep in touch with loved ones. The year 2020 was regularly filled with ups and downs, lots of snacking on Doritos and disappearing from online tutorials when the tutor announces break out rooms. I often reflect back and wonder - where did that last year go? And more recently – how can I make up for lost time?

It’s common to think about the events of the past or contemplate what we think we should do in future. While it’s comfortable to get lost thinking about the concept of time, it can also hinder us from being present in the now. Because with every minute that goes by, that too becomes the past, and then we can miss the little things that make life beautiful. This is where bringing mindfulness into our day can be of help.

Mindfulness is the practice of being actively present in the “here and now”. It is an approach that can help ease our anxiety and worry for the future, by bringing our focus back to the task or situation at hand. By being mindful we are redirecting our thoughts to the current moment, allowing us to engage with what is around us and listen to ourselves without judgement. The practice of mindfulness is used all around the world and is associated with many benefits for wellbeing and mental health. It is also a great technique for stress reduction, which comes in handy during the assessment periods.

Here are 7 ideas of how you can practice being present and ‘mindful’ during your day: PRACTICE DEEP BREATHING — Focus on taking some slow, deep breaths. Feel the rise and fall of your chest with each inhale and exhale. Even doing this for 2-3 minutes can improve your sense of wellbeing.

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MAKE NOTES OF WHAT YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR — Write down a couple of things you’re thankful for right now, you can even keep the notes in a ‘Blessings Box’ to read back at a later time.

HAVE A WARM OR COLD DRINK — Hold a drink between your hands and become aware of how it feels. Is it warm? Is it cold? What does that feel like and then, how does it taste?

Noticing these sensations helps us to focus intensely on the present moment.

TAKE A WALK OUT IN NATURE — Sit or walk outdoors and take in all your surroundings, feel the grass under your feet and smell the freshness of the air.

LET GO OF ANY NEGATIVE OR ANXIOUS THOUGHTS — Acknowledge these thoughts and make a choice to let them go. Visualise them as leaves in a stream, travelling away from you.

BRITNIE JASMINE JOHNSTON

These are just some of the ways in which you can try mindfulness and it’s often a skill that can get easier the more you practice. The important thing to know is that some approaches may work better for you than others, and that’s ok!

Every person is different. You are you, and you’re beautiful for it.

At RUSU Compass, we have a range of other mindfulness strategies, online resources and calming activities available to help support each student’s mental wellbeing. Compass also provides one-to-one support for students by offering advice, information and referrals in a variety of areas such as mental health, relationship issues, homelessness, financial stress and more. If you find yourself in need of some additional support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with RUSU Compass by emailing compass@rmit.edu.au.

For more information, resources and support, visit our website: www.rusu.rmit.edu.au/compass

DO SOME STRETCHING — Gently stretch to where feels comfortable for you, remembering to breathe as you hold a stretch.

Feel the tension fade away as you connect with your body.

LISTEN TO A MINDFULNESS APP — Put in some headphones and relax with a guided meditation. Smiling Mind and Calm are great apps with a range of free exercises you can practice along with.

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MINUTES ALE YA SHARIF Z ADEH

Every inch of his measly residence was covered with vicious, piercing clocks. A grand wooden ticker at the head of his bed, a small, shrill alarm by his bed lamp, strikingly large, sharp edged clocks of all shapes and sizes decorating the walls of his small, crammed living room. A huge, spine-chilling white clock with piercing handles ticking away was situated conveniently on the right wall of the kitchen, in perfect line with his gaze to track the time as he prepares his meals and gobbles it down in a heartbeat, making sure not to waste a single second doing something so mechanical as eating. His every move was carefully monitored by the harmonious tick of the twenty-eight clocks devouring every nook and cranny of his already congested apartment.

He planned his days down to the very last minute.

He starts his day at exactly 4:55 am; give himself enough time to toss and turn before getting out of bed at exactly 5:00 am; even in the haze of sleep he times himself well. He gives himself exactly six minutes to freshen up and dress in the morning and rushes to the kitchen to prepare a quick, tasteless breakfast, good enough to give him the necessary nutrients to start his day and simple enough to be eaten in a few minutes, as he washed the dishes that he used to prepare his meal. After a whole eleven minutes of preparing, eating and cleaning his kitchen counter, he scurries to his tiny table below a square shaped, hideously large clock situated in the corner of his already stuffed living room. Everything always seemed so big in small spaces.

He never considered moving out of the tiny hole he called a home; bigger spaces mean more time wasted moving from one spot to the next, more effort wasted organising and cleaning the space, and that thought alone sent shivers down his spine. He hunched down in his seat and typed away at his computer in rapid clicks.

After working for exactly one-hundred-sixty-six minutes, he grabs a small, stale cracker from his

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desk drawer. A quick snack before jumping onto his online meetings. Thirty seconds to chew, ten seconds to hydrate, twenty seconds to log in to the meeting room, sixty seconds to organise his workspace, test his camera and mic, get his notebook and pen ready to jot down notes.

He makes sure his morning calendar is always fully booked. He did not understand why people schedule work so late in the morning; what a waste to sleep in and hover to work at 9 am; by then he has already accomplished almost 60% of his daily tasks! He keeps his comments short and constantly makes sure no one in the meeting goes off track. After the one-hour mark, he abruptly leaves the meeting room and joins another. Other people’s slack is none of his business; he sticks to schedule and so should everyone else, its basic manners. His eyes constantly hover back between his computer screen and the endless ticking of the clock.

Running with time, he never felt like he could catch up. He was always a few steps behind, a few ticks too late, a few breathes too slow. After exactly two-hundred-forty minutes of online meetings, he rushes to the centre of the living room, a small patch of space where he jogs in place for exactly twenty minutes. That’s his form of daily exercise.

He then proceeds to sit on his tiny, uncomfortable couch just big enough to envelope him in as his eyes rapidly run through the pages of his novel for forty minutes. After a horribly packed morning, he walks back into the kitchen and grabs whatever fruit or vegetable he finds in his fridge and chews away for no longer than three minutes. Food was simply a form of sustenance there to help him run faster through

A L E YA S H A R I F Z A D E H

At exactly 2:05 pm he rushes back to his desk to prepare his tutoring lessons for the day. With a large group of global students, he has to play his part with time-difference; ah, what a joy to live through someone else’s morning, or someone else’s evening! What a thrill to be getting new hours of the day added to one’s life! His zest for time was truly endless.

By 11:45 pm, he sluggishly walks towards the bathroom, ready to wrap up for the day. As he stood by the sink, hazed, his mind throbbing and heart faintly beating, his gaze fell on his reflection on the bathroom mirror. Hollowed eyes, motionless lips, furrowed brows. My fleeting youth. Where did all my time go, how did I end up like this? A single tear struggled down his haggard face. He looked down at his scrawny wrists. He grabbed a pen from his left pocket; he always had a pen handy in-case he ever ran out of ink in the middle of writing. What a waste of time it would be to go burrowing for a pen amidst the chaos of his desk.

He drew a little, dainty circle on his left wrist, “Remember when dad used to draw a little watch on your wrist when you were younger? He told you to always chase after time like it was your last.”

It’s been 5,256,000 minutes since I last saw him.

the day. Any other purpose would be absolutely wasteful.

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E P I S O D ET IIM NE F IC NAI TPES U L E S A N D C L I M AT E D O O M

TIME CAPSULES AND CLIMATE DOOM LYDIA SCHOFIELD

LY D I A S C H O F I E L D

It’s my first proper day on campus in my first year of university. The sun is bright, my sunscreen has stuck to my face mask and I am bubbling with nerdy excitement for the era of my life that begins here and now. The future is mine for the taking, or it will be as soon as I finish my lunch and head up to the library to get working.

Across the Bowen Street courtyard, a cluster of clubs and activity groups loiter in search of new members. On the small lawn, a group of cheerleaders stretch and hula-hoop as a DJ fills the space with music that is too loud. I watch them quietly as I eat, and scan the surrounding buildings, studying the patchwork of architecture that makes up the courtyard. My attention travels down from the gargoyles on the Francis Ormond Building to the small plaque at the foot of the stairs. It bears a message engraved on its smooth metallic surface: R OYA L M E L B O U R N E I N S T I T U T E O F T ECHN O LO G Y T IME C A P SUL E WA S P L A C E D H E R E O N T H E OCC A SION OF THE CENTENARY C L O S I N G C E R E M O N Y, 2 1 O C TO B E R 1 9 8 7.

TO B E O P E N E D I N T H E Y E A R 2 0 8 7 2087. It’s a year out of a sci-fi movie, a time I can’t entirely grasp as real. If all goes well – if fire, flood, and plague haven’t claimed me in the meantime – I will be eighty-five in 2087. I could see them lift the time capsule from the ground. I could make a speech at the ceremony.

No one who saw the capsule buried in 1987 will be alive to see it. Or, at least, I imagine they won’t. We could all be superhuman by the sci-fi year, with cyborg lung replacements and hearts which never stop beating. Or we could all be choking under a thick cloud of smog. Something

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tells me the latter is more likely.

I try to focus on my lunch, but my worries spiral. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I doomscroll through news articles about the climate.

There are studies that suggest human society could completely collapse in the next thirty years due to climate catastrophe. I’m not entirely sure what ‘societal collapse’ entails, but I know the phrase sends a bolt of fear through me.

The problem is that climate scientists don’t exactly know how an increasingly unstable and volatile climate will affect our societies either. It’s not the kind of thing you can easily predict. We can’t know how people will react to the constant convergence of emergencies the climate crisis will bring. We’re in uncharted waters already, and they’re only going to get deeper.

So, while I may be here in 2087, I don’t know if we will. Will the university, the government, any kind of authority still be standing? There may be no one but me here to mark the time capsule’s century spent underground.

I can’t picture that scene. It’s like my brain won’t let me imagine a world, a real world, with that level of disaster. I don’t know how to imagine my city without the institutions it holds – the universities and schools, the hospitals, and layers of government, broken as they are. I don’t have the right kind of data for those futures to fit into my head as anything other than vague hypotheticals.

That’s not to say I don’t have data. Now, in 2021, we are already feeling the effects of the climate crisis. We are already being pulled into the evertightening gyre that is our future.

Right now, the Antarctic Peninsula is shrinking.

We lose 150 billion tons of Antarctic ice a year; the oceans are becoming more acidic; there are plastics and microplastics in Marianas Trench; fire seasons are harsher and less predictable than ever; pollution is responsible for almost one in five deaths globally; and the expansion of coal mines and other destructive enterprises won’t be stopped until profits dry up.

It’s difficult not to feel doomed.

The United Nations sets 2°C above pre-Industrial Revolution levels as the limit above which climate change will be dangerous. We’re already at 0.8°C. It’s already dangerous; the Black Summer taught us that.

Two-thirds of that warming has occurred since 1980. Two-thirds since the time capsule was buried.

I don’t know how an eighty-five-year-old would survive in the extreme heat, storms, and floods predicted for our future. I don’t know how I will survive them. But I must train myself to believe in these futures, in these horrific predictions. To imagine otherwise is an irresponsible promise for a future that may never come.

I think that’s the first step: believing. The second is to fight for a world where I can imagine a life – a family, a home, a spring afternoon spent watching a time capsule reveal its buried relics – without imagining my society’s doom. We deserve thousands of tomorrows. We deserve to grow rickety with age.

The fight will be our time capsule, our gift to the future and to ourselves.

AGÊ BARROS VIA. UNSPL ASH

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PASSAGE OF TIME DIANE ARMSTRONG

This past year even though it may have felt like the world came to a halt, like everything and everyone stopped, the sun continued to rise, and the days continued to pass. The natural world continued its course and so should we.

At times it has felt like this portion of our lives have been taken away from us, without any chance of returning. It’s been difficult to find the balance of planning for the future while trying to live in the moment, andwithout feeling like we are wasting our time. We’ve experienced having no time versus suddenly having too much time and not knowing what to do.

With our busy lives juggling uni, jobs and other work, we often felt that we were running out of time to do what we actually wanted to do.

Then as COVID-19 came along, suddenly the way we experienced life changed, confining us to our homes and in our bedrooms. As the first lockdown began some of us started filling our time baking, embroidering and learning new hobbies or even starting small businesses. Even with this ‘extra’ time we felt the need to fill it. To keep busy. To be productive.

T R Y TO I M A G I N E A L I F E W I T H O U T T I M E K E E P I N G . YO U P R O B A B LY C A N ’ T. YO U K N O W T H E M O N T H , T H E Y E A R , T H E D AY O F T H E W E E K . T H E R E I S A C L O C K O N YO U R WA L L O R T H E D A S H B O A R D O F YO U R C A R . YO U H AV E A S C H E D U L E , A C A L E N D A R , A TIME FOR DINNER OR A MOVIE. Y E T A L L A R O U N D YO U , T I M E K E E P I N G IS IG NORED. B I R D S A R E N O T L AT E . A D O G D O E S N O T C H E C K I T S WATC H . D E E R D O N O T F R E T O V E R PA S S I N G B I R T H D AY S .

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M A N A LO NE ME A SURES T IME. M A N A LO NE CHIMES T HE H O UR .

A ND, B EC AUSE O F T HIS , M A N A LO NE S U F F E R S A PA R A LY Z I N G F E A R T H AT N O O T H E R C R E AT U R E E N D U R E S . A F E A R O F T I M E R U N N I N G O U T. — The Time Keeper, Mitch Albom.

I recently rediscovered a quote from Mitch Albom’s, The Time Keeper hidden deep in my phone’s notes and felt that it applied perfectly to our current lives and perception of time.

So why do we fear time running out? Time allows us to measure our day, plan and schedule our lives and celebrate meaningful events. Living life knowing we have limited time makes each day special. Which is why we try to fill each moment as to not waste it. Yet, in the same way, if we lived knowing time was endless nothing would be special anymore. We wouldn’t fear the loss of time, nor would we appreciate the time we have.

It may be difficult to plan for a perfect 2021 but with everything we have learnt this past year, use the new year as a time reset. Rediscover what you love and learn from your experiences to continue moving forward. Even with the unforeseeable future one thing will remain certain; time will always continue. Each day will pass.

The difficult times won’t last forever, and the best moments of your life may be short lived. So, live each day appreciating the moment and hoping for better tomorrow.

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PA S S A G E O F T I M E

DIANE ARMSTRONG

The world has changed in so many ways. But just like nature must adapt to new climates, animals to changing environments and technology to new trends. We too must learn to navigate our way through this new world, or we will find ourselves stuck trying to live in a place that no longer exists.

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O D E T O I S O FA S H I O N JEAN BAULCH E T H I C A L FA S H I O N D O E S N ’ T THI M AV E LEE S S T O B E E X P E N S I V E & EEX L LCI E L UB S A IRVCEL AY E L L I E B A R C L AY N O S TA L G I A A N D P O P C U LT U R E N ADROIBEBK I E-G AO ZIER T I D Y I N G U P WVI TI VHI AM O NLD

DIANE ARMSTRONG MINUTES A LUE YA R IO FK Z AI D HOW TO YO A S SKHRAU NE H

T H E M I D D L E O F A PA N D E M I C R O L L E R S K AC T IO NM G PA I S BSASC K - BUT IT NE VER LEF T BBEE AT ARUI C TY E ’M S ATDI M AM EB A

JADE ARMSTONG THE ENNUI OF CONVENIENCE

PHO S AVA NS NPAH H ESN E LEI M I ISABELL A KREBET SKY’S THE LIMIT K E L LY L I M

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PUBLISHED ON ABORIGINAL LAND PUBLISHED ON ABORIGINAL LAND