If the Grass Still Grows

I generally avoid politics; heated conversations over issues which bear no truth, only opinions, and discussions over problems which I have no power to ameliorate just depress me. And yet, even I can’t escape the constant discussion of Trump’s action and non-actions and controversies and… the list goes on. But, we’re not here to talk …

Assisted Suicide

Physician-assisted suicide is an incredibly contentious issue which has entered into the American political arena. As of April 2017, only six states (California, Montana, Colorado, Vermont , Washington and Oregon) as well as the District of Columbia have legalized the procedure. Due to the Hippocratic Oath that all doctors must take, the procedure is limited …

13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why, originally a young adult’s novel written by Jay Asher, has recently been transformed by Netflix into an intriguing series which delves into lives of modern teenagers and addresses pressing issues such as bullying, sexual assault, and suicide. The story revolves around the life of the deceased Hannah Baker. After a series of …

Art and Death

While my peers entered into their senior year of high school, I entered into therapy. Certainly, I didn’t stop school just to address my mental health, but beyond my classes, I did not participate. No Homecoming or Prom, no Grad Night or parties. I spent my time entangled in the untamed forest of my consciousness, …

Ed Gein and his Horror House

After reading, watching, and listening about the lives of various killers, you are bound to come across a story which you just can’t seem to turn away from. For me, it’s Ed Gein. It’d certainly be improper for me to say he is my favorite serial killer, as this seems like the sort of topic …

Grandma Nat

I was never truly close to my maternal Grandmother. Many of my memories of her are filled with loud, incessant arguments, and general discontent towards my family. I loved Grandma Nat, but she was a strong-willed woman who meddled often and listened rarely. She was stubborn incarnate. Despite being a strong woman, the passing years …

Perspective by Hourglass

“You all will start dying in your early to mid-twenties!” My tenth grade Biology teacher was a rather cantankerous woman, advanced in years, who absolutely despised teaching. I didn’t learn a ton in that Biology class, but I always remember her grave warning to a group of rather apathetic 16-year-olds. I have no idea if …

Afterlife and Acceptance

Born to a Catholic father and a Jewish mother, my parents decided to provide my brother and me with a secular upbringing. No Church, no temple; no baptism, no bat mitzvah; no heaven, hell, sin, or God. We celebrated holidays for their novelty, and enjoyed the cultural customs without talking about the theology. When my …

I Watched a Man Kill Himself: Here Are My Thoughts

I had heard of Ricardo López and his story before. I knew tapes of his suicide were somewhere on the internet, but had avoided watching the tapes until now. My avoidance of the tapes was not out of a distaste for gory or perverse content, which may be of no surprise to you, dear reader. …

Who is blameworthy?

Imagine: A standard apartment building suddenly engulfed in flames, giving residents barely anytime to escape. In apartment 3B: a solitary deaf man. In apartment 2A: a solitary man with antisocial personality disorder. In apartment 1C: a solitary infant, wailing from the insufferable heat burning her tender skin, and thick suffocating smoke filling her lungs. Upon …