My Opinion on the "End It" Movement

Yay for controversy.

As many of you know, today many people who believe in the movement to end modern day slavery, specifically the End It Movement, are removing themselves from social media to honor those that have disappeared from slavery. I don't know much about this movement, so if you want information, Google is always at your service.

I've seen several criticisms of this as well as justifications. Most of the criticisms are founded in the fact that it's a movement started by Christians and was unknown before the Passion conference and that making a statement isn't actually "doing anything." Personally, I think that it is a cause worthy of attention, regardless of how the issue was brought to light. Yes, modern slavery existed before Passion, but it's still something that deserves to be brought into the forefront by any means that could make a change. It's not hypocritical to become passionate about a cause that was preexisting only after learning about its importance.

Those justifying this demonstration state that people will notice their absence from social media and will think about the implications of all the people that have disappeared due to slavery. They claim that this will help raise awareness. This has sparked criticism that the day is only so that people can feel like they're helping without actually doing anything. I feel this is justified to an extent, but the whole Kony deal made a lot of people jaded towards social justice movements on the internet. Educating people about a problem is a very important step in bringing about any sort of justice. If people don't care, then you can't do anything to bring progress. I also think that most of the people participating in this movement realize that not tweeting or updating Facebook for a day will not directly impact those affected by slavery. They generally do care about this cause and want to educate people about it.

In my opinion, however, silencing yourself to honor those affected might not be the best way to bring attention to your cause. Case in point, I have yet to look up a single thing about End It. Perhaps if my news feed was flooded with information and how I could help I might feel more inclined to get involved. I think that that's the important piece missing from this movement. Education is incredibly important, but at the end of the day it needs to lead a direct impact. In summary, I think that modern day slavery is an important cause and so is education about it, but this specific demonstration might not be the most effective.

So, if you're one of those that believes passionately in this, please tell me and everyone else what we can do to help!

Love and hugs,
Blake
"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." -Julia Child

On Valentine's Day

I hate it.

I don't hate it because I've always been single on Valentine's Day and jealous of people that have significant others to share it with (though true story- I have never had a Valentine). I hate people's attitudes towards single folks like me on the rather pointless holiday. It's either a pitying attitude because we're "lonely" or an assumption that single on Valentine's automatically means bitter. I'm actually totally fine with the fact that I don't have a boyfriend this time of year. There's no pressure, and, let's be real here, I absolutely do not need a man to be complete in any way. I get it, love is important and special and it's nice to have a day celebrating it. At the moment, however, the love of my life is my Kindle.

What happened to elementary school when we made cute little mailboxes and passed out treats to the whole class? Let's go back to that. My box was always awesome and covered in stickers. And we got to eat about a thousand conversation hearts. That was the best. You gave one of those big cards that came in the box of Disney Princess valentines to your best friend and your teacher if you liked them. Boys were still icky. Though, I tried to tell my five-year-old cousin that boys were gross and she just shook her head "no."

So how am I spending my Valentine's Day? No, not burning Hallmark cards or posting a Facebook status condemning the holiday. It will be spent like any other day in college. I have a Biology test at five and a Women's Studies test Friday morning, so I get to study! Maybe I'll even pick up some discount conversation hearts on the fifteenth.

Love and hugs,
Blake
"Do small things with great love." -Mother Theresa 

Joy

It's so easy to get bogged down by things in life, especially in college. Tests, feelings of loneliness, the perception that everyone else has their life together, homework, trying to find a job, homesickness, and thousands of other worries can weigh us down to the point where we might be walking around with our own personal rain cloud over our heads.

But then there are moments that make everything seem clear. The birds begin to chirp as we stop raining on our own parade. We start thinking there are so many great things in life that we're not seeing.  We start considering how blessed we truly are.

Today I had one of those moments. My Political Sociology class let out twenty minutes early, and I had even more time to myself before my statistics test. I took this as a sign to slow down for a moment and enjoy the beautiful weather. I headed up through UGA's beautiful North Campus that I don't get to see much of, towards Starbucks downtown. As I walked I looked around at the gorgeous old architecture, the blue sky, people bustling past. I realized how fast I was walking and made an effort to slow down. Why was I in such a hurry? I listened to the fountain splashing and the serene silence as I passed the Law Library.

When I arrived at Starbucks, I treated myself to a vanilla latte and headed back to a grassy area on campus. I had intended to use this time to review my statistics notes, but I decided I was prepared enough and took out the book I've been reading. I read all the way through it's happy ending and I realized: this is the happiest I've felt in a while. I'm sitting in the sun, wearing shorts in February, with a coffee in hand reading a good book. I cannot imagine anything better at this moment.

There is such great joy in the little things in life, and I'm ashamed at how often I forget that.

Love and hugs,
Blake
"Today, I choose joy."