by Ryder Thompson, Southside High School
The human species is such an interesting thing. The gap between us and the other animals of the world is just so vast. We managed to develop a way to send frozen moments in time across a vast distance on a invisible stream as a bunch of 1s and 0s, while the other species of this world hide under trees, hunting for their next meal, while we can just drive to a restaurant and buy something to eat when we feel like it. Isn't that such an interesting thing? The smartest animal has an IQ of 20-25 for the chimpanzees, while the average human intelligence is between 90-109. That's more than a four times difference!
Looking at this, it makes you wonder why us as humans, the species with the highest intelligence, highest empathy, best understanding of ourselves and the world still have so many issues and problems. It’s always something with us. We could fix it, but we don’t and we let one person ruin everything for everyone else. Why? Why do the numbers not match the results? Humans are very complex creatures. We have been studying how the brain works for many decades and have only scratched the surface.
There are many problems rooted in the world fueled by the greed of others. A perfect society is basically impossible. In a billion people you can guarantee that one will want to mureder another, to harm another, to steal from another. This behavior can be discouraged with laws but it can't be eradicated, but arguably an even bigger problem can easily be seen on the road. We all have seen it on tick tock or youtube, a man makes an unreasonable turn and then hits another man who is just on a little drive. The first man then yells at and threatens the other. Stupidity, obliviousness, and patience has caused many faults. Many now want to immediately want to fall to violence without even having two pieces to the puzzle.
Let us take America for example. Many people seem to hate this country, but for what reason? A quick search on people on the internet who make their cheese grater opinion out there and shoved in others faces, not to mention these people lose all sense of reason when online, but that is a conversation for another time. “America has too big portions”. They say while holding up a family sized bag of chips. Seeming like they think we eat everything in one sitting instead of putting stuff back in the pantry or fridge. Bias and people's unwillingness to change or be wrong ruins many things, even civil conversations have turned to armed conflicts. Many cant handle being wrong and only want to hear those in support of their beliefs. They end up inflating their own ego. And this is only just the start.
In order to fix something, first you need to know what is wrong with it. First step done, now they just need to be fixed. There are many ways to lessen the issues,but nothing can be truly fixed. The human brain can be influenced by just about any little thing, with the subconscious part of the mind. The biggest issue we can easily deal with now is the unreasonable and misinformation. For starters algorithms are getting a little too precise in specific areas.
People are only shown videos that agree with their political views. The algorithm that decides what videos to show you can be precise everywhere else besides in areas like these. A more difficult yet effective way is to make it seem to be “cooler” or encouraged for people to have calm discussions about their opinions instead of having a shouting match where whoever yells the loudest is right. Now their are definitely more important matters that need solving and probably some easier ways to fix these issues I have brought forth, however as I mentioned earlier bias is in everything. There is a conscious decision in everything we do and the brain doesn't like being wrong. There is definitely Bias in this essay and in any other media you read or see. So try to be calmer and look at things from a different perspective, understanding why someone thinks the way they do can help you debate them (calmly).
And remember these are just opinions. It's okay to be wrong.
by Marley Hughes, Southside High School
Society knows that the world needs more of many things. But, what overall is truly needed? First, I believe that the world needs more emotional knowledge. Second, the world needs more images of other people's lives. Lastly, I believe that the world needs more imperfectness. The world needs more of everything. But, I believe these things are extremely important to our planet, our people, and our society.
The definition of emotional knowledge is the ability to understand, recognize, and manage emotions, both in oneself and in others. The world needs more of this because this enables us humans to do many more things within ourselves and each other. Emotional knowledge allows us to have social interactions better, participate easier, understand one another, be able to manage and be responsible for ourselves. If the world has more emotional knowledge I believe it would make us better as human beings and better to one another.
I think that the world needs more images into other people's lives. This is because all society really sees other than their family is famous people who have money and the “perfect life.” The low class or working class exists and there is nothing wrong being in those classes. But, society just overlooks them and looks to the high class. This is bad for us as humans because it makes us believe that that is what we should strive for and that is what we should all want as a whole. The truth is not everyone is like that within their own home and all humans live a different life and have different challenges to go through. Us as a society just focuses on ourselves or our family, when there's 8 billion humans with different lives.
Imperfectness describes society as a whole. However when a person makes a mistake or acts imperfectly we turn our heads or our backs on them. Each of us is who we are due to mistakes we’ve made and how perfect or imperfect we are. Society blocks this out though and wants to have the “perfect world.” This could never happen though, because no single person is perfect. Imperfectness is the insecurities we believe we have in or on ourselves, our society, and our world. Perfect isn't real and isn't a reachable goal for human beings. Imperfectness is a word this world needs to read and hear more.
Emotional knowledge, images into each other's lives, and imperfectness are things this world needs more of and should strive to have or learn. These three things would make us better human beings to ourselves, each other, our society, and our planet. These things would also make us able to understand each other, know more about each other, and understand no one is perfect. Our world needs more of many things, however I believe these are some of the most important.
by Alexa Cosper, Southside High School
I think that society has many different opinions on what the world needs more of. I believe that kindness, Christianity, and mental health awareness are the most important. If we all as a society put effort into focusing more on these practices in our daily lives we could create a better community and lead to a better world. Smiling at someone, telling someone about Jesus, or
asking someone how they’re doing are all examples of things we need more of in this life.
The greatest acts of kindness are simple. Smiling at someone, buying a bouquet of flowers and giving them to people, holding doors open for others, and simply completing someone’s appearance can change someone’s entire day. You never know what people could be going through and you lose nothing by being kind. It takes more effort to be mean so why chose to waste your day hating others when you could be the light in someone else’s tunnel. If we all
starting being kind to one another it would reduce arguments and fights in the world which would lead to a healthier environment.
Christianity should be a privilege not a burden. Many people know not of our savior and continue their daily life not living to their fullest potential. We as a society should make it a personal goal to tell at least two people a day about Jesus, because you never know whose life it could completely change. Christianity builds a foundation around love, kindness, and
forgiveness. By learning these principles people will be able to build stronger bonds with their community.
Finally, mental health needs to be more recognized. An environment where mental health is prioritized is needed crucially in our world today. Many people live with weight on their chest everyday because they feel as if they have no one to talk to. We should have a world where people who are struggling should feel safe to talk to anyone and get help. Increasing mental
health awareness will create an setting where health gets better, people feel like they can speak their thoughts, and a society more aware of others feelings.
In conclusion, these practices could increase the overall quality of our world with simple acts everyday. People will find that they feel more understood and more secure in their faith. It will increase the compassion of many people and create a community where everyone feels seen.
by Adalyn Starling , Southside High School
How can I make the future brighter? This question is often asked as a rhetorical question to students or children but when you ask yourself this question what comes to mind? Is it something small like giving a compliment or something big like donating to a charity. In reality, none of these things are considered big or small. That small compliment that may have meant nothing to you could have saved someone's life who asked for a sign to stay. Any sort of commitment to making the future brighter is a big task. Living in a world that's full of darkness,
negativeness, evilness, and hate is difficult, but if you make an effort to be a small light to others you can light up a dark room.
One thing that has really stood out to me is being an inspiration to others. Growing up, I had a ton of people I looked up to. I was the first daughter, granddaughter, and niece so I was always the oldest out of all my many cousins. I always loved hanging out with our older family friends and looking up to them as an inspiration. They probably had no clue I did, but when they
were just simply a fun family together it was so inspiring to me. Now that I'm older, I've learned the impact that influence has on people. The thought of a little girl or boy looking up to you is so heartwarming and it just encourages me to try harder because I know there's someone out there who looks up to me and appreciates the things I do.
There are so many ways to be a good influence to others. One way is dedicating your time and money to the community or doing beneficial acts to the society. Not only are you helping out whatever community you chose to support but you're also influencing the people around you that notice the effort you put into helping others. Sometimes it's hard to do things like this when you have your own problems; but you could be helping out someone whose problems
are way bigger than yours. Just by simply going out of your way to help someone in need sets a really good reputation for you and an example to others.
Sometimes doing some of these things is easier said than done. Reaching out to people who wouldn't do the same for you is hard. But the most important thing is your putting in effort to be a light to others. People are drawn to people who are true to themselves and confident in the decisions they make. Instead of worrying what others might think of you, just make a decision for yourself and the things you truly care about. Stand out so that others can see the good in you when surrounded by bad people. “Making the Future Brighter” is all about setting examples and staying positive. This includes stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. But the bright side is it is okay to be different as an individual. Standing out can positively influence those around you; young or old. Being a good influence makes all the difference when you're surrounded by bad. Always strive to the small light that shines in a dark room.
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