Good Grief?

As Marcel Proust once said, "Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind." Death is an ever present occurrence in our daily lives. Whether it's a neighbor, friend, friend of a friend, or a relative, the loss of a loved one takes a toll on us physically and mentally. Grief is a funny thing; some people are openly emotional and sad and others contain it. Albert Camus's novel, The Stranger, focuses on an emotionally unsound protagonist living in France. The death of his Maman required him to leave his work and home to attend a funeral and viewing. The residents of the assisted living center mourned the loss of his Maman and stayed through the night near the casket grieving, something that Meursault thought was pointless. While parading to his Maman's gravesite he focuses only on the heat, while Maman's dear friend Monsieur Perez fought with all his might to keep up with the procession, frustrated and sad. Meursault's lack of emotion in situations such as these and indifference towards death represent certain characteristics present in our society today. About two weeks ago, my nana passed away at the age of 93 years old. I was very upset, as she had been a significant part of my life since I was small. The week leading up to the funeral, I didn't think about her a lot, which made me feel horrible. I cried very little during the viewing and funeral until the very end. I felt guilty for showing so little emotion, almost feeling like it showed that I didn't care. I realized later that I acted this way because I wanted to remain strong for my younger siblings, especially my little sister. I was more accepting of her death because of her old age and her long, successful life. Whether someone is showing emotion or keeping it bottled up, or even some lack of sadness are all natural reactions to death and loss. I believe that every person can react differently to death. Granted, some humans are not as unnatural as Meursault, who kills someone because he's hot (although Meursault realizes emotions like happiness and hate are good things so he isn't all that bad). Some of my family didn't even seem sad, and some couldn't stop crying. Emotion doesn't have to be physical to be felt, because everyone grieves in their own way. Meursault enjoyed his Maman's prescience and wasn't bothered by her passing. No matter how we grieve, we should also honor and celebrate the impact the departed have had on our lives.

Marriage: Love or Law?

“As long as women face violence and discrimination, our efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve equality, and advance human rights and democracy will not succeed.” Michelle Bachelet perfectly portrays the issues of gender equality in our world. Countries are still practicing slavery, and many areas are not encouraging gender equality, even in today's rapidly changing society. The United States, thankfully, is among the few whose citizens are working hard to promote the equal treating of men and women. As hard as we work, jeers are still made, women are still being put down, in subtle ways that feed the slowly dying fire. Women are trying to make a difference, though they still have a long way to go. In Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Laila and Mariam both live in a world where their gender is discriminated against. Mariam is forced into marriage, a relationship where she must do as she is told or be beaten for any instance of acting out. Mariam had no choice but to say yes to this marriage, as she was immensely pressured by her father and his wives. She must wear a burka in public because her husband wants no other man to look upon her. When she tried to escape the wrath of her husband with Laila and Aziza, they were almost immediately stopped and apprehended by men for their boldness, a horrible punishment resulting in their frantic attempt for a better life. Mariam was forced to make the decision of killing Rasheed, knowing full well that she would have to die, because of how wretched and twisted the society was, no one would look over her case and defend her, because she was a woman. I would be interested to see a trial in which a man murdered his wife. Young girls are forced into marriage still to this day. I recently watched a video of a bride being forcefully lifted form a car into her husband's house, the result of almost half of arranged marriages, according to Mirror Online. There are reports of violent injuries and deaths associated with arranged marriages. How do we live in a world where these horrible things occur, and no one has the decency to do something more to make this nonexistent? The fact that a child can be married at the ages of seven and eight to a man that could be their father baffles me. When I was eight, I thought boys had cooties. You don't realize how messed up other countries are until you compare them to the life you live in a place like America. How many more deaths must happen, how many children will become married to old men before these horrible occurrences will be dealt with? Tradition should be reviewed if someone's religion thinks it is okay for a grown man to beat and molest young children just because they signed a document.

A Thousand Mediocre Suns

War. When two opposing cultures butt heads and kill each other over clashing ideas. Cultural relativism explores the idea of experiencing a differing culture before making biased assumptions about it. In James Rachels' essay, The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, Rachels pursues the theory and rejects it, stating that all cultures differ, though they all have some beliefs that link them together.

I believe that the novel Things Fall Apart, by Ochinwa Achebe, portrays a powerful example of two races disputing due to cultural differences. This book offers up a look into a warring battle between the white Cristian population and the African Igbo tribe. The Christians believed in worshipping one God and strive to convert the Igbo people to their religion. Though the Igbo people had strange beliefs, such as discarding twin children or fearing snakes, both strived for the same goal: to banish the evil things in the world to please their God(s). Had they carried out the cultural relativism theory, things would have not fallen apart. The two sides could have seen the similarities between them and come together peacefully.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." How often do we hear that? This phrase is what comes to mind when I think of cultural relativism and its impact on our society. Just because a book is tattered and dog-eared doesn't mean it isn't full of exciting and wonderful stories. Same goes for a culture. Though you might hear certain stereotypes and biased views upon a certain way of life, nothing should be assumed unless you've gotten a good look at the way the group functions and lives. It is so wrong to stay immersed in the opinions of others rather than using your own judgement through experience. Our generation lives in technology and absorbs information through social media. Our perspectives change as the media fills our head with biased opinions.   How I wish for a world where all of the people in it understood one another and lived together in unison.