Keesha Joseph

We live in a world where —
The moment we come out of our
Mothers' wombs — we doubt ourselves.

Our souls rely on the technology that
Steals our creativity, reality, and sensitivity.
Our minds are set to have things immediately;
Just one click away from our next order, event, or posting.

We are brought down for our beliefs
And disregarded for meaningful accomplishments.

Fame comes from jumping off a cliff
Or drinking from our noses.
Why is society so lenient yet stern 
On personal image?

Girls fear the criticism.
Parents join in on the fun,
And our friends influence us
With all the drugs.

Funerals have turned to parties.
The afterlife is now a place of "peace."
When will we learn that our actions have
Consequences?

Maybe when we realize that true living
Is harder than death — in a society
That promotes only regret.

Poetry

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Keesha Joseph deplores the self-doubt, dependence on technology, and superficiality that have chased creativity, sensitivity, and realism from our society.

Society

Nathan Zhang

Humanity has always been enthralled by the concept of equality. 

Over the course of history, we have strived to make the world more and more equal, whether through changing forms of government or giving rights to the disadvantaged. But now, in the 21st century, there seems to be a split between those who want equality and those who want fairness. Though on the surface it seems these words have the same meaning, fairness and equality are two separate concepts. When people talk about “fairness,” they mean equity, or the equality of outcome, whereas when people talk about “equality,” they mean the equality of opportunity. Fairness evens out where people end up to make the result more equal; a fair race, for example, would be one in which all runners finish at around the same time.  Equality evens out where people begin to make sure everyone has an equal chance; an equal race would be one in which all the runners start at the same time. No issue better exemplifies this debate than college admissions. 

It is no secret that colleges in the United States are getting incredibly selective. In 2018, the University of California, Los Angeles, was the most applied to public school in the country, garnering over 113,000 applications. Of these 113,000, more than 97,000 were rejected, the most rejections ever given by a single college in American history. This downward creep in admissions percentages has affected other schools as well. Admissions to every single member of the Ivy League have dropped by nearly 50% since the start of the 2000s. In addition, the list of qualities colleges are looking for has only gotten broader. In the past, good grades and standardized test scores were all that was needed to get into a top tier university; now, they’re the baseline requirement. On top of grades and test scores, schools today are seeking students with extracurricular activities, volunteer work, community leadership, awards, honors, and a plethora of other qualities.

These rising standards, coupled with decreasing acceptance rates, have certainly caused outrage among many prospective college students, who complain that the admissions process is nothing more than a crapshoot. But no admissions policy has incited more national controversy than affirmative action, where there stands an ongoing debate around fairness versus equality. And affirmative action, which is the policy of granting admissions preference to underrepresented minorities, has cemented most colleges in the “equality of outcome,” or fairness, camp. 

Originally conceived in the Reconstruction era, after the abolishment of slavery, affirmative action was created to counteract historical discrimination that African Americans faced due to a history of slavery. Due to this discrimination, many African Americans did not have access to the same resources that Caucasian Americans did, and affirmative action sought to remedy that discrimination. Over time, it was expanded to include other underrepresented minorities such as Hispanics, who similarly lacked access to educational resources. Today, many people believe affirmative action is still needed because historic inequalities have not been completely fixed and many underrepresented minorities still lack access to resources that Caucasian Americans have. 

While affirmative action does benefit underrepresented minorities, it does so at the cost of disadvantaging Asian American students. Asian American students have historically excelled in the college admissions processes, being one of the few overrepresented minorities on campuses. Yet this success comes with a price. With affirmative action, on average, Asian American students need to score 50 points higher on the SAT than their Caucasian counterparts, and 280 points higher than African Americans. 

A recent lawsuit filed against Harvard University revealed that Asian Americans were consistently ranked lower in their personal ratings, one of the four factors that Harvard uses to determine admissions, along with academic, extracurricular, and athletic ratings. Even though alumni interviewers rated Asian American applicants comparably with the rest of the applicant population, admissions officers rated them lower on traits such as “positive personality,” likability, courage, kindness, and being “widely respected.” Further analysis showed that this personal rating significantly reduced Asian Americans’ chances of being admitted. 

When schools such as Caltech and the University of California system stopped implementing affirmative action, Asian American enrollment skyrocketed. But the disadvantaging of Asian American applicants is a sacrifice that many colleges are still willing to make. For them, and for many affirmative action supporters, the greater diversity of their campuses and the admission of underrepresented minorities outweighs the benefit of giving all applicants completely equal consideration, regardless of race. 

However, for members of the Asian American community, especially the Chinese American community, these policies are seen as racist and discriminatory. At dinner tables with my extended family, this is the one topic that will always whip everyone into an excited, enraged fervor. On “chanceme” forums, where students post their stats and ask others to rate their chances of acceptance to the college of their choice, posters who make it known that they are Asian receive condolence notes telling them that their applications will be graded much more harshly. At school, I have heard friends and classmates worry that they won’t be able to get into their dream schools just because they are Asian. And how can I forget the horror stories told by countless Chinese netizens, detailing how Asian kids with straight A’s and perfect SAT scores were denied by all universities except their safeties? When I hear these stories, I often feel hopeless and overwhelmed. How could I not, when no matter how hard I try, it seems like my efforts will never be good enough? 

At the same time, I cannot fathom applying to college in a country like China, where in order to achieve perfect equality, admissions decisions are made based on a single test. The gaokao, or National Higher Education Entrance Exam, is a weeklong test taken by millions of Chinese high schoolers each year, and their final scores are the only determinants of what colleges they’ll go to. No other factors, whether extracurriculars, family income, or disability, matter. The test can only be taken once per year, and when scores come out, the decision is final. In essence, for millions of students, this one test determines their entire future. Students in China spend their whole lives studying for it. Those who do well are sent to the nation’s most prestigious universities. Those who don’t are forced to attend less prestigious institutions, and, in extreme cases, end up committing suicide in shame. To me, this type of system sounds much worse than the one in the United States. It appears that in perfect equality, there are still unintended and immoral consequences. 

In the end, this issue boils back down to the overarching question of fairness and equality. I sympathize with both sides. On one hand, I know that minority groups deserve to be equally represented and that affirmative action could be the only way to do that. Sometimes, a little bit of fairness may be the only way for things to change. On the other hand, I’m still drawn to the ideal of equality, where everybody starts off equally, and the hardest working and most talented succeed. It is the ideal I strive for, and the one that I believe most societies as a whole strive for as well. And though I have seen examples, particularly in China, where a purely equal system graded on an objective metric still causes suffering, I feel like there is a way we can balance the two factors, and create a society that is, for the most part, both fair and equal. 

One thing I do know is that this argument will not be resolved soon. People much smarter than I am have been debating this question for decades and will continue to do so for decades to come. Some individuals will use this continued disagreement as an argument that the whole debate is futile, that there is no right answer, and that we should just stop talking about this topic entirely. But I disagree, because this debate is too important not to talk about. Fairness and equality tie into the very essence of justice itself. The conversation’s implications are broad, for whatever direction society decides to choose, those affected will not only be college students, but individuals in politics, economics, criminal justice, and countless other fields. So for them, and for all of us, we should keep pursuing this question. Even if there is no right answer to whether it’s better to be fair or equal, we owe it to ourselves to find the best answer we can.

"California's Asian Spring." Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2014. https://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-asian-spring-1395443018.

Espenshade, Thomas J., Chang Y. Chung, and Joan L. Walling. "Admission Preferences for MinorityStudents, Athletes, and Legacies at Elite Universities." Social Science Quarterly  85, Number 5 (December 2004): 1422-1446. https://www.princeton.edu/~tje/files/files/webAdmission%20Preferences%20Espenshade%20Chung%20Walling%20Dec%202004.pdf.

Hartocollis, Anemona. "Harvard Rated Asian-American Applicants Lower on Personality Traits, Suit Says." New York Times, June 15, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/us/harvard-asian-enrollment-applicants.html.

Ivy Coach. "Ivy League Statistics." https://www.ivycoach.com/ivy-league-admissions-statistics/.

Renton, Scott. "The Gaokao: China’s Year 12 Exam is Driving Students Crazy." VICE, June 1, 2016. https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/vdq49x/horror-stories-from-the-gaokao-the-gruelling-two-day-university-entrance-exam.

University of California, Los Angeles. "Admissions." UCLA Academic Planning and Budget. https://www.apb.ucla.edu/campus-statistics/admissions.

In a KidSpirit Big Question response, teen writer Nathan Zhang examines the balance between fairness and equality through the lens of college admissions and affirmative action.

Is Fairness Worth Sacrificing for Equality?

Khawaja Mustafa Shah

Every 25.3 seconds, a violent crime is committed somewhere in the United States. Elsewhere in the world, rates of violent crime are even higher. 

The propensity for violence is inherent in every human being. However, it is up to the individual to decide whether to act upon this urge or not, which brings us to one of the oldest and most hotly debated topics in psychology: the nature-versus-nurture argument.  Is violence caused by the genetic makeup of the aggressor, or is a person’s environment to blame? Those arguing in favor of nature cite numerous studies showing that certain genes increase the likeliness of violent tendencies in a human being. However, many other studies show a link between the environments of certain individuals and the violence they commit.  This leaves us with a burning question: why do humans commit violence against each other?

Those who believe that society is to blame for violent acts often cite the Milgram experiment. Three months after the start of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a notorious Nazi war criminal, Stanley Milgram devised an experiment that would answer a popular question at the time: “Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders?” In the study, each volunteer was introduced to an actor (posing as another volunteer) who was strapped into a machine that would deliver electric shocks to his body. The volunteer was subsequently taken to a machine with many small levers, each with its own corresponding shock value, and given a list of questions to ask the actor. With each wrong answer, the volunteer was to shock the actor with increasing severity. As the voltage reached an unsafe level, the actor began to shriek and demand to be released. If volunteers expressed reservations, they were firmly told to continue by the conductor of the study. Eventually, voltages reached supposedly lethal levels, and the actor stopped responding. In the study, 65% of participants went to the highest dose of 450 volts, while all the participants reached 300 volts. 

When asked about the study, many volunteers expressed outrage at the conductor’s callous attitude toward the actor’s health, but claimed they could not stop administering the shocks because they had been instructed to continue. The study proves that humans are willing to abandon their morals if an authority figure tells them to. Due to centuries of evolution as social, tribal animals, humans often believe that people with authority are always right. This forces us to consider an uncomfortable possibility: could it be that ordinary, peace-loving people can commit horrifying acts of violence against one another, just because an authority figure commands them to do so? Do we all have the capacity to commit the same kind of atrocities that Eichmann and his fellow Nazi sympathizers committed? Indeed, we can draw some parallels between the subjects in the studies, who absolved themselves of all responsibility before supposedly delivering several lethal shocks to another human being, and Eichmann, who once said, “I was not a responsible leader, and as such, do not feel myself guilty.”

Another fact that supports the nurture argument is that children’s environments significantly impact the likelihood of their growing up to become violent offenders. In a World Health Organization (WHO) report on child abuse, statistics illustrate that an adult who was abused as a child is much more likely to become violent than one who was not.  The report shows that “one in six maltreated boys and girls go on to become violent offenders,” while only one in twenty children who are not abused grow up to become violent. This creates cycles of violence in communities that are very hard to break. 

The Milgram experiment and WHO report provide some startling evidence that heavily favors those who argue that society is the cause of violence. However, another study suggests that aggression and rage are deeply ingrained in the human body, specifically the human genome. Studies linking aggression to genes began when, while studying a Dutch family that had a history of violence, scientists found that all the aggressors in the family had a common genetic disorder. They all had a defective gene that produces monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), an enzyme that affects the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. An excess of these neurotransmitters leads to rage and, subsequently, violence.  The mutant version of the CDH13 gene produces similar results. 

Another study showing that violence can be blamed on the human genome was done at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility. Carried out by Kent Kiehl, a neuroscientist at the University of New Mexico, this study consisted of scanning violent inmates’ brains while they were asked to associate a level of moral offensiveness with certain phrases, which activated parts of the their brains. Kiehl studied the brain activity for signs of mental illness. He found that these violent individuals were far more likely to have mental disorders, like psychopathy, than the general public. And because around 50% of these disorders are caused by genetics, there is an indirect link between genetics and violence. 

Another way that violence could be related to our genetics can be seen by observing our closest genetic relatives: primates. Primates display aggression in order to establish a stable dominance hierarchy and in response to competition for food, mating partners, and habitat. Perhaps violence is just an instinctive response to such external stimuli. Perhaps our brains are just hard-wired to flood our blood with adrenaline and cause us to have a fight-or-flight response every time we experience any of these stimuli. Perhaps we cannot help it.

Due to the negative effects of violence, there are worldwide efforts to combat aggression in future generations. For example, UNICEF has been conducting various programs to curb violence against children. However, it does make sense to add a small side note: violence is ingrained in the human psyche. We cannot hope to live in a violence-free utopia without compromising basic freedoms, such as free will. As violence stems from a desire to inflict pain on others, the only way to eradicate it would be to quash that desire in all humans. That would mean regulating what we can and cannot feel, effectively shutting down free thought.

Theoretically, we could edit violence out of our genomes. With the advent of gene editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9, scientists are able to delete entire genes from our bodies. Genetic researchers are currently mapping every gene in our bodies to their respective functions. We could cut out the CDH13 gene and all others that are related to violence. Alternatively, we could block the neural pathways that lead to violence. The Connectome, which is essentially a map of each neuron pathway in the brain and its functions, could be used to identify which pathways to block, and nano-technology could be used to block them. 

However, these methods raise two problems: what if the absence of these genes affects the body in adverse ways, and more importantly, could this technology be used to curtail an individual’s free will?  In the hands of autocratic governments, such science could be used to create a docile society that would submit to every whim of the leaders. Or, it could be used to cause the opposite effect, modified humans whose sole purpose is to cause pain and suffering to others. By implementing these sorts of solutions for good, we are effectively introducing the world to technology that could be used by malicious entities to bend human nature to their advantage. 

Violence is an issue that has plagued every life form since the first microbes developed in the oceans. Eradicating it would certainly be a difficult task, as the scientific community would first have to solve the nature versus nurture debate. As shown by the amount of evidence for both sides, this is certainly not a simple decision. Even after the debate ends, one moral question will remain: are we willing to give up our free will and our genetic code in order to eradicate violence?

McLeod, Saul. "The Milgram Experiment." Simply Psychology, 2017. https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html.

Parshley, Lois. "Can Your Genes Make You Kill?" Popular Science, April 28, 2016.  https://www.popsci.com/can-your-genes-make-you-kill.

University of Barcelona. "A New Study Identifies 40 Genes Related to Aggressive Behavior in Humans and Mice." ScienceDaily, July 9, 2018. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180709101117.htm.

U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. "2016 Crime Clock Statistics." https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/figures/crime-clock.

Violence and Injury Prevention Programme. "The Cycles of Violence." WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2007. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/98783/E90619.pdf.

In a KidSpirit Feature article, teen writer Mustafa Shah examines the social and genetic causes of violence. 

Violence in the Human Condition

Sofia Mesh

My first day of Hebrew school was very eventful, to say the least. 

I begged my father not to take me because I had heard horror stories from my sister, who had been in Hebrew school for two years already. She told me about the packets and packets of Hebrew writing and reading I would have to do. More work, I thought; third grade was already stressful enough! My dad dragged me into school/temple by the wrist while tears streamed down my face. I thought the tears might persuade him to take me home, but to no avail. We went to the sixth floor, down a long hall, and into room three. The tantrum I threw beforehand meant I got to Hebrew school 45 minutes late and missed all the packet work, but I was in time for the hour-long Judaic Studies session with my teacher, Sara. 

Although at the time I didn't look forward to going to Hebrew school, I look back and appreciate that I learned so much from my religious and cultural background. That very day I learned the valuable Jewish concept of tikkun olam, which in English translates to “repairing the world.” The way most interpret this teaching is by helping others in any way they can, whether by donating to charity, volunteering for causes, or just holding the door open for people when leaving the subway.

I have applied this teaching to my everyday life by trying my best to contribute to the world more positively. I like spending my time in clubs that help others. I am part of a No Kid Hungry club at school, which raises money to provide meals for children in the United States. We do this by having multiple bake sales each month. I am also part of a Best Buddies club, in which students join in activities with kids with intellectual disabilities at our high schools. We connect with those who are often isolated from other students because they stay in the same classes throughout all four years of high school.

Joining these clubs was the first step in healing not only the world but myself as well. When I was just involved in my own life and not doing anything that helped others, I fell down a dark hole of self-loathing, anxiety, and a sense of worthlessness. I was so self-involved, thinking about what I looked like and what I was or wasn’t doing. I compared my life to others’ and always saw theirs as superior. With social media, I had a falsified image of happiness, and without any connection to other people, I became utterly disconnected from the reality around me. I got so caught up in my own problems and flaws that I didn't see the good in the world. But when I started to join projects that were for the greater good, I became more in tune with the world around me and in turn less focused on my bubble of poor self-image.  Once I started dealing with some of the issues I was facing, I changed my mentality and began searching for the positive instead of the negative.

I turned to interacting with diverse groups of people and helping those in need as my way of finding fulfillment and happiness. I was not looking for validation from others that I was a good person but rather searching for teachings from my childhood to guide my moral compass and determine what kind of role I wanted to play in the world around me. I joined these clubs to be more involved in the world instead of just passively walking through life. When I didn’t have this, I felt like I was offering nothing to the world, but I see now the change I can make in others’ lives.

In a KidSpirit Interfaith Connections article, teen writer Sofia Mesh shares how a lesson from Hebrew school about the Jewish principle tikkun olam taught her to escape self-involvement and anxiety by helping others.

Tikkun Olam

Ameena Naqvi

Cardboard boxes with black, felt-tip-marker scrawls, bare walls devoid of the usual smiling framed faces, dirt and dust shapes on the floor like templates of the furniture that once stood there. 

This was the backdrop as my family and I said one last goodbye to our suburban house in Calgary and headed toward the glitzy high-rises of downtown Toronto.

I felt a mixture of both excitement and dread at the thought of moving to a new city. Among my many fears, the most prominent were those having to do with school and making new friends. More than anything, I hoped to become more involved in my new school and join a team that I was truly passionate about. 

I had always been interested in exploring the realm of politics and global affairs. I could spend hours delving into subjects ranging from Ireland’s same-sex marriage referendum to the Yemeni Civil War. However, I found myself unable to discuss my opinions on these topics. Being timid and petite by nature, I was often written off as childlike and naive by many adults, who would give me the “but you’re still a kid” attitude if I ever tried to express my ideas on politics. 

Consequently, in my new school, I hoped to be more active and join a club that would enable me to voice my opinions and debate with other students. This desire led me to make the rather bold decision of joining my school’s Model United Nations Team. 

My new friends usually met this news with a puzzled look and then asked, “What is that, modeling or something?” 

I would laugh and try to explain that Model UN is an activity where students role-play delegates in the United Nations and simulate UN committees. At this point, both adults and kids typically lost interest, seeing it as dull and boring.

But when I joined, I realized that Model UN was quite the opposite of dull and boring. I went to conferences where we discussed topics ranging from the water crisis in sub-Saharan Africa to nuking North Korea. There were committees where teams of students attempted to resolve the issue of nuclear proliferation or role-played Star Wars characters during the clone wars.

I initially observed the heated debate in awe as delegates strategically attacked one another, using fancy words like “pernicious” and “non sequitur.” At first, I was intimidated by the older students in the room, as I feared that if I spoke, I would be belittled and harshly judged by them. I feared that they, like the adults I had grown up with, would ask condescendingly, “but what do you know?”

Despite this initial fear, it wasn’t long before I decided to join in on the fun. I still remember my second conference, where I, as the delegation of Syria, discussed the Syrian War in a General Assembly made up of 70 other delegates.

My breathing became rapid and shallow as the chair uttered the words, “Delegate of Syria, you now have the floor.”

I remember my pulse pounding in my temples as I stared at the eyes of the room, all fixated on me. I felt a sea of anxiety deep down that made my palms clammy and my breath shorter. But after 10 painfully long seconds, I finally managed to find my voice and start my speech.

Rather than taking a neutral and boring stance, I decided to spice things up by aggressively condemning the “corrupt capitalist pigs of the West.” I enjoyed seeing shocked and intrigued faces in the committee as I laid out a plan for the abolishment of Western intervention. It was then that I realized the power and potential of my own voice.

The soft panic that I had felt gradually subsided, replaced by an overwhelming sense of confidence and self-assurance.  My quiet, shaky voice had become more strong and assertive. I finished the speech beaming with pride and shocked by my newfound eloquence.

The speech created an uproar as other delegates and I went head-to-head debating the merits of different ideas and discussing their implementation. 

Eventually, we authored a resolution, which is a document that resolves the topics of discussion. This acts as an olive branch or peace symbol that is extended between countries with opposing stances. Through creating a resolution, we were able to master the true challenge of governance, which is establishing a fair trade-off that appeases countries with differing views. Through connecting and collaborating with various delegates, I began to learn the art of compromise and the importance of cooperation.

I realized that diplomacy, a powerful and peaceful tool, has the ability to bind the world together and save the lives of millions of people. Model UN not only revived my faith in the human spirit but also showed me how we can create change together by using our voices to promote goals of peace and prosperity. It didn’t make me a new person but made me discover my hidden self. I am no longer shy of speaking in public, and my voice is no more a shout in the dark. My voice can now be heard, and I can be the change I wish to see in the world.

In a KidSpirit Awesome Moments article, teen writer Ameena Naqvi shares how moving to Toronto and joining her school's Model UN team helped her gain confidence in her own voice.

Finding My Voice

Destin Fryman

Darkest Hour is directed by Joe Wright, written by Anthony McCarten, and produced by Perfect World Pictures and Working Title Films. Released in 2017, the film is about the period in the UK’s history when it faced imminent invasion by Nazi Germany. 

It follows Winston Churchill (played by Gary Oldman) and his war cabinet as they struggle to decide the fate of their nation. Should they fight on, or should they surrender? 

Right off the bat, the viewer is thrown into the heat of the action, as Neville Chamberlain (played by Ronald Pickup) is forced to resign and is replaced by Winston Churchill. Instantly, one of the most noticeable aspects of the movie is the actors’ performances. Gary Oldman gives an outstanding performance as Churchill. Not only are his body language and facial expressions believable and full of character, but his speeches and dialogues are delivered with such conviction and power. It’s incredible how Oldman manages to transform into Churchill, especially given how different they look. Oldman is easily the star of the show, and rightfully so, given how well he handles his role. 

However, he is not the only one who gives a powerful performance. Kristin Scott Thomas (as Clemmie), Ben Mendelsohn (as King George VI), and Lily James (as Elizabeth Layton) all play their roles fantastically. Their acting is believable, which really sells their characters to the audience. They act like real people and keep their characters consistent throughout the movie. The actors also play incredibly well off each other. In one scene, Churchill takes Layton to the war room to show her the current state of affairs, and they share a heartfelt moment when words are barely exchanged. Churchill gives a short explanation to Layton about the problem at hand before showing her a map of Europe. He explains the situation as best he can, and the grim truth comes out. They stand in silence. What makes this instance so powerful is how both Churchill and Layton stare at the war map, their faces stricken with pain and terror as they seemingly hold back tears.  

The director and crew also create a tense atmosphere in this film. In almost every scene, the lighting is used to great effect in creating dreadful, eerie scenes. As the movie progresses, the lighting changes to reflect Churchill’s state of grandeur, his state of defeat, and his state of conviction. Scene changes are directed perfectly, so the scenes flow into each other with seamless transitions. The soundtrack also really helps to cement the correct mood in each scene. Music is not used much, except to help portray emotion in moments of grandeur, tension, or helplessness. 

One scene that especially encapsulates these points is when Churchill visits the French prime minister. In the opening shot, Churchill’s plane sits just outside a military hangar. A blinding fog is poised behind the aircraft, as if it’s about to lunge over the plane and cover it up. Slowly, Churchill and his cabinet emerge from the plane and walk into the hangar while ominous music plays. Sitting at the screen’s edge are the silhouettes of soldiers. It’s a memorable and remarkable scene that highlights how the  cinematographers did an amazing job with this movie. 

While the movie may sound perfect, there are some flaws. One of the bigger problems is the historical liberties it takes. The movie tries to paint Churchill as the hero of the UK’s “darkest hour,” the unequivocal good guy. While Churchill was a powerful and important figure during the war, he was more of a morally grey person and a hugely controversial figure. The film portrays Churchill as acting independently to fight the war. In reality, the Labour Party was an important part of this campaign. The movie also depicts several shouting matches, many of which did not actually happen. Now, to be fair, these changes create a more apparent conflict for Churchill, aside from the threat of German invasion. While adding tension to the movie makes it more interesting, historical accuracy is very important, and muddying facts should be kept to a minimum in media like this.

The movie delivers a strong message about society and the individual. Churchill was not a well-liked man. Much of Parliament and even the populace disliked him. However, in these trying times, Churchill stood up for Britian and refused to surrender in the face of adversity. His plans were wild and sacrificial, but they were the only way to hold off the German threat. In the country’s time of need, Churchill rallied the people of London, and by extension the UK, against a foe who threatened their liberty, as well as the world’s. 

All told, Darkest Hour is a wonderful movie, as long as viewers take it with a grain of salt and don’t tout it as a historically accurate film. The performances are believable, the scenes are immersive, and the soundtrack is carefully used. The movie is well crafted and will greatly appeal to anyone who enjoys media related to history. Darkest Hour is perfect for teens and adults, especially those who are historically inclined. 

My final verdict for the movie is a rating of four out of five. So much of this film is fantastically made, and given how many awards it has won, many others agree. It’s a unique take on the World War II movie, featuring minimal violence (only one scene in the entire film is set on the frontlines) and instead focusing on the government’s actions during this time. The historical inaccuracies subtract from the potential for this movie to be an excellent teaching and learning tool, but Darkest Hour does give a basic gist of the events that transpired during the first month of Churchill’s premiership and is an excellent watch regardless. 

In a KidSpirit Media review, teen writer Destin Fryman reviews the World War II movie Darkest Hour.

Darkest Hour: A Shining Moment 

My friend...
We are a fallen people
struggling to recapture
what was once known as our sanity
in this pile of hopeless rubbish.

My friend...
We are a desperate people
bequeathed by our ancestors
the love we neglect, only
to be wishing for more.

My friend...
We are a heartless people
who abandon our souls
for the greeds of
the tempting devil.

My friend...
We are a hopeless people
who have succumbed to
the debts of this world left
behind by the deceased.

My friend...
We are a kingdom of no change,
reliving the mistakes of our elders
from past wars while using that 
as an excuse for more change.

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Keesha Joseph laments the greed, hopelessness, hatred, and ignorance plaguing society. 

My Friend

Lucy Liversidge

A waiting room in winter
Expectant mothers leaf through parenting magazines
Babytalk and American Baby
Admiring glossed over photos
Of babies giggling in strollers
Of babies taking their first spoonfuls of mushed peas
Of babies on hands and knees
Crawling to a new mother’s bright face
And then of babies graduating to two legs
Evidence of babies completing all their first steps
Round and round the carousel
Going down the checklist
To ensure they’re allowed to grow up

In the springtime
Where winter’s flood has cleansed and shifted
And made way for new life
An expecting mother births a boy to an anxious, checklist world
She continues to read
And watch closely
And “Thank God!” for each sign of normality

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Lucy Liversidge contemplates pregnancy and birth, winter and spring.

A Waiting Room in Winter

Kiran Parekh

After reading Thoreau's Walden, it is my turn to “live deliberately.”

When I first arrive at Walden Pond, I find myself sitting on a rock between two towering trees, acting as the audience to Walden Pond’s play. At first glance, my eyes only process a pond surrounded by sand. However, a closer look transforms the initially ordinary-looking water and woods into a representation of my thoughts, unveiling the beauty and importance of nature. When taking a closer look, it is impossible not to admire the magnificence of nature. 

The wind grabs my attention, running down the spine of my back. The breeze creates a gusting chorus, confidently sung along the trees and bushes, that fills me with enough fresh air for an entire week. The sounds of birds, leaves, and footsteps echo throughout the pond so that every nearby living creature can hear. The deciduous, rustling trees and bushes reflect off the calming waves of the untouched pond, adding to the painting of the light blue sky and silky clouds. The trees wear a few red and yellow leaves but are mostly hidden behind their thick green sweaters. The woods turn the pond into an arena, acting as beautiful bleachers for the birds to watch. The uneven sand is scattered with rocks of all sizes, each telling a different story. Newly born shrubs create a barrier between the pond and the shoreline of the sand. Nearer to the pond, the pond’s breeze tells of only sweetness, joy, and a lifetime of thoughts. Unlike wind by the sea, this breeze is soft, allowing all the other instruments in the orchestra to blend in. The waves crash against the sand in the most polite way, as if it is their version of a handshake. 

The combination of the breeze, waves, and scenery directs my body to focus on what the environment is trying to tell me. The sound of the waves instantly relieves me of my stress, the chirping of the birds translates to the words “everything will be fine,” and the smell of the fresh air combined with the instantly calming earthy essence of all the plants in the woods soothes my body. 

However, every time I am met with a human interaction, I disconnect from nature until the footsteps cannot be heard anymore. My relaxed self is replaced by an anxious and displeased character.  The sound of the footsteps gradually fades into rustling trees, bringing me back to where I belong. This place makes me feel more thoughtful and natural, almost as if I were a tree, connected to the ground by my roots, admiring the stunning view in front of me. I am not anticipating the negatives that could arise in the future or reflecting on the mistakes I made in the past, but enjoying the present. 

Walden Pond gives me an abundance of thoughts. However, they all share common ground: they are related to me. This place deeply connects me to my own thoughts and feelings, which we rarely have the opportunity to experience. It is crucial that I get time alone so that I can listen to the lessons of nature. No matter the chaos going on in the world, Walden Pond remains peaceful and beautiful. 

Thoreau was right — isolation from human society does not mean that you are not part of a community. Society is a combination of factors that work together for mutual benefit. Every part of nature has its purpose. The waves of the pond, treated by the warmth of the sun above, pay it forward by acting as a morning alarm for the fish below. The fresh water is able to quench the thirst of the sand, which embodies a thick blanket for the shivering land below. The dropping leaves relieve the trees of their weight, resurrected by the rainfall produced from the clouds above. Nature is a society of its own.

In a KidSpirit Awesome Moments article, teen writer Kiran Parekh reflects on the serenity and peace of nature at Walden Pond, famously described by the transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. 

The Society at Walden Pond

Samantha Singh

I fled from the land of war
Filled with utmost valor
Found a home in the new land
Where we were offered peace’s hand

When I have no one left
My heart hurts in my chest
I don’t have a guiding light
To shine bright in endless night

I took its hand with great zest
Feeling much blessed
But the land of the free
Was not what it seemed

Being different makes you hated
Your skin color isn’t venerated
They see you and are disgusted
And soon your courage is rusted

Mama shakes her head
Says this water is hard to tread
Scared, she weeps
Tears streaming down her cheeks

So to the racists out there
Of my message be well aware:
Your words hurt like fire
But I will never cry
Bravery will never retire
And I will survive

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Samantha Singh offers a message of courage, bravery, and strength in the face of racism.

Shades of Shame

Alisha Amjad

Winter leaves, taking my worries with it
The now sunny mornings lift up my spirit
I say goodbye to the despondent mornings
No dismal fog that creeps in without a warning
I feel the rays of the bright sun beaming
It puts me into a state of dreaming
The new buds sway to the light breeze
I suddenly feel my heart is at ease
I see the first blossoms of the white mulberry
Blooming, dancing, prancing, carefree

The day grows longer, more time to admire all that grows
I patiently wait for the moon and its glow
Once the sun sets I stare up at the glistening stars

Longing to touch them from afar
I head inside as my mother is calling
Whispering goodnight as night is falling

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Alisha Amjad offers an ode to the first blossoms of spring.

The Splendor of Spring

Peace. It’s an unusual word in this bizzare time. Some say it means that war is not present, but this word has more depth than just that meager definition. 

It's true that without war we can gain peace, but war is inevitable unless we take steps to prevent it. Peace is mutual love for the people around us. Peace is the freedom from fear of not only violence, but judgment. We have so many problems nowadays other than war: climate change, poverty, and human trafficking, just to name a few. With all this chaos, peace is the element the world is craving.  When my mother tells me "I love you" before I go to bed or when my father praises me for good behavior, I receive not only peace, but love. We as individuals have to take action now to promote a peaceful and loving world by accepting ourselves, accepting others, and building a loving relationship with our planet.

An important step for finding peace in the entire world is finding peace within ourselves.  Many believe finding peace within themselves requires tiring hours of charity and volunteering. Some say inner peace is achieved through self-acceptance, and some say it’s achieved by knowing who you truly are. But my mother, my most reliable and beloved source, tells me, "You will only find peace if you do the right thing. It may cause some problems for you, but your body will fill with the most tranquility and your chest will puff with pride. And even though it may not seem like it, you did the right thing." If we all live our lives with integrity, we will stay true to our ideals, beliefs, and who we truly are. It will be easier to communicate with others and therefore create peace. We must try our hardest to spread this value, and soon it will be the stronghold of our peaceful world.

Our second step should be valuing all religions in order to promote our love for all human beings. Many religious ceremonies promote peace and many religious scriptures focus on this idea as well. When my mother reads the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture about doing good toward others, do I not feel peace and appreciation for my friends, my family, and the world? Similarly, we should be informed about other religions and cultures to receive this appreciation. We could start small, spreading awareness of different cultures to our friends and family members.  If you think a particular group is immoral, then sit down and talk with them. If you don’t like a person’s particular view, then ask the person to educate you. Krishna, the wise guide in many Hindu religious scriptures as well as a revered Hindu deity, offers the following advice: "Whoever has purified his mind in the fires of Knowledge and mastered his senses will obtain this Peace."

Next, we must heal our relationship with our planet. According to the Hindu tradition, it may be in the world’s nature to perish. However, we’re producing this catastrophe more and more each day by harmful pollution. We can form cleanup crews and hold environmental rallies. Slowly, our world will begin to restore all the damage we have inflicted upon it.  In some countries, like China, people have begun planting trees on buildings to decrease air pollution. We can implement this in majorly polluting countries like the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. How does this promote world peace? Slowly we connect with each other during these rallies and meetings. We all become linked through one common endeavor, and we can help each other grow in our personal development and success. What better way can we connect with different people, while bettering something that is in all of our interests? Not only do we create friends, but we bond over the healing of our planet. As this approach becomes more and more popular, more and more people will want to participate. Just recently I did a cleanup event around my school, which not only attracted the public but got students excited to help out. Kids and adults, we are now all represented as one to heal our planet.

Sure, world peace may seem like a wild ideal. But there are ways we can get closer to receiving peace within ourselves and for others. From now on, we have to take the steps to attain a peaceful world. We should learn to love ourselves, each other, and our planet. I decided to write all my emotions, ideas, and beliefs into a poem that best captures my vision. The poem describes how I, and many others, feel we can attain peace for ourselves and others through more than just simple words. 

Where the mountains kiss the sun
Where angels frolic and run 
A tranquil place beyond the mind
From the calm and quiet, we are blind

Everlasting peace, they say
is nothing but to keep the mind astray
from war, from bloodshed
from imminent dread

But maybe this ecstasy is real
and it isn’t a mad ideal
Our hands we must unfurl
to make a peaceful world

Accepting others is the key
To make our life carefree
Understanding each other
Helps those who suffer

Making the right choice
Can make the heart rejoice
With peace your soul will burst
and with pride it will be submersed

India, Mongolia, and Japan
Syria, Somalia, and Pakistan
Together we should unite
To fight world plight

Daman, Sunil. "100 Great Bhagavad Gita Quotes from Krishna." Patheos, October 14, 2014. www.patheos.com/blogs/hindu2/2014/10/100-great-bhagavad-gita-quotes-from-krishna/. 

Debating Europe. "Is the Idea of World Peace an Impossible Dream?" June 10, 2014. www.debatingeurope.eu/2014/10/06/world-peace/#.WyckFq2ZPBI. 

Deschene, Lori. "40 Ways to Create Peace of Mind." Tiny Buddha, 2012. tinybuddha.com/blog/40-ways-to-create-peace-of-mind/.

Horgan, John. "How the U.S. Can Help Humanity Achieve World Peace (Yes, World Peace)." Scientific American, January 17, 2012.  blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/how-the-u-s-can-help-humanity-achieve-world-peace-yes-world-peace/.

Krishna.org. "The Peace Formula." December 8, 2016. krishna.org/the-peace-formula/. 

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Sciences. "What Can I Do to Help Reduce Air Pollution?" Air Quality Monitoring and Data Program. www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/tsb/ams/aqmdp/share.htm. 

Peace Pledge Union. "War and Peace." Learn Peace.  www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_war_peace.html. 

Smith, David Livingstone. "Getting Rid of 'Racism.'" Philosophy Talk,  October 3, 2017. www.philosophytalk.org/blog/getting-rid-racism.

Vidal, John. "How Are Cities around the World Tackling Air Pollution?" The Guardian, May 17, 2016. www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/17/how-are-cities-around-the-world-tackling-air-pollution.

In a KidSpirit Interfaith Connections article, teen writer Samantha Singh draws on family lessons and the Hindu tradition to share a vision for world peace.

Peace

Athena Lehnert De Smet

To that hidden world out there
Somewhere
Full of peace and kindness
Where everything is always right
Though I love you dearly
I do not envy you
With nothing to fight for
There are no heroes
No fighters or believers
No one to stand against wrong
No one strong
No one with a frown or a tear
No one with any fear
To show us that the world is tough
To teach us to fight back
With fists made of love and compassion
With legs made of strength and bravery
With hearts made of good and bad
People who fight for the ones they love
Teach us to be not right, not wrong
But somewhere in the middle
A world where not everything
Is handed on a silver platter
A world where true heroes belong

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Athena Lehnert De Smet pens an ode to the blend of good and bad, right and wrong, justice and unjustice that gives rise to the heroes who lead and teach us.

Where True Heroes Belong

Pie Rasor

Dear Martin is a powerful young adult novel by Nic Stone that explores the Black Lives Matter movement through the eyes of Justyce McAllister, a high school senior from Atlanta whose face-to-face encounter with police brutality leaves him changed. 

Justyce is a straight-A student, well-liked by his peers and teachers, who has hopes of attending an Ivy League school in the fall. None of that matters, though, when he tries to do a good deed one night and drive his drunk ex-girlfriend home. The police officer that handcuffs him sees only a black kid in a hoodie. Although Justyce gets out of custody within a few hours, the incident leaves him shaken and unable to completely return to normal life. 

As a poor black kid attending a rich white boarding school, Justyce hasn’t exactly had it easy, but his experience with the police makes him aware of how unfairly stacked the system is against African-Americans. Justyce begins to write letters to Martin Luther King, Jr., as a way to cope with and understand his experience, but the worst is yet to come. His first encounter with police brutality won’t be his last, and he might not make it out unscathed the second time.

For a book that clocks in at just over 200 pages, Dear Martin really packs a punch. Nic Stone carefully explores topics such as white privilege, police brutality, classism, racial profiling, and more. The novel covers a broad range of topics relevant to today’s world but still manages to stay grounded in Justyce’s attempts to make sense of his experiences.

Being a victim of police brutality causes Justyce to take a second look at the world around him, especially the school that he attends. Many of the white students are the kind of people who believe that affirmative action discriminates against white people. Justyce might have been able to brush off their comments and supposed jokes before, but it no longer feels like something he can ignore, not when he’s seen firsthand how quickly racism causes situations to escalate. It can be deeply frustrating to see how many of Justyce’s classmates deny racism is a problem while continuing to uphold it, especially because their thoughtlessness and inability to change is  based closely on reality. Many of the students don’t want to take the time to challenge their prejudiced beliefs or examine the privilege that being rich and white gives them in today’s society.

Justyce also has to take a hard look at himself and his biases. Prior to his encounter with the police, Justyce believed that he would never fall victim to police brutality because he’s educated, plans to head to college in the fall, and steers clear of the rampant crime and gangs in his home neighborhood. It comes as a shock to Justyce to realize that he’s been subconsciously holding these beliefs, and that who he is on the inside doesn’t matter at all to people who will make snap judgements about him because of his race.

Besides discussing important societal issues, Dear Martin is written in a unique mix of formats that combine Justyce’s third-person narration, the first-person letters he writes to Martin Luther King, Jr., sections of important news reports, and even script-like debates between characters. I had never encountered a book written like this before, and I really enjoyed it. 

However, I felt the script format often meant I couldn’t picture what characters were doing as they were speaking, and it often appeared at random times in the books. The dialogue-heavy format also meant that I was unsure what Justyce was thinking in a few of the scenes, even though he’s the main character. I was also a little disappointed that Justyce’s letters to Martin Luther King, Jr. are mostly a space for him to work out his thoughts about what’s going on his life, especially the love triangle between his ex-girlfriend Melo and his debate partner SJ. I was hoping Stone would use them to discuss the connections between the original civil rights movement and the current Black Lives Matter movement, but their full potential wasn’t quite realized.

The book is pretty short, and while that’s not bad, I don’t think it would have hurt to make it a little longer. There are several time-skips, and a few scenes, such as an important debate meet where Justyce and SJ discuss racial profiling, aren’t shown at all. The short length also meant that some side characters felt a little underdeveloped. Justyce’s ex-girlfriend Melo, for example, is present for his handcuffing but doesn’t interfere because she’s extremely drunk. I thought that the book might use this situation to explore guilt or the bystander effect. However, Melo exists mainly for Justyce’s friend Manny to call her derogatory words for cheating on Justyce.

Although I have a few objections to the writing style, Dear Martin is an important novel that discusses timely issues in a sensitive way. I give it four stars out of five, and definitely recommend the book to any teens seeking to learn more about the issues of race and prejudice in today’s America.

In a KidSpirit Media review, teen writer Pie Rasor gives her take on Nic Stone's novel Dear Martin, which explores racial justice, discrimination, prejudice, and police brutality through the eyes of a black American teenager.

No Justice For Justyce

Madeline Kestle

I’m from slot cars
and Nintendo,
to baseball
and cheerleading,
riding bikes
and jumping on the  trampoline.
I’m from Men at Work
and the Bangles,
to Ronald Reagan
and Kirk Cameron.
I’m from Snickers
and Butterfingers,
to The Tonight Show
and Miami Vice.
I’m from “gag me with a spoon”
and “righteous dude,”
to movie stars
and racecar drivers.

I’m from generation
to generation.
Family
to family.

I’m here because
two people
fell in love.

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Madeline Kestle shares how her society and family have shaped her identity.

Where I'm From

Courtney E. Martin and Breeana Gant

For this issue’s PerSpectives column, teen leader Breeana Gant interviews Courtney E. Martin, an author and entrepreneur who specializes in impactful social change. 

Q: How did you get into social activism and cultural research?

I’ve had an activist’s heart from the time I was a little girl. I just always noticed injustice and asked adults about it. I think my parents did a great job of teaching me to trust that original outrage and continue to ask questions — which are basically the skills you need to be a good activist and journalist. What I wasn’t always great at was understanding how systems and cultures work, and that there is some strategy behind the best way to agitate for change. That came with many more years of analysis and activism. 

Q: Was there ever a moment that you just KNEW this was what you were made for?

Great question! When I get to talk to audiences, especially students, about my books, I always feel such deep gratitude that I get to do this work, and that it’s actually useful to people. As long as what I write is powerful for even just one other person, it feels worth it to me. 

Q: What is your favorite cultural subject to study?

I always say that I write the books that I need to read, so I suppose my own life, in a strange way, is my favorite subject. When I was 25 and feeling really disillusioned with the world and my own power to make change, I wrote a book called Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists, which allowed me to travel around the country for a year hanging out with activists and asking them: How do you stay hopeful? How do you know your work matters? When I was turning 30 and wondering how I wanted to shape my adult life, I wrote a book called The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream, which allowed me to spend a year thinking about and talking with other people about what actually makes a life fulfilling and fun. So I write for other people, but selfishly, my topics are always rooted in something I, myself, am struggling to understand. 

Q: How do you think your work has impacted your community? How do you think it has impacted those outside of your community? Who do you hope to impact and/or help the most?

Each book has had a different impact. With my first book, which focused on body image and perfectionism, I actually got a lot of emails from girls saying that they reading it gave them permission to quit activities they didn’t actually care about, but were doing because they had been told they would look good on their resume. That was great. The thing I often try to do in my work is pierce someone’s delusion — whether that’s the idea that women have to be perfect, or that money will make you successful or happy, etc. 

Q: Based on your work, how do you think individuals can make a difference in their everyday lives?

Look for the place in your own life where neglect exists. Who do you walk by that needs help? Who is it at school that other people ignore or, worse, make fun of, and how can you be an ally to that person? Have you expressed gratitude to the people who make your life and learning possible? 

Q: Who has been most important and/or influential in your  journey?

I have so many incredible mentors, but I always say that my mom is the most powerful person I know. As I was growing up, I watched her constantly doing community organizing in my hometown. There were always groups of women in our house, discussing books and films, donations going in and out to domestic violence shelters. Her leadership was both obvious and subtle, and often unsung. It had a huge influence on me.

Q: How do you practice self-care outside of your demanding schedule? What are your tips on balancing your personal life and the work you do on behalf of society?

I don’t really believe in balance. I think there are seasons of life and the best I can do is be aware of what season I am in and find some peace within it. I have two daughters — two and five — and I spend a lot of time with them. I also work and I love my work. I also have a women’s group that meets monthly and I love that — it feeds me and helps renew me for the exhausting and wonderful work of mothering. I also have a really strong partner who respects my work and does everything he can to share the labor. We joke that he’s the “chief domestic officer” in our house and I’m the “chief financial officer.” 

Q: It’s clear that your work has been recognized. Has this affected you, your writing, or your following at all?

It feels amazing to be recognized with awards and that kind of thing, but my biggest aspiration is to be of use to people in the world, to change how people think so they can be braver and kinder. 

Courtney E. Martin is an author, entrepreneur, and facilitator. She has written/edited five books, including The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream and Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists. She writes frequently for the New York Times, BRIGHT Magazine, and The On Being Project, among other publications. She has appeared on the TODAY Show, MSNBC, and The O’Reilly Factor, and speaks widely at conferences and colleges. Her TED talks have been watched over 3.5M times. Courtney has interviewed luminaries as wide ranging as filmmaker Ava DuVernay, writer Zadie Smith, choreographer Alonzo King, organizer Ai-Jen Poo, rapper Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and designer Tim Brown. Courtney is also the co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network and FRESH Speakers Bureau, and has consulted with a wide variety of organizations — like TED, the Aspen Institute, The Obama Foundation, and The Sundance Institute — on how to make impactful, story-rich social change. She has an honorary doctorate from Art Center College of Design and received the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics. She lives with her partner, John Cary, and two daughters, in a co-housing community in Oakland.

Breeana Gant is a 12th grader at Matoaca High School in Chesterfield, Virginia. She is a part of the Girl Ambassador program at Girls For A Change (GFAC), a nonprofit that “prepares black girls for the world, and the world for black girls.” She is very interested in women's rights, international travel, and information science (IS), so much so that she plans to study IS for the next four years. 

In a KidSpirit PerSpectives interview, teen leader Breeana Gant asks author and entrepreneur Courtney E. Martin about activism, cultural studies, and social change.

An Activist’s Heart: An Interview with Courtney E. Martin

Nyah Williams

“For migrants, the church was the center of life.” - Jacob Lawrence

Church,
Church was the only thing we could depend on.
God was always there.
There when the thick rope hugged our loved one’s neck,
There when we were discriminated against because of our looks.

In a KidSpirit poem, teen poet Nyah Williams reflects on the importance of church and faith communities in African American history, as depicted by Jacob Lawrence's "Migration Series."

Church

Does society shape individuals or do individuals shape society? Can one person impact a whole group? How do we balance independence and unity? Kids around the world delve into the questions that define our singular and collective identities.

Society

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