2020 Archives - Page 6 of 14 - The Litmus

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Opportunities

There are four things that all humans have in common. 1. All kids want to play. Living in developing nations as a seven-year-old came with its struggles, but not when I was with other kids. Even if I spoke English and they spoke Romanian, Georgian, or Lettish, we were still able to dress up dolls and play ‘tag’ in the garden. As long as we laughed, ate cookies, and had somebody to climb monkey bars with, we were living the dream. 2. Everybody is proud of their sports teams. In each of the thirty six countries I’ve visited, somebody has asked me which team I support or tried to sell me tickets to the upcoming game. Sports jerseys, noise makers, and replica uniforms coloured the streets on any given day in all of the countries to show pride, morale, and confidence. 3. We agree that weather is worth going outside for. Let’s face it - city living is not easy, so you’re used to seeing the dull, purposeful expressions on Parisienne’s faces as they race past you to get home. There is a physical lift of emotion when the first snowflake sticks to the ground and people look up from their phones to see the beauty around them. Smiles form, neighbors wave, and families join their friends in throwing snowballs. There is an instant connection as you experience this joy with others around you. No longer are you fighting for space or money, you are simply enjoying the beauty. 4. Our instinct as humans is to help in times of need. 2020 has been a crazy year, with the threat of a third World War, presidential incompetencies, an ironic declaration of ‘The International Year of Planet Health,’ and the global pandemic of COVID-19. Through the tension, hatred, and fear, people of all nationalities, ages, and orientations are stepping up and helping anyone in need. In true desperation, we are able to look past labels and see the real facts: people are suffering. Innocent children, workers, humans are dying. And people are doing their part because they can. Not because they should. If you take a closer look at these four things that all humans have in common, you see a trend: we all take the opportunity to connect, grow, and show our humanity. Underneath the tension, underneath the social injustices influencing our decisions, underneath the promises made if we do our work and stay quiet is love and humans will take every opportunity to show it. This is what we have in common: we are humans and we will do everything we can to stay like that.

by Emma, Year 10 © Copyright 2020 Emma. All rights reserved.

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Nature and Us

Nature and Us The clouds, curtains of the sky, shadow us. They watch us As we continue to destroy our love, We cannot help ourselves, We are consumed by what we can’t have. The flowers, jewels and gems of our gardens, Admire the birds flying high in the sky They envy their freedom, They envy their unity, But it is what we lack. Nature observes us As we make each mistake, Watches us carefully. Like us, nature breathes So why must we destroy? We take what we want but don’t it give back. Is it in our blood? Are we wired to destroy? We have things in common Yet they have been forgotten. Nature has numerous things shared. The romantic poets taught us plenty Yet we chose to ignore what wonders they wrote. It seems as if they had morals But that’s now what we lack. Nature’s a strong force Of beauty and of vengeance We should maintain our harmony. But If we continue with no forgiveness It will be to our end. Our Imagination is common Some other things too: The air that we breathe The water we drink, Our need for love, But not all are worthy. We need to change And turn commonness into unity. It’s for our survival.

by Kaura, Age 16 © Copyright 2020 Kaura. All rights reserved.

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Rain

Feel the rain, On your skin, Taste it, smell it, Streak your cheeks. Falling like mysterious messengers, The tears of the man in the sky. Are they tears of sorrow? Tears of joy? It doesn’t choose you in particular. Or anyone. But it reduces us to the same sodden level as the trees, Does it remind you that you aren’t in control? Don’t be afraid of it’s pulse. It’s soft touch will always find you, Don’t cower behind your umbrella, Don’t hide from it, Just let the rain in.

by Abi Clarke, Age 16 © Copyright 2020 Abi Clarke. All rights reserved.

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In Times of Crisis

In Times of Crisis The Litmus, Trinity College These days, whenever we turn on our radios or televisions to consume the news, we are confronted every time by the growing death toll and the new countries that have been forced into lockdown. The word one is bound to hear multiple times when tuning in is “unprecedented”, and for good reason. Within living memory, no pandemic has reached the destructive level of coronavirus. SARS, swine flu, ebola; all of these were considered dangerous, but not even close to the extent of the dreaded COVID-19. The NHS has been overloaded by patients which they may not have room for. Schools have closed their doors, moving teaching online; meetings with those from other households have been banned; people are only allowed to leave their own houses for shopping and one form of exercise per day. Social distancing measures have been put in place, making venturing into the outdoors a time of stress and worry, trying to uphold these rules in the narrow spaces of supermarket aisles. Countries like Italy have silent streets, void of activity as people are shut up in their homes, and just when it may be needed most, key products like hand sanitiser cannot be found on the shelves. Yet, as the old adage goes: “every cloud has a silver lining” - and, in some cases, perhaps we can be glad that there are no clouds at all. In China, the biggest carbon polluter in the world, emissions have been cut by a significant 25%. In Wuhan, residents can see the sky again, and hear the birds sing. In Venice, the canals that had been blackened by the fumes of cruise ships are clear again, and dolphins have been seen swimming in southern waterways. In the UK, a staggering 700,000 volunteers have risked their lives to help key NHS workers on the front lines, far more than the health service was expecting. People may not be allowed to meet, but my mother talks to the family more now than prior to lockdown - they enter a chatroom every day at 5 without fail, as I’m sure thousands of others do too. Social distancing measures are in place, making trips outdoors stressful for everyone, especially the elderly. However, supermarkets reach out a hand of safeguarding measures, designating specific times the elderly can do their shopping in. In Italy, the streets may be empty, but residents sing to each other across balconies to lift the spirits of their neighbours. We are at war, yet this is no normal war. There are no opposing human sides, only a common enemy that exhibits itself only when afflicting others. This war is not about borders or natural resources, but simply about protecting each other and rediscovering what we, as the human race, have in common, whatever the circumstances. People from all walks of life put aside their differences to fight a foe whom nobody wants to see succeed. In the words of Aristotle, “a common danger unites even the bitterest of enemies.”

by Joseph, Year 11 © Copyright 2020 Joseph. All rights reserved.

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what we could have in common

They enter through opposing doors, a cleaner and a young aristocrat. He keeps his head down, intent on polishing the hospital floor as her heels clack over to the central cot. The woman lying in that bed is old and frail, her skin an unnatural blue. Attached to a hundred machines, she is kept alive well past her time. The cleaner dares to raise his gaze to the lady by the bedside. She won’t look at him, but still he watches; her bright clothes and haughty gaze conflict with the dark hospital room. She is rich and self-centred; she shouldn’t be here. Yet she is caring, like him, and reaches for the old woman’s hand. As her grandmother’s breathing becomes ever more ragged, the girl lowers her eyeline to his. Worlds collide as flashes of forbidden feelings awake. His eyes blaze with anger, an emotion he never lets his kindly features show. He is supposed to be selfless. His people wait hand and foot on the selfish, giving up their own safety and comfort without a asecond thought. History dictates that society was to be split into those who valued their own safety above all else and those who did everything they could do to help. He knows of the devastation that hit the planet: sickness, war, economic collapse. He knows he should not regret the way his people pieced the world back together but he rages at the oppression he has undergone because of it. He knows he will die before his time, suffering in silence with no aid. A lifetime of being taught to sacrifice will amount to nothing. He shows her this through the flame in his eyes. The flame in his eyes is met with a fire in hers. She feels grief. Years of enforced self-preservation crumble as she mourns for someone other than herself. Her people prevailed because of their unpitying exploitation, but at the back of her mind there has always been guilt. Even in childhood, she wondered at whose expense her affluence came. Her people live like lonely parasites, taking from others for their indivual gain.She is supposed to follow this lifestyle disregarding others without a second thought. But now she mourns for the person she adored most. They both stand at the bedside, united in youth and anguish, as the old woman breathes her last. They wait for a second, taking in the possibility of change. Those in power had separated humanity, crushing any chance of community; how could it be so easy to find something in common with a stranger? Breaking the fragile silence, she clears her throat and drops the dead woman’s hand. They both turn to leave, one boy and one girl questioning the shift in their clouded thoughts. Maybe for the first time in a hundred years it has become possible to be both selfish and selfless, to be whole. They leave through opposing doors.

by Tessa, Year 10 © Copyright 2020 Tessa. All rights reserved.

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“Can technology be a perfect matchmaker?”

Can algorithms completely determine our lives and choices with a formula for success? Should we let them? Are feelings and emotions worth listening to when making decisions? Today, an awful lot is dependent on compatibility and similarity, both intra-human relations and those of humans with other things. Using advanced technology, sites such as dating apps pair people up based on what they have “in common”, trampling on vital human behaviour such as gut instinct or the fight-or-flight response - foundations that clearly worked for our ancestors as we, homo sapiens, are still living and thriving into the twenty-first century. I hesitate when calling this technology “advanced”; technical though it is, it has its drawbacks. Though dating sites aim to bring people together through shared interests, and can sometimes achieve this, there is always the risk of us being dehumanised and turned into statistics. When we meet people for the first time, there are some people with whom we just click, without any obvious reason why. We may not have anything in common with them, we may not have the same hobbies or music taste, but we feel completely comfortable with them. Algorithms cannot, in my opinion, completely replicate the necessary human emotions to allow two people to get on like a house on fire. Because as nice as it is to have things in common, sometimes people who are too similar can get on each other’s nerves. There are only so many conversations one can have about a certain topic before it gets dull, and so it is usually more fun to hear somebody talk passionately about a topic mostly unknown to the listener. It is not, however, only dating sites that use these algorithms. Websites with built-in cookies track our searches and send us targeted adverts based on other people’s activity. Messages like “based on your recent purchase, we think you’ll like this” clutter our inboxes, and make unwanted assumptions about us as people. A site like Amazon might suggest fancy trainers to me because I bought wireless earphones, which are often used for exercising, even though I much prefer reading to sports and simply got sick of tangled cables. Clever as these technologies are, the drive to keep everyone connected to like-minded people may ultimately cause the downfall of society. The desire to meet people like us and to fit in with the crowd could be detrimental to us with obscure interests becoming ever more obscured and originality becoming overlooked or shunned. The weird, wonderful and quirky could disappear completely, leaving life to become mundane. If we’re not careful then we will become as lifeless as the algorithms perceive us to be, and this would remove the joys of being our own person and there would certainly be some people that would get lost in a system that doesn’t support them. Algorithms of commonality cannot completely determine our lives. Let humans choose their own perfect match; it may not be obvious enough for an algorithm to spot.

by Angela Ede, Age 16 © Copyright 2020 Angela Ede. All rights reserved.

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An Act of Ignorance

An Act of Ignorance The sharp ring of the telephone echoed throughout the businessman’s living room and pierced his ears. It couldn’t have been a more inconvenient time to receive a call. Reluctantly, his hand made its way towards the handset. The restless caller who had been dialling the same number for almost an hour, was almost certain the call would not be answered, and was becoming increasingly desperate with every second. The caller wiped the sweat off his brow for the last time, about to put his phone down when the ringing finally stopped. Putting the handset to his ear the businessman asked “Hello?", unaware who he was addressing. The voice itself brought a look of reassurance to the caller’s face. After months of searching, he had finally found the man. He snatched the telephone to his ear and stuttered uncontrollably, pleading for help. The businessman immediately recognised this voice despite not having heard it for over ten years. His heart skipped a beat. His breath shuddered. His stomach started to churn as years of reminiscence cascaded into his mind, obliterating previous thoughts. The last decade he had spent trying to forget those dreadful times had now gone to waste. Years of facing oppression and downright torture supposed to unite a nation for a greater good, a just cause, couldn’t have ended more catastrophically. A massacre of protestors had left these two survivors forced to conceal their identities after escaping jail; to flee the country and start their lives for a second time, leaving behind everything, including each other. They had pledged never to contact each other again, to part ways for each other’s benefit. It was all going fine until now. The caller still waited for an answer, but a dawning understanding informed him that there was going to be no answer. He had clearly broken the pledge by linking two entities never designed to meet, like two magnets of opposite poles before, one had rotated for them to become like poles. Now as one attempted to approach the other, repulsion had arisen. Years before, the two men had fought together and suffered together, oblivious to the risk of being killed; determined to secure a future for generations to come. However, what they had in common was a forgotten cause, guaranteed to fail in the face of dictatorship. Struggling to continue in a life designed to force them apart, the caller had had only a small flicker of hope to keep him going. When he sensed this feeble flame going out, he sought reassurance in the one soul he knew could reignite the flame. The businessman knew at once the caller had ignored their agreement and was utterly outraged. How could the caller remind him of the atrocities that had once afflicted his conscience? He replied in a stern and final manner: “Wrong number. Sorry.” And just like that, he denied the caller’s pleas just as sharply as the telephone had first rung, coldly dismissing everything they had ever had in common.

by Mayur Ganagi, St Bede's Inter-Church School © Copyright 2020 Mayur Ganagi. All rights reserved.

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Just Have Fun, Kid

ust have fun kid... Baby the truth ,is everyone leaves by choice or because they have to. You can’t stop that and you can’t stop living your life because you’re scared. It doesn’t matter if someone leaves it matters how long they choose to stay how much effort they put in .Everyone leaves hun everyone I know that doesn’t make the beginning or the end any easier but you always have the middle you’ll have all the accomplishments and the fun and the good moments and the bad ones too ,and when the days get really hard even the bad memories bring you some comfort because you remember the good ones that came from them . You can’t be scared of life you just have to live it bare your Soul to the World that’s the beauty of it. You don’t know what’s going to happen and I know that’s scary but it’s also the great part .You’re going to be ok it’s all going to be alright I know it’s scary now and I know you’re afraid and it’s ok to be afraid lifes showed you that. I've always been scared of everything and everyone .I've just always fear the worst in people but one day life showed me that these things happen ,you're going to meet bad people and you're going to understand why natural disasters are named after them .They take the most beautiful places and turn them ugly because whenever you go there you think of them and you think of the hurt they cause but hun we all grow up we all get older we forgive even if we don’t notice that we are forgiving .One day you wake up and it doesn’t hurt as much yes it will always be there but it’s not the same sometimes that’s a good thing sometimes that’s the best thing that could ever happen, just know that wherever you go whatever you do or whoever you become somebody loves you it doesn’t matter if it’s now or if it’s tomorrow or if it’s a year from now ,someone loves you and or someone is waiting to love you someone is waiting to give you all they have .Maybe the situation isn’t working out for you now but maybe the next one will I know they say "There isn’t always a tomorrow" and I guess they’re right there isn’t but at the same time there is despite the bad things that happened in your life you have to be content with it it is your life regardless we only have one from what we know .Just go out there just have fun kid. Life is black and white it’s up to you to paint the colours. Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. They said don’t grow up because it’s a trap but they didn’t tell us that staying small is the biggest trap of them all...

by Kiera Jayne, Age 16 © Copyright 2020 Kiera Jayne. All rights reserved.

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Isolation in Common

Our common enemy We are at war. Protected by the walls of our houses, we forget about those unable to hide. Old routines dropped; we turn to computer screens through which our enemy inflicts fear. School work and work moved online as people risk their lives as key worker. Typed words suddenly hold so much more meaning as we reach out to our loved ones who are miles away. We long for a treasured video call that connects us and gives us hope. We are at war, defended on the front line with our armour for those fighting running out, as we civilians feel the need to use it in our daily life on the streets, unsure of where our enemy will strike next. We no longer smile at strangers; we turn away and keep our distance, constantly crossing the street at the sight of other civilisation, unable to trust those around us in these testing times. We are at war, waiting in a long queue outside a supermarket, two metres apart, wishing for some of the shelves to contain the food needed to feed a family, intimidated by disapproving looks when we take more than one of each item. We are at war. Giant graves being dug, hospitals being made from large spaces, schools shut. All events are put on hold except small funerals. We are at war, dreaming of when the battle will end, idolising the future, counting down the days until the next announcement, hoping to soon be reunited with those we miss as we think about the last time we saw them and the memories we have shared. We long for something as simple as a hug. We are at war, protected by our homes; supported by brave soldiers; waiting, pausing and dreaming. We may be at war, but we share many experiences as we fight on. These commonalities make us stronger and our faith in each other allows us to hold out hope that this war will come to an end. In the words of David Foster Wallace “nothing brings you together like a common enemy”.

by Jennifer © Copyright 2020 Jennifer. All rights reserved.

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To Fly

A young child is on an escape journey from a war torn country

Recommended for readers aged 16+ only. Contains scenes some may find distressing (child’s death, human trafficking) Scroll down to read. by Davina © Copyright 2020 Davina. All rights reserved. ...