Eating Disorders

Young and gorgeous Anna Wood had so much going for her. She was a great student with dreams of becoming an architect. However, there was one thing that got in the way of her and her goals in life; Anorexia. What started as a post-Christmas diet turned out to be a vicious disease. Within a year, anorexia took over her life and the young, gorgeous Anna Wood soon became Anna Wood, the dead girl that missed out on so much life. This is one of many cases that an eating disorder has taken over the life of individuals to the point of death. In today's society, everyone seems to believe that body image is key to success and happiness. It was discovered that eating disorders affect up to 70 million people worldwide. This is an increasing issue in the world today due to such high standards of your body image. Although it is important to be fit and healthy, "solutions" such as anorexia or bulimia are not the answer. Eating disorders are not the resolution in weight loss; they are malicious diseases that kill.


Statics show that 8% of adolescents and young women are starving and excising themselves to death. Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by noticeably reduced appetite or aversion to food completely. This disorder is not something you can just “snap out of;” it is a physiological disorder that can be deadly. Many people who strive to lose weight tend to make the statement “I wish I was anorexic,” but what they fail to comprehend is the melancholy of the disease. Your mind changes as you become a victim of this sickness. Your thoughts are possessed by the constant consideration of what you should eat, how many calories that food contains, and how that will affect your weight and body image. Anorexia can cause damage to vital organs such as your kidneys, heart, or brain. People suffering from this can easily experience irregular heart rhythms and even heart failure. Although those are often causes of death from this illness, the most frequent cause is suicide. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.


Anorexia is only one of the many deadly eating disorders. Bulimia is also very life threatening. Research shows that 5% of adolescents in the world suffer from this disorder. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control. This includes vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives, or compulsive exercise. The strange thing with Bulimia however, is that individuals who suffer from this can maintain a perfectly normal weight or possibly be overweight. Researchers aren’t exactly sure what the cause of this sickness is but it is believed that it has to do with low self-esteem problems. There are many side effects that come along with this disorder ranging from teeth erosion to stomach ulcers. Irregular heart beat and heart attack are also some severe medical complications. Along with anorexia, this eating disorder also creates a greater risk for suicidal behavior.


Eating disorders are deadly. Look back at Anna Wood; all she intended for was a post-Christmas diet but what she got herself tangled in was much more dangerous than what she anticipated. Although anorexia and bulimia are not the only fatal eating disorders in the world today, they do seem to be the most common of them all. If you know anyone with an eating disorder, the first step to take is to talk to them privately. If that doesn't have any impact on them, take the next step to speak with a guardian or counselor before it’s too late. Don’t just sit back and watch loved ones harm themselves. Make a difference.

Labels

Labels; they're everywhere. Whether it's positive or negative, you probably have one. The truth is -- as much as certain individuals might not want to admit it --most labels hurt. If you're lucky, people judged you as funny, pretty, cool, or maybe even popular, but most don't get the privilege of having those labels. Fat. Smelly. Weird. Stupid. Ugly. These are judgments that seem to come up much more often during the time that you are growing up. Why? Why does the human population intend to hurt one another? These words are cruel and they can stick with someone for as long as they live. Every person you know, whether they're ten or thirty years old, most likely have had a negative label throughout their life and to this day it probably still hurts them. Our parents always taught us the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" but let's be realistic. Words do hurt. Labels do hurt. Judgments do hurt. Think about what you say before it slips out of your mouth.

Friendship

Who would have thought this ridiculous rumor would spread so far? When you first heard about it, you laughed. Never did you think that people would take it seriously. Now everyone thinks that you’re the one who ratted out the party. Parties are history for you now; nobody is going to want you at them anymore. The worst part isn’t even that though; now the whole school basically hates you. This is including the people that you thought were going to be there for you through thick and thin; your friends. Turns out, they weren’t as great of friends as you thought considering they turned on you due to gossip that is going around. School can be extremely challenging, especially when you have basically no friends. Without someone by your side to help you through the difficulties of school, more complications seem to appear. With a true friend by your side to help you along the way, nothing can stop you guys and ultimately things become much simpler.

In the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, a teenage girl named Melinda is just about to enter high school. However, there is one major difference between her the whole rest of the student body; she has not one friend. Whatever people Melinda thought were her true friends, definitely weren’t. A true friend is a person who you feel comfortable talking about anything with, a person who will support you even when it hurts his or her own interest, a person who is there whenever they are needed whether it’s three in the morning or 10 in the evening. These are distinct features of a true friend. After looking back, Melinda’s friends really didn’t have any of these characteristics. Because of that, Melinda had to face numerous challenges alone which is awful. Maybe if she had someone she could trust by her side through these hard times, she wouldn’t have had so many faults or gotten into so much trouble.

In the end, things always seem to go much more smoothly if you have a true friend by your side. There are no worries about them leaving you due to absurd gossip, or no body being there when you need them most. A true friend is someone you can trust no matter what. Through thick and thin they will always be there. “Hold a true friend with both of your hands,” – Nigerian Proverb.

Bullying

Jared High. Born September 23, 1985; died September 29, 1998 at the young age of 13. Megan Meier. Born November 6, 1992; died October 17, 2006 just three weeks short of her 14th birthday. Phoebe Prince. Born November 24, 1994; died January 14, 2009 at only 15 years old. These three individuals ended their life early due to malicious people that found pleasure in seeing them suffer. Bullying is an increasing issue in the world today. Schools are trying to get this situation under control, but are they actually helping? It’s more than just giving the kids facts and forewarning them about consequences. You have to bring reality to them and show them what their actions could potentially lead up to. Bullying needs to be stopped and the only way to do that is to give everyone a little taste of actuality.

Bullycide; A suicide caused as the result of depression from bullying. Jared High felt like there was no way out of this bullying, so he resorted to what they call a “bullycide”. It all started May 6, 1998 after school. As Jared was making a phone call to his brother for a ride home, a boy named Brutus walked into the room. Brutus was a well-known bully to the school and Jared tried his best to stay clear of him; however, that evening- without any provocation from Jared - the bully turned extremely aggressive towards him for no apparent reason. Brutus shoved Jared –who was about half his size – into walls, pushed him to the ground, continuously kicked him, and relentlessly stomped and punched the young boy all for about ten minutes. Even with serious head, neck, and shoulder injuries, Jared suffered worse from emotional trauma than physical. Jared soon developed depression and eventually made a very extreme decision to end his life.

People tend to think that a bully is a person who physically harms someone such as the story above consisting of Jared and Brutus, but that is not the only form of bullying. Cyber bullying is also a major form of bullying nowadays. Whether it’s “Facebook”, “Myyearbook”, or some other social networking site, almost every teen has some sort of an account through a social network. Megan Meier suffered from cyber bullying in 2006 through “Myspace.” Soon after opening an account, she received a message from a person claiming to be a 16 year old boy named Josh Evans who lived nearby but was homeschooled. However, what began as a promising friendship soon turned unpleasant as compliments turned to insults. After discovering messages coming from Josh’s account posted to “Myspace” saying things as cruel as “Megan’s a slut or Megan Meier is fat,” things took a tragic turn. Feeling too much stress and frustration, Megan hung herself in her closet on October 16, 2006. Six weeks after Megan’s death, the Meier family discovered that “Josh Evans” hadn’t actually existed. All along, it was a neighboring family that the Meier’s considered to be friends. “The biggest tragedy of this whole thing: An adult did it,” Ron Meier said.

In 2009, Phoebe Prince was not only a victim of physical and cyber bullying but was also a sufferer of verbal bullying. It all started with rumors, a love triangle, and dirty looks in the high-school bathrooms. Nine individuals basically “bullied Phoebe to death.” From risky threats to things being posted on social networking sights or even said to her face such as “Irish whore,” the bullying simply became so intolerable that it was impossible for her to remain at South Hadley High School. “On January 14, Phoebe was harassed and threatened in the library and hallway. As she walked home that evening, one of the “mean girls” drove by and threw a can of red bull at her,” District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said. That night, Phoebe’s sister found her body hanging in the stairwell. The nastiness hadn’t ended there however. Her tormentors were so immoral that they had the courage to post vicious comments on the dead girl’s memorial page. After months of the community simmering about the fact that no charges had been pressed, the bullies finally received consequences. Seven of the nine teens were charged with a number of crimes ranging from criminal harassment to stalking to civil rights violation. One juvenile was charged with assault of having a dangerous weapon – a red bull can. Two males– one 17 and one 18 – were also charged with statutory rape.

Actions have consequences. Whether it’s ten years in prison or forever living with the fact that you drove someone to suicide, everyone receives some sort of punishment for their actions. Brutus, “Josh Evans,” and the nine individuals involved with Phoebe’s death will always know they pushed a person to their own death. If you witness any bullying whether it’s a vicious rumor spreading or actual physical harm, report it to a trusted adult so that it can come to an end. Bullying needs to be stopped, and the only way that can happen is if everyone works as a team to cease the nasty behavior.

Patriotism

It’s time; you have worked for this moment long enough. Now as you step foot onto the battlefield, a rush of both adrenaline and fear travels through your veins so fast that you barley felt it. Realizing that this could be your last day on Earth, the burning sensation of tears comes to your eyes. Even though they may not show it, every person fighting in this battle today is feeling exactly as you are. Before you know it, the crackle of gunshots is all you can hear. This is war. Without these type of individuals –courageous, selfless, willing to fight- in our country, our nation wouldn’t have half the things that we're blessed enough to have these days. Patriotism is so vital to our country.

To have love and devotion for your country; that’s what it means to have patriotism. Basically, every right that we have –freedom of speech, religion, and privacy, protection of cruel and unusual punishments, the list goes on and on- is because of the people that were and are willing to fight for the U.S. These people defiantly have love and devotion for our country but just because you’ve never fought in a war or won a right for America doesn’t mean you don’t have dedication to our country.

When people think of patriotism, they tend to assume that if you take part in wars, you have faithfulness to our country. That’s true, but that’s not the only way to have loyalty to America. Just by respecting the flag shows a sign of patriotism. The flag is probably the most treasured symbol in America; therefore, respecting it is an excellent thing to consider taking part in. Treating others right and taking part in holidays - Fourth of July (Independence Day), Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, ect. – are also some great ways to show allegiance for our country.

Showing patriotism isn’t hard. It doesn’t mean you have to join the army or protect everyone that lives in the U.S. It simply means to show love and devotion for your country. Think about it; is respecting the flag or treating people nicely that hard? Is patriotism essential to your life?

"A Clean Well-Lighted Place"

No family, no friends, not even a dog; absolutely no one. Darkness seems to follow you no matter how hard you try to escape it, but somehow you keep getting sucked back into the loneliness of it all. Sometimes, all you can think about is ending it, once and for all, but is that really the only way out? How about the temporary light of a welcoming café with the company of others there to help you forget about the life outside of that building? Loneliness is a horrible thing to suffer from, so when you have the option to be surrounded by others, it seems very logical that you would jump at that offer. Having the company of other people is basically something that everyone longs to have; therefore, a clean, well-lighted place seems ideal.

In the short story “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” by Earnest Hemingway, a lonely old man is accompanied by two waiters - one older and very compassionate, the other younger and much more naive - at a warming café. Little does anyone know, the elder man desires nothing more than the company of the café and everything it contains. He feels alone; all he wants is some relief in this world by having people around him every now and again. Not only does this short story give a great example of one lonely man, but it illustrates another lonesome elder. The older waiter relates to the old man in many ways; neither has family, both enjoy being in the café, having others around, and being away from the darkness of the lonely lives each of them live, at least momentarily. They enjoy the company of one another, any lonesome person would. The cafe just so happens to be the perfect setting for these two men.

Most nursing homes also contain quite a few lonely people. A good number of the people living in nursing homes have little to no family that comes to visit with them; therefore, having an effect on how happy they are. The minute they see a welcoming face nearby -whether thy know the person or not - they put on a giant smile that begs for you to go over and talk to them for even just a few minutes. In all honesty, it’s sad. All these elderly people want is someone to block the darkness out and let some light in, but no one seems to help them in achieving that. Everyone needs some ease and brightness in their life, but some just don’t receive that; therefore, making them lost and alone during their time on Earth.

Without having someone that you love and care about by your side can be extremely depressing; consequently, making life harder and not as enjoyable. Everyone needs their clean well-lighted place in order to live a happy life. God put us on this Earth together to help one another through the journeys of life, but some people simply get left in the dust which is awful. By giving someone the nice warm feeling inside not only makes them content, but it also helps brighten up your day.