Thank You for My Voice

Thank You for My Voice

For the majority of my life, I strolled aimlessly wondering what my passion would be. A passion that no matter my age or limitations could prevent me from excelling in. A passion I could not go a day without thinking about. For four straight years this passions was high school wrestling. I dedicated my energy, time, and diet (most of the time) in order to be the best wrestler I could be. However once I graduated the training stopped. The love for the sport was still there but the passion faded. This, surprisingly, did not make me feel at all sorrowful. I couldn't feel such misery due to the people who gave me the greatest opportunity of them all. My athletic window closed but my door to passion opened. I found my voice. I found a way to escape from the Battlegrounds of everyday life, bunkered in a classroom armed with my pen and my pad. firing my thoughts through the pen, splattering the ink onto my canvas. I used to be a warrior. Going toe to toe with any opponent who would step on the mat. Now I'm an artist. Portraying my words in a poetic process stemming from the deep roots of my brain. I didn't find my voice on my own. 

Four people have granted me this amazing gift. All being experts on this art. The first person credited to my findings is David Foster Wallace. Not only is he an exceptional author he is a master in the art of “teaching you how to think.” The link at the bottom is a commencement speech from Wallace, explaining why it is so important on knowing how to think. His poetic and profound verses provide such a passionate lesson on how to think. Wallace was overwhelmed with the battlegrounds of life. despite his knowledge on how to think he was a victim of his own teachings. He passed away from suicide in 2008.  

The second person that introduced me to literature was John Keating. This iconic character played by Robin Williams showed me the true passions and art behind literature. The sincerity behind this character showed me that the most beautiful minds, are the ones who are most literate and poetic. Keating shows love and passion for writing and also love for his students. He is not just a teacher to these boys, he is a professor teaching the curriculum of life. 

The next two people are the teachers who promoted me from warrior to student, retiring my uniform and granting me my voice. 

Mr. Colletti, my eleventh grade english teacher was John Keating in real life. He made me see in different perspectives, write what I think, and he worried more about content than curriculum. This isn't poor teaching or incompetency. Its passion. Its real. Mr. Colletti introduced me to my voice, and for this I am forever grateful. There are class discussions and lessons I will always remember because it wasn't textbook teaching, it was art. This wasn't any class to me, this was the most important course I took in my entire high school career. This Man’s name will be remembered throughout the rest of my life. 

The final person who has taught me the value of literature is Professor McKelvey. Mr. Colletti Introduced me to my voice but McKelvey taught me style. I can communicate properly but to be able to make my words worth reading is a whole other story. McKelvey has been my professor for my last two English courses and I refuse to have any other professor teach me now. Writing is extremely important. 

I would love to slap a cliché dissolvable quote to express my love for this art but it wouldn't do it justice.

However, there is no other appropriate way to say 

Thank You for My Voice. 

Link to Commencement Speech: https://youtu.be/8CrOL-ydFMI 

Fist in the Air For The Land of Hypocrisy

Slacktivism

“(Sometimes slacktivism or slackervism) is a portmanteau of the words slacker and activism. The word is usually considered a pejorative term that describes "feel-good" measures, in support of an issue or social cause, that have little physical or practical effect, other than to make the person doing it feel satisfied that they have contributed”

As 2016 gets closer to concluding, pushing us into 2017 the world is falling into “life online.” This phenomenon is creating a world whose social skills rely more on technology as opposed to face to face interaction. One extremely significant policy known as activism, is being thrown into the mix of social media.  This idea has been portrayed in Facebook posts, online petitions, and multiple online communities. The common term to reference this trend is called Slacktivism. Activism used to be portrayed by standing outside the local shopping center with a pen and a paper getting signatures to support a certain cause to marching down the street in peaceful protests and boycotting certain companies. Activism or Slacktivism is now liking and sharing Facebook post, clicking join to an online community or posting a lengthy perishable and tendentious paragraph for their 130 followers. Although their intentions are good, are these online activists actually helping or do they stand for nothing but their ego? Granted, there are online activists that make a difference, but only due to the action that follows.

Banksy is a political street artist. The man with no identity paints very controversial but always truthful paintings on well-known and very visible buildings for the public to see. Banksy posts his work online for non-local citizens to see and it impacts people far and wide. He cannot be considered a slacktivists due to the non-pixelated action he’s committing to.  These warriors who battle in a war armed with their keyboards and shielded by their computer screens will more likely make no difference, as to actually standing ground and fighting back with the real sword and shield. The pen and the paper. The word ACTivism is not spelled this way by coincidence. Take pride in your cause and take it to the streets instead of holding your fist in the air for the land of hypocrisy.

Welcome to Nirvana

 

nir·va·na

[nərˈvänə, nirˈvänə] - a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma.

 

Hi, my name is Colton Anglin. I am an eighteen year old student born and raised out of Peoria Arizona.

The year is 2016.

 Throughout my life, I have faced defeat, victory, struggle, and conquering the overwhelming, nearly impossible, stress induced task of learning how to be human. I introduce to you, lesson one: Human interaction.

I have created a new world of stress and obsession with this question. I have walked corner to corner, going street to street trying to find a perfect example of what it is to be “Human.” From the helpless yet content homeless to the prideful rich, I could not seem to find any traces of human activity. The world we live in is victimized from the weapon in the palm of our hands. The cell phone. Even though now, it’s hard to call it just a phone. This device has been chained to the direct link to the brain and the heart. It has taken our eyes hostage until the number of likes on social media has been presented. It has stitched our lips together and set our thumbs free in order to communicate. This is no longer a phone, this is a weapon. It shoots down our critical thinking and cuts our attention to detail away. This weapon has created a world of alienated people. The human race no longer depends on human interaction to complete tasks or communicate with friends. It depends on social media and texting. This world is plagued with the technology that runs through our veins.

Aside from the didactic metaphors and poetic verses, this is truly a growing issue. I recently was walking through the mall just twenty minutes from my house. I haven’t been there in quite some time but I could not help but notice some changes. One that stood out was there was a new store. An extremely bright and fluorescently lit store with possibly a couple of hundred people in there. There are friendly and conveniently helpful staff members there, that seem as if there are somewhat scripted in what to say. This store is the new Apple store. The only place in the mall to get better ammunition for your weapon. I just couldn’t help but notice the psychological advantage such a prestigious store has over the rest of the mall. A large area to work in. A very bright room. Specialized glass doors that make you feel like you’re walking into a store of the future. I just can’t seem to wonder why we buy into such a dehumanizing product. I too am a victim of this. Maybe we as a human race should devolve our awareness to the world. Go back to talking to each other. Go back to human interaction.

 Unfortunately this will not change. It’s how things are now.

My name is Colton Anglin. I am an eighteen year old student born and raised out of Peoria Arizona.

The year is 1984.