The Life Of Sohum

Over the past week, I have been sick. Just plain old sick. People ask me whether I got covid, who I think I got sick from, and all around just pestering. However, my mom on the other hand took a different approach, at first when I told her I was sick, she told me to take an at-home covid test. So I took one and whaddya know, I was negative. So I was shuttled off to school once again. It took a fever and an ear infection for both her and me to realize I needed to get out of school and go see a doctor. Do you see the problem with this? The “Rona” has desensitized us so much to getting sick with anything other than a global-pandemic-causing virus for us to take care of ourselves. To be frank, I still treated it as nothing when I went to school on Friday, I still played in the marching band at that football game I should have skipped and stayed at home recuperating. I was not ready for that level of exertion and stress and strain that put on my neck. So what is the point of all this? Just ...

 The founding fathers of America were great people brave enough to fight against the injustices of Great Britain. However, have we followed the path paved for us by our forefathers? Is the current state of America the true American spirit? So soon after the horrifying days of 9/11, Chinese factories were "working overtime to fill the consumer demand for American flags," and Britney Spears took a break from her live show "to sit on a piano bench with her belly ring glinting in the spotlight and talk about 'how proud I am of our nation right now.'" Is this truly what America represents? Nay! We mourned as we shed tears as American as the ground we tread. While the country was horrified, large corporations were looking solely toward possible profits. As Samuel Adams once said, “If ever the time should come, when vain & aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.”...

 Over the first two weeks of school, the focus of our English class has been mainly on memorials and how they impact the communities they are built around and who they are meant to memorialize. With all the memorials we learned about, I was left with one question: what creates the atmosphere of a memorial? Is it the attitudes of the people around? Is it the event or person being remembered? Could it be the massive scale? I still feel a sense of awe when looking at the Washington monument even though I know that he owned slaves while still preaching equality and justice for all. I appreciate the serenity of the Vietnam war memorial while still knowing about all of the war crimes committed by the United States throughout the war. It could be the design intended by the architect or it could be the quiet of the typically open space that surrounds a monument leaving you in a sentimental and inwardly reflective feeling. Leaving a memorial, you get a sense that you witnessed something pro...