Revolution: can it happen?

Up until very recently, I was a devout supporter of a worldwide Marxist revolution to overthrow the corrupt establishment. I procured these views from reading many Marxist books and literature. I was desperate for a removal of the current capitalist system that is enslaving 99% of people and benefiting only 1% of the population. Prior to my revolutionary thoughts, I was extremely materialistic whilst I was growing up. Every single time my mother took me out I would always request for her to purchase me something, whether it be designer clothes or trainers. The majority of the products I desired were unnecessary and not helpful to my well being  As a working class citizen growing up in a materialistic consumer based society such as the United Kingdom, I desired products which I did not need. I felt that not having these products would make me “uncool” amongst my peers. My mother did not possess the monetary funds to purchase these products I so desperately craved and as a result, I would throw tantrums and strop. This process continued until I started to grow and mature. I then started to listen to a music artist called Lowkey. 

Through listening to Lowkey’s music my entire disposition changed. He was a complete aberration from normal rappers. He rapped the complete truth. He spoke out against: capitalism, consumerism, war, poverty, racism, women rights abuses, religious immorality, and many more. I became so deeply into his music that I told every single one of my friends about him, which showed how strongly his music touched me. After listening to his music, I genuinely believed that I could bring change to the world and through a concerted effort, I along with many others will march to the streets and take back what is rightly ours. However, after doing some serious thinking, I have realised that this is not the case.

Throughout history, there have been many revolutionaries who have tried to overthrow the status quo and all of them failed in their quest. All of them were either assassinated, sabotaged or put into exile. All of this occurred without any protest or revolution happening in their name. This started to put doubts into my mind as to whether a revolution is possible. Furthermore, it is well known that the rich 1% control the majority of the wealth in all capitalist countries but all revolutions against the establishment have been scarce. The only notable movement in the western world was the occupy Wall Street movement which is yet to lead to a removal for the current system and it looks evermore unlikely that it will. So the fact that the majority of the masses remain passive while the rich billionaires hoard our planets resources is shocking. Karl Marx prediction was wrong. The proletariats are not uniting in unison to take out the bourgeois. One needs to ask themselves why? Why are the workers of the world not uniting? Then I came across the reason as to why this is the case. Human beings are born with a natural tendency to be greedy. It is no coincidence that the majority of people we see on a daily basis love designer clothing. Furthermore, most people still have aspirations of making it into the top 1% even though the chances of social mobility for the poor are decreasing rapidly and a good portion of rich people inherited their fortunes. 

Nevertheless, the capitalist system is so entrenched within society that the average person does not even think about revolting against the system that exploits them and robs them. So, overall the rich 1% has used their financial muscle to manipulate the minds of the masses through media and politics to make us believe that we have the possibility of joining the top 1%. They have also hijacked humans natural greed instincts and have made the masses of people purchase products that they do not need through forceful advertising. Greed has proven to be humans greatest weakness, since the system that works to benefit only a small minority of people is seen as okay by the masses because they one day dream of being in the top 1%, or in a lot of cases, being richer than they currently are. This is not to say that there are many people out there like myself who are deeply saddened by the worldwide system and see straight through the capitalist media and finance. However, we are only a minority who have been able to supress our greed instinct through knowledge. I still have a slight hope that one day things will get better, but at the present moment this is looking ever the more mythical.          


Written by Aaron

Success

Success. A term we hear quite frequently, it is something that most of us say we want. "I want to be successful" "I will succeed" "I will be a success"

But what is success? What does it mean to be successful? Why do most people want this? what is the purpose of being successful? what does success look like?

To different people success means different things. To some:
It means acquiring as much money as you can. It means getting straight A's in school.
It means excelling in your field. It means being able to buy designer items and drive expensive cars. It means being famous. It means making it up the corporate ladder. It means achieving your dream body. It means to get married and raise a family. It means to be an entrepreneur. It means being popular and respected by others. It means how many music singles or products you sell. It means how many awards you win.

In theory all these examples do contribute to the concept of success. Success is a highly subjective term and everyone has their own personal perspective as to what it means to be successful. Success is related to our personal goals that we want to achieve in life. As our goals differ so does our meaning of success. After you accomplish your goal you have a sense of achievement which feels good. Thats what it feels like to succeed. An example of me experiencing this was my graduation day, wearing my cap and gown and receiving my certificate. After three years of doing loads of reading, all nighters in the library, assignment after assignment I finally completed my degree.


However I do believe there is a deeper meaning to success. I believe that everyone on earth has their own unique purpose which they should discover and fulfil. If you are able to find what your purpose is and fulfil it then in my eyes you are successful. You shouldn't measure your success with others. Doing that will only make you feel negative about yourself. In reality there will always be someone out there who is smarter than you, faster than you, richer than you etc. You can not always be the best, its just not possible. Focus on doing you, but at the same time remember not to become so selfish with your own ambitions that you have the "Me, myself and I" mentality (what my Pastor describes as the egocentric trinity). When you are too consumed with your own ambitions you end up neglecting others, and maybe even pull others down so that you can make it to the top (something which I hear happens a lot in the corporate world).

We should support and encourage one another to achieve our goals. We shouldn't be putting people down or tell them that they can't accomplish their dreams. We shouldn't be jealous and hate on other people's success that we talk negatively about them. If you are not willing to do what someone did to become successful then shut up. Never downplay somebody's dream. For example, someone may strive to become a doctor while someone else may strive to become a parent and stay at home to raise a family. You shouldn't look down on the person wanting to raise a family. Everyone has a different purpose in their life and that should be respected.

One thing to remember is when making your goals sit down and really think about why you want to achieve them. What is the real reason and purpose behind you wanting to achieve it? If your main goal is to become the richest person on earth just so that you can be number 1 on the forbes list and buy a lot of expensive things then to me that is selfish ambition. Your ambition should benefit others. If you look at Bill Gates his Microsoft creation changed the world of computing. He contributed greatly to the world of technology. With some of the wealth he has acquired he has started up his own charities and continues to help  poor people. To me that is success, not because he is the world's richest man. Your main goals shouldn't just be to benefit only yourself. What is the point of being rich if you do not help others with your money? Or making it in life and not inspiring others to also accomplish?. After all money can disappear but it is your legacy that will remain. The greatest people on earth i.e Jesus, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa were not known for money but the difference they made in people's lives.

What legacy do you want to leave behind? What difference can you make in somebody's life?
If you can make just one person's life better, in my eyes you have succeeded :) I wish you all success in your lives.

Written by Dinah

Life and Capitalism

Yesterday the new iPhone 5 made its debut for the world to see. The reaction from many people on the internet was that of disappointment, mainly because there wasn't much of a change from its predecessor iPhone 4s. I believe that Apple do this on purpose because they know that any product they release, whether good or bad people will always buy. This is due to the brand "Apple" being very powerful in contemporary society. For example there are people out there who had bought iPhone 4 when it came out then went and later bought the iPhone 4s and will now be preparing to buy iPhone 5. In my eyes this is stupidity but then again I can't tell people how to spend their money. Like I always say "Apple" is capitalism at it's finest.

We live in a capitalist society which makes us think we always need to have the latest products, own designer labels and to have more than we already do. We are all victims to this. If I take myself as an example I spend a lot of my money on clothes, shoes and make up. The thing is I keep buying more of it when I already have a lot that I still haven't even used/worn. I never seem to be content with what I have, I always want more (I know you do too so don't judge me lol). The question is why is this? 

Here's the dictionary definition of capitalism: An economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

In simple English this is basically companies and corporations who produce goods to sell to the mass population in order to make as much money as possible.

In order to achieve this objective people need to BUY products. To achieve this even further people need to buy products they do not need. For this to be happen people need to think that they need particular products that in reality, they don't actually need. This happens through brainwashing by the main culprit, the media. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements everywhere. Companies spend huge amounts of money on advertising alone. Even seeing the lavish lifestyles of celebrities, most of the time the average person wishes they were also living that kind of lifestyle. We always want more and this is what corporations want because if we became content with what we have corporations would lose large amounts of money and capitalism wouldn't be able to thrive.

We live in a society whereby money seems to be equated with success, status and power. This is a negative ideology. The amount of money you have should not define who you are, whether you are wealthy or not does not mean you are superior or inferior to anyone else. We tend to believe that having substantial money is the only thing that can make us truly happy.  In reality the more money you acquire the more greedy you become. A couple of months ago on the news a middle aged man who was a former Wall Street investment banker and Lawyer committed suicide. He was a very wealthy man who wanted more money so he set his mansion on fire so he could claim insurance money. Unfortunately, when he was found guilty of starting the fire he killed himself in the courtroom. At First I was thinking to myself why would he do such a thing when he was already rich? Another victim of capitalism 

Here is a quote I came across by Nick Vujicic

“Life isn't about having, it's about being. You could surround yourself with all that money can buy, and you'd still be as miserable as a human can be. I know people with perfect bodies who don't have half the happiness I've found. On my journeys I've seen more joy in the slums of Mumbai and the orphanages of Africa than in wealthy gated communities and on sprawling estates worth millions. Why is that? You'll find contentment when your talents and passion are completely engaged, in full force. Recognise instant self-gratification for what it is. Resist the temptation to grab for material objects like the perfect house, the coolest clothes or the hottest car. The if I just had X, I would be happy syndrome is a mass delusion. When you look for happiness in mere objects, they are never enough. Look around. Look within.”

This quote had really touched me. It is very true that in poorer countries people who have very little and lack basic needs tend to be much happier than those of us in wealthier countries where we essentially have all we need. This shows that true happiness is not based on materials and money. I'm not saying that you shouldn't earn money (after all we all have bills to pay) or to never buy yourself material things. My main point is that you shouldn't be so consumed by it that it becomes your sole purpose in life. "

Written by Dinah 

Famous For Being Famous Culture: Kim K

Kim Kardashian is one of the most famous celebrities worldwide. She is worth millions of dollars, and she has millions of fans all over the world. She along with her family have their own reality TV show called “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, which is one of the most watched reality TV shows in America. However, some questions need to be addressed; such as, how did Kim Kardashian become famous in the first place? Also, does Kim Kardashian possess any qualities that require our admiration? Furthermore is Kim Kardashian a good role model for women? Throughout the rest of this piece I will answer all of these questions and elaborate on my answers.

As an individual Kim Kardashian does not possess any unique skills or qualities that anyone can aspire to have. Kim Kardashian is an infamous name around the world and yet she cannot sing, dance, act, or even take part in any important discussions such as politics etc. As Barbara Walters pointed out to her and her sisters in an interview “you have no talent”. Although this sounded cruel Walters pointed out the truth. Kim is one of a few celebrities who are famous for not doing anything. Such examples are Katie Price and Paris Hilton. So even though Kim Kardashian is not talented many women idolise her for her looks, but even this is a fallacy. When we see Kim Kardashian on the TV she like all celebrities wears a substantial amount of make up, so if you go to the trouble of looking on the internet and finding pictures of her without make up you will be amazed at what wonders make up can do for women. So Kim Kardashian is clearly not as good looking as what people believe, and as you read this, there probably are young girls who are ashamed of their looks in comparison to Kim Kardashian and other celebrities pushed out in the media.

Since Kim Kardashian is famous despite not possessing any talent or qualities, the question that remains is how did Kim Kardashian become famous? Kim Kardashian first rose to prominence from a sex tape with her former boyfriend and R & B singer Ray J. This sex tape went viral all over the internet, and from that, Kim Kardashian became famous. However, Kim Kardashian did gain some publicity earlier on because she had a friendship with Paris Hilton. Additionally, her family were in the spotlight from the OJ Simpson trial, as her father was one of OJ Simpson’s lawyers. So her family name Kardashian is what became known and not necessarily Kim. However the vast majority of people including myself know Kim Kardashian from her sex tape with Ray J.

Overall, Kim Kardashian is a bad role model for young women, as she does not advocate any positive moral teachings to women. Additionally, she does not help the poor and malnourished children in the world. She rather spent ten million dollars on a wedding when the marriage lasted just seventy two days! Even though some of the money was sponsored it still doesn’t acquit her for the amount of money her and her family put into the wedding. This is not only sad but disgraceful. Imagine all of the starving children that could have been spared had she put her humanity before her ego. Kim Kardashian is one of the worst characters in the celebrity cult: she degrades women; she promotes an extreme form of capitalism; and rather than helping to push for change in the world she serves to maintain the global status quo of getting rich and spending as much money as possible on products that you do not need. This is the actual purpose of the celebrity cult. So the only time my opinion of Kim Kardashian will change is when she stops promoting misogyny, capitalism and greed and starts to help the poor children of the world with her money. Furthermore, instead of tweeting nonsensical stuff on her twitter, she should help to tweet positive and enlightening tweets to the millions of her followers. Kim Kardashian should realise that her along with other celebrities have the power to bring about change in this world. With just one tweet she can organise mass demonstrations against the establishment. Imagine if Kim Kardashian and others started to tweet about the corruption of the banks and the government? A worldwide revolution will happen instantly. So all hope is not lost for Kim Kardashian and other celebrities, they have to wake up or remain dead (I mean mentally dead). 

Written by Aaron Laari