Exams Approaching...

 

 Hey guys, sorry for not posting on Tuesday, things have been busy for me with exams coming up so... I will be taking a break from blogging for studying. I will be back on December 16th with Debate Friday. Later!!

Debate Friday

Is there too much Pressure on the Youth?

   Nowadays, the world has realized that young people are an extremely important resource. Due to our creativity and unorthodox methods of solving problems, businesses see potential profits in us, artists see raw talent and politicians see the future leaders of the world. However with such high expectations of the younger generation, is there too much pressure on the youth?

     I believe so, not all the time, but many times unnecessary pressure is put on the youth to succeed. We see this in schools, where many students are being forced to study subjects they aren't interested in by the parents as well as having to attend extra lessons afterwards. These parents tend to have a pre-determined route they want their child to take with no consideration on the child's opinion, because 'they know best'. Due to this never ending bombardment of "education" , many students take longer to realize their true selves (talents, weakness, etc.) which puts them at a disadvantage later in their lives. Many also tend to give up because of the stress and slowly fall through the cracks.

    It is also seemingly noticeably that adults tend to shove present day problems on the youth to solve. "This issue is for the youth to handle", "This is an opportunity for the youth to step up", and we hear similar comments made by adults. The youth have our own problems to deal with (finding out who we really are) and that can be challenging enough but coupled with cumbersome issues that adults failed to address themselves (ironically because of their own immature behaviour) can be overwhelming.

   Furthermore, many adults are hypocritical. They are quick to criticize and persecute the youth for their actions but they as well have been committing deeds just as bad. Youth learn from their elders, but if the elders are portraying negative traits, it unfair to point a finger at the youth for replicating what they see daily.

The point I am trying to bring across is that, it's okay to have expectations of the youth, but don't throw all the world's problems on us and leave us there to drown. We, young people, can only be productive when we find our passion and are supported in it. Although the youth are the future, there is still the present to deal with, so the adults of today need to step up, in order to be a leading example for the future which is young people.

Agree? 

  

6 Myths about Video Games

Video games have become such a huge part of our cyber life, however digital immigrants (people born before the tech era) still have some prejudices to this aspect of technology. So...

Q. What are some myths about video games?

A. 1) Video games are for Kids

It is true that kids love video games, but it is clear that video games have become an industry that affects and is used by all age groups. Adolescents are earning large salaries because of the skills in video games e.g. The South Korean team for the 2016 world championships of the League of Legends won $2 M in prize money.

  Even celebrities are involved with video games because the trend now is that designers use celebrities as voice actors for video game characters. Video games are also being integrated into the work place in order to teach concepts to workers. Not bad for something "just for kids".

2) The First Video Game was Pong

When you think of the grandfather of all video games, many people think of Pong. However it has been proven that there were several games before Pong e.g Tennis For Two (1958), Spacewar (1962) and other digital fossils that we probably never heard of.

3) Girls Don't Play Video Games

This myth, has been proven so wrong that, I won't even go in depth. Guys just beware; when you invite a girl to play Call of Duty with you and she already knows the controls, you better show no mercy or you might get dominated.

4) Violent video games  are the cause of real-world violence

Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat and GTA are just a few games that some people condemn for instilling violent tendencies in gamers. This is not true. The content within the video game doesn't lead to violence, but the competition and frustration that comes with playing video games can lead to aggression. We all had that one time we wanted to break our phone because we lost in Flappy Birds, Colour Switch, MMM Fingers or we were ready to fight with someone because they beat our high score. Gamers just have to have some self control. These are one of the few times you blame the player not the game.

5) Gaming Leads to Isolated Behaviour

This anti-social stigma has been associated with video games since the beginning, however at

present, it is very false. Thanks to the Internet, the world is a global village and many video games are taking advantage of this. Online gaming is becoming increasingly popular with people from different cultural backgrounds meeting each other and interacting online. Also a lot of the games being design improve cooperation skills and stress teamwork which do benefit the social development of gamers.

6) They're making us smarter

At least since Steven Johnson’s “Everything Bad Is Good for You” was published in 2005, video-game players have proudly declared that their hobby may look childish and brutish, but it’s actually changing their brains for the better.

They aren't completely wrong. Action games such as first person shooter games, have shown in studies, to improve hand-eye coordination and spatial thinking. Other benefits include increased attention span, improve vision and mental task-switching. However this isn't for all games

Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga have none of these benefits. 

Debate Friday

Is Physician Assisted Suicide Justified?

For those who don't know what Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is, please watch the following video before reading the rest of the post.
    

     Ok guys as you would have seen, Physician Assisted Suicide is basically when a terminally ill patient gives their physician the permission to give them a drug to end their life. But is this right?
   I consider PAS to be wrong. From a Christian perspective, life is something to be treasured and for one to just decide to die on their terms, is against God's plan (He made us to live life to the fullest).
     Now many of you might say that my opinion is biased by religion so let's tackle this from another point of view. Many times person that opt for PAS, they have families. Imagine that you were terminally ill and you had children, grandchildren and maybe even great grandchildren. Would you just kill yourself so abruptly and leave them behind. For a moment look beyond the financial burden the family may bear to keep you alive, these people who you have had so many happy moments with and even in your condition still love you abundantly, isn't it inconsiderate to take the life that your family is working so hard to preserve.
     
   Some people consider PAS as "dying with dignity", but what is dignity? Dignity can be defined as "a sense of pride in oneself". But what does dying with dignity do for you? Dignity does not grant you some rank/accomplishment in the afterlife. Be humble and appreciate the time you have left, the things you can still experience and let things happen naturally, because rushing things based on your pride is pointless.

Again this is my opinion, I have no clue of the pain terminally ill patients go through...so I can 't talk from experience. However, life is not something you should end on your own but that doesn't mean I condemn people that do it; I just advise against it. What do you think?

Your Cyber Life and Your Employment

Q. Can your cyber life affect your job life?

A. IT DEFINITELY CAN!! According to Monster.com "It's not just what you say that can be held against you when you're looking for a job. It's also what you post on MySpace, write in your blog and broadcast on YouTube."

   Just take a moment and search your full name on google. Besides getting your Facebook profile as a result, you will also likely get you Google+ Account, your YouTube Channel, your blog, etc. (assuming you are on these different social media).This is an important thing to note because when we research a company we want to work for, they also research us! 

   For example, a person got a job as a teacher and one day she posted on her Facebook account "Got a new job. I can't stand children though". The following day when she came in for work, she was given a pink slip and bye-bye Blabbermouth.

Guys, we have to be so careful how we portray ourselves online because our cyber personalities are being critiqued  in real life. Your language, the post you publish, the pictures you upload, these are all available  to employers and can be a defining factor in whether we get the job or not.

So here are some tips, to spruce up your online reputation:

1. Take the initiative- Ask your friend to google you and tell you if there is anything you should be aware of (inappropriate blog post, embarrassing picture, etc.)

2. Clean up your social media profiles- Make sure that your statuses and posts can't be interpreted as derogatory or vulgar (basically edit/remove anything that gives a bad impression of you).

3. Build a strong cyber persona- share uplifting and positive content, write a blog expressing your opinions on rising issues, upload pictures of you doing volunteer work. These are ways you can create an impressive online image and employers will be more inclined to put you on the payroll.

We live a huge part of our lives online, so it is natural for us to post personal stuff at times. It may also seem indiscreet of employers to be prying into our social media life but it is now a reality. 

So be safe, think twice of what you post and make sure the image you portray online is a good one.