Science of Gratitude

In light of the recent holiday, and the season in general, I've decided to blog about something I've been trying out recently: gratitude. In a yoga class recently, the instructor challenged the class to write down three things everyday that were positive and that they were thankful for, sighting better mental and physical health as well as improved social interactions and personal relationships as the result.
Since, I've done a little research into the science of gratitude and found that this simple exercise is life changing. By focusing on the positive in situations and in day to day life, you are putting less stress on your body and mind. You feel happier because you think happy thoughts.
The yoga instructor told the class, "emotions are like waves" and we can choose which ones we ride. There's no point in riding a wave of resentment, anger, or frustration; it only takes a toll on your health and day.
Find things to be thankful for everyday. One man who participated in the study mentioned walking down the street and finding things that he liked or made him smile. As he walked to work each day, he would think to himself about dogs he liked, or the nice color of the sky or leaves, or about his legs that carried him around.
Others that participated in the study were asked to reflect only on good things that happened through out the day or things they were grateful for that day.
Another group was asked to recall negative or bad things that happened that day each night, and a control group was asked merely to recall events, but not emotional reactions to them.
The group that rode only positive waves throughout the study, remembered their time much differently than those who had been asked to reflect on negative things. They were happier and carried less stress and suffered from less ailments. They even exercised more and slept better!
Try being thankful for things each day and find the positive in all situations that you are  given; it will literally change your life.  By being grateful and thankful and noticing things that are good in every day situations, you are fully enjoying your life and your day to day interactions. These positive thoughts also improve your relationships with other.
The same wise yogi also challenged me with this thought: She told us that the way to impact our community and the world around us the most is to simply take care of ourselves and work on ourselves and treat ourselves with loving kindness. We can't fix all the worlds problems single handedly, and while we might not see the value in taking care of ourselves when there is so much need in our community, this is ultimately an excellent way to show kindness and improve the lives of those around you. For example, someone who values him/herself might be less likely to snap at someone or be impatient with someone. By giving yourself rest and working on your own emotional, mental, and physical health, you can improve the lives of others simply by being more pleasant to be around. Imagine if everyone in society was well rested and had a healthy meal and some time to take care of themselves--people all over would be more patient, happy, and willing to work with one another.
These are things I've been trying to put into practice in my personal life and I'm looking forward to all the benefits! Despite the greed and gluttony that can sometimes overshadow this time of year, try and keep it simple and focus on those you  care about and the spirit of giving and being thankful.

--Megan

Giving Back for the Holidays

The Holidays are a special time of year. Most people that are fortunate enough spend this time of year with family, friends, and lots of food. For those less fortunate the holidays can be a very difficult and disheartening time. But what makes this time of year so special is the amount of opportunities and events that allow people to give back.

Volunteer-There are several ways to get involved within your community and several projects that need volunteers for sustainability. Dedicating just a few hours of time to your community can really revive your spirit  and your neighborhood. So Others Might Eat has  a great holiday project that gives friends, family, and co-workers the opportunity to make up a holiday dinner basket for a low-income senior in DC. SOME provides a list of canned goods to make the side dishes and the meats are provided. Just bring the items you have put together to SOME by December 17th and you can also volunteer to help deliver the baskets to those in need.

Toys for Tots Program- the mission of this program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during the months of October, November and December each year to be distributed as Christmas gifts to needy children within the local community.

Adopt a family with Community of Hope-Every year in December Community of Hope looks to bring the holiday spirit to children and families throughout the DC community by collecting target gift cards. This program helps these households purchase gifts for their families for the holidays.

These are all great ideas to stay involved during the holidays and to give back to those less fortunate than yourself.  Below is a list of additional ways I have found that are great opportunities to give back both large and small. Since there is about a month left until Christmas this is a great time to make sure you are involved in giving back this holiday season. Have fun!

-Krystal

1. Invite an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone to join your celebration
2. Write a thoughtful note to someone special
3. Donate clothes you've outgrown
4. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
5. Send a care package to a soldier
6. Visit hospital patients
7. Foster a dog or cat
8. Shovel snow for a neighbor
9. Help pick up trash at a local park
10. Join a church or school group that does community service projects

Sending a Message

There is a message in every action. Most of you have probably seen or heard about the video above. On November 18th (my birthday), University of California, Davis Police used pepper spray to move occupy protesters blocking exits from the school's quad in Davis, California. Lt. John Pike sprayed a row of peaceful  Occupy Wall Street protestors. This video has gone viral and several political pundits have reacted.


One of the questions being asked is what should have the police done in this situation? UC Davis students participating in the occupy protests were peaceful and not threatening, harming intimating anyone. Some more conservative pundits have argued that the students "were only pepper sprayed" Pepper spray is a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness. Pepper spray is normally used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. Which of these uses apply in this situation? These students were not rioting out of control like animals, but yet that is how they were treated.


Because of the abrasive reaction of Lt. Pike and the officers many are equating this incident with those of Bull Connor during The Civil Rights Movement. Below is a clip of the infamous Bull Connor and his reaction to protests. Though I don't feel this act was as egregious as those of Connor it seems clear that the aggressiveness was unnecessary and unwarranted. As Americans we have the right to assemble peacefully and the right to freedom of speech and this act of protest falls within those categories. In situations such as these it seems people identify with one side or the other and their feelings align with that group. 


There is a message in every action. The UC Davis protestors were sending their message of solidarity with the occupy wall street movement of fighting back against big business. But the real question is what message was Lt. Pike and UC Davis Police sending to students, Occupy Wall Street, and the rest of the world? 


--Krystal

Help the Homeless Walkathon

This Saturday is the annual Help the Homeless Walkathon put on by Sallie Mae. Each year, the walk is held down on the National Mall to raise awareness and visibility about the issues of homelessness and affordable housing.
Homelessness is, unfortunately, on the increase and more and more people are living on the streets. Some 12,000 people are homeless in the District. Many of these people have jobs, but still cannot afford the cost of rent. The waitlist for affordable housing is over a year long. The main reasons that people become homeless are unforeseen economic crisis, job loss, foreclosure, serious medical condition, and death in the family. Families wind up on the streets when they are in the midst of other crises. Another factor that we can attribute homelessness to is the cuts to federal homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing programs. It is also important to note that as cities gentrify and old neighborhoods become new and appealing, many are forced from their homes as rent rises or as old apartments flip to condos. Some are working hard to make ends meet and stay in housing but as relief programs are cut and rent rises, this challenge becomes impossible.
This season, our coldest days so far were October 28 and 29. The emergency winter shelters in the District operate anytime the temperature drops to freezing during hypothermia season. Hypothermia season starts November 1. That means several DC residents were left out in the cold that weekend.
The Walkathon raises money and awareness for our most vulnerable community members. The money raised is in support of several local organizations including N Street Village, Community of Hope, Samaritan Ministry, SOME, Bread for the City, and Back on My Feet. These organizations are looking to fight poverty and homelessness at it's root and can provide those in need with what they need to find jobs and shelter.
It is the community's responsibility to look out for those living on the street; they are our burden. The norms and secret knowledge of our society have put them there, lacking options.

Come walk this Saturday and do your part to raise money and awareness for homelessness and those in our community who are out on the streets! It's not too late to register, and you can do so here. Homelessness is not an individual's fault; it is a matter of circumstances and all in the community are held accountable.
Take action! See you Saturday!

Bossypants

Tina Fey is funny. She was on SNL for years, and now she's the head writer of her own show, 30 Rock. She's funny, and people like her for that.
Bossypants is more than just funny, though, as is Tina Fey. The book deals with being a woman in a male-dominated work environment. It grapples with the gender norms our society has built into it's very foundations.
Why are men seen as funny and women are not? Why are men allowed to make fun of other men without hurting anyone's feelings, but women are not? Why can men have a career and a family without anyone worrying about it, but women cannot?
I recommend this book to all feminists (men can be feminists, too!) and I'd like to use it as a platform to discuss gender norms and sexism in our culture and the media.
These norms are ingrained into the institutions of this country. It starts from childhood: colors, appropriate toys, activities that children join, commercials, etc. It's the language that is used. Women are raised to be gentle and emotional, men are raised to be strong and not emotional.
It then subtly or overtly affects everything else we do. Women are objectified by all: the magazines and TV shows and advertisements tell women what makes them valuable (being pretty) and the men whistle and honk.
Women who are bosses are bitches. Women who sleep around are sluts. Men who are bosses are "have earned it." Men who sleep around are players.
It's built into our very language--we have two pronouns: "he" and "she." Our culture is obsessed with being able to put everyone in a box. Are they male, or are they female? Even more so, women have been defined by marital status(though this is changing): do we call them Miss or Mrs.? --it depends on whether or not they are married. This draws attention to a woman's marital status before one is even introduced.
Just because something has become normalized, does not mean it's actually acceptable. Bossypants is a light, funny read that shines some light on sexism and norms. Is Tina Fey crazy or selfish or neglecting her child because she wants to have a career and a family? Some would have you believe this is true.

Read the book. Laugh at Fey's jokes and ironies. Reflect on the gender norms of our culture and the root of them. They are archaic and make no sense in modern society. Identifying characteristics and personalities and abilities and salaries and worth based on an x or a y...it's primitive.

--Megan

DC Local Music Day

The next DC Local Music Day will be held on Wednesday, December 7th. This is a day to promote Listen Local First's  mission to develop partnerships between local musicians and local businesses in order to create additional avenues of local music exploration. This is a monthly even with over 25 local businesses streaming the music of the featured local musicians all day in their stores.

This is a great event that gives locals a chance to hear their own local bands as they go about their day. It is important for the community to support its neighbors and fellow community members. Some of the local bands being featured include Nappy Riddem, Free, and Typefighter. And on December 7th be sure to check out some of the local locations participating in the event like Tryst, big bear cafe, hello cupcake and Solly's.

Then December 8th let us know your favorite local band and where you listened to them.

--Krystal

In these battles no one wins

Today as I was listening to my daily morning radio show they began discussing a recent fatal incident that occurred at an off-campus Frostburg State University party. Just days ago a 19-year-old Frostburg State University physics major and a 23-year-old senior business major engaged in an altercation at the party that led to the death of the 19-year-old by stabbing. I was shocked after hearing this story. This is the second (that I am aware of) fatal fight between college women in Maryland in the past three months. The former incident being the horrifying roommate battle of Bowie State University. The commonalities of these two incidents; black women, college students, and weapons were used to stab the victim.

While listening to the radio the hosts said what many of us were thinking "how could something like this happen?" "what makes someone escalate to killing another human being?" One caller dared to respond to these questions stating that Frostburg University's demographics have changed and their admissions standards have fallen over the years leading to unstable conditions throughout and around the campus. Whether or not this is true is not for me to say. This statement did inspire me to do some research on both Frostburg and Bowie State University. But to me the real problem isn't these particular universities.

Incidents like these are happening throughout the country and each one is more surprising than the next. When did it become natural to act so violently when found in an unwanted confrontation. A few weeks ago Megan wrote a blog post about the American justice system, the death penalty and the mistreatment of minorities in the process. The death penalty is seen as the highest form of punishment, is this thinking carrying over in our everyday lives? Roommates are tired of dealing with each other and one sees no other option and in the heat of the moment one ends their argument with the highest form of punishment. Death.

I am not sure what any of this means, but I am certain that something is not working and those things need to be addressed. Losing young lives is killing the future of our society.

To read more about each case follow the links above and then leave your thoughts below.

--Krystal

Occupy

The Occupy movement is a huge movement sweeping our nation right now. I thought I'd take a moment to briefly discuss it here on the blog. The idea behind is it that 1% of the people in this country have all the wealth and power, despite our country being run as a democracy. The Occupiers want to redistribute that wealth and power. They want the 99% voices to be heard. They want people to notice that many are sick, hungry, and homeless, and are disenfranchised, with no one speaking up on their behalf.
It is no secret that the unemployment rate is rising. It is no secret that the middle class is shrinking--there are more people on either end of the spectrum. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.
What does that mean for those of us in the DC area? I think the Occupy movement carries another message, as well, here, and that is of being disenfranchised. There is a larger population here than certain states, and yet anyone who is a DC resident has virtually no political voice, no say in votes.
In a recent meeting that I attended for organizations that provide services to homeless people and advocate for housing and rights for the voiceless in our society, a speaker described Washington, DC, as a "mecca" for those who are homeless because we have services here and systems in place to provide for people in need. Unfortunately, the more people come, the less resources we have for them all. Additionally, what we may have in terms of resources, we lack in terms of a voice for these people.

The Occupy message is a simple one. We have given so much power to the wealthiest 1%. These people ultimately get to make the decisions, and they make the decisions with their interests in mind--while others go hungry or live on the streets. Even those that are working struggle to feed their families on minimum wage--it is not a living wage. Redistribute the wealth, redistribute the power. Let all voices be heard. The Occupiers are not violent. It's a peaceful movement. It's working, too--it's captured media attention and interest across the country and the world.

On a lighter note, here's a picture of Stephen Colbert trying to blend in with the Occupy Wall Street movement. He looks good!

Happy weekend, everyone.

--Megan

Gangs as a Community Organization

I just finished reading Gang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh, as recommended to me. A fascinating read; it was a story of a sociologist who becomes close with a gang in Chicago and studies poverty and community from this vantage point.
What I found most interesting about the story was how the gang operated much like another enterprise or legal business and this underground enterprise's interactions with the local community. There were officials, ranks, seniority, and politics. Gang members were expected to graduate high school in order to stay in the gang and have a chance at a higher rank. Much of the local community has a love/hate relationship with the gang. They need the gang to regulate activity in the community, support neighborhood services and businesses, and throw parties, but they also have to pay taxes to the gang, and put up with disruptions. The gang at time makes the community safer by enforcing boundaries and regulations within said boundaries, but it also makes the local community more dangerous as it becomes a target for other gangs to attack.
I found these interactions interesting. Many people, even legitimate workers, such as tenant and building officials, police officers, local businesses such as restaurants, convenience stores, and car shops, and church and school officials, work with the gang instead of against it. These people might know who the leaders are, but prefer to work with the gang in peace, as the gang is often a source of money for programming and protection for businesses.
Many people in the projects, gang affiliated or not, take part in the underground economy. This might be cooking and selling meals in your kitchen, babysitting kids, working on or washing cars, or cutting and styling hair.
This is how people survive. They might also offer these services for discount or in exchange for other goods. You can watch my cable, if you cook meals for my kids, for example. Even businesses would make deals with tenant officials in this way. People used their networks and made "friends" in places so they wouldn't get in trouble for illegal activity, or evicted if they didn't pay their rent.
Much of this was regulated by the gang, who would then want a cut. Some saw them as a dictatorship or another form of government. It was a way of life.
This culture has been adapted because of conditions of poverty. It is an innate human characteristic that we do what it takes to survive, and I believe this underground economy and gang organization has been formed as a way to do that. People in this particular project that Venkatesh studied lived much more communally than many other Americans do: they shared housing, child care responsibilities, utilities, food, and other resources. Venkatesh noted that often a group of apartments would work as one unit: one individual would pay the utilites and have hot water, and everyone in that group would shower there. Another would pay for cable so that everyone could watch TV there. Another would provide food. Another would provide child care so that other house holds could work. Certain people's names did or didn't go on the lease depending on whether or not they were working, so that the others could receive benefits for them all to split.

While many of the activities partaken in are illegal, this is a well-oiled, dictionary definition of true community. People rely on their neighbors, care for one another, and do what it takes to scrape by. The gang is involved in this because they see the gang as a resource.
Upon reading this account, I'm not sure where even a city planner or mayor or public official would start to break the cycle of poverty. It is so deeply rooted and has such different cultural norms than other society, that many cannot change their ways, even if they suddenly have money or more resources. Poverty has become a way of life with it's own rules and norms and systems. Introducing better housing, for example, or more police regulation, or better schools is a challenge as many are scared of what they don't know. These changes often create gang conflicts as people are moved around or forced to go to new schools. These changes, which many Americans see as good, are scary to those who are unfamiliar. It seems crazy to us that someone would not want to give up a life of poverty and crime, but I challenge you to see it in a different light: this is what this population knows.

--Megan