Month: December 2022

The Benefits of Having a Mentor

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Grace Cheng (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

What is the value of having a mentor in your life? Do you have an interest in finding one, but do not know where to begin?

 

What is mentorship?

Mentorship plays a crucial role in everyone’s life to ensure that they succeed in their endeavors. Everyone must have at least one outstanding mentor in their lives. Mentors in our lives can range from professionals, such as teachers and coaches, to everyday individuals we come across. They will provide you with valuable advice and motivation to transform your future dramatically. Mentors will show you simple shortcuts that will allow you to get back on track quickly. 

Through the mentoring relationship, the mentees can navigate obstacles and challenges they may encounter both in their professional and personal lives. Mentors can prepare mentees based on their own experiences, contributing to their success and achievement as they pursue their career and life goals.

Mentorship can help mentees stay motivated and focused on their career path, build confidence, teach them how to present themselves, achieve their goals, and expand their networks. Mentoring allows you to self-discover things that you may not have known about yourself and promote your career growth. It is important to pay attention to your mentors and take their advice and guidance, as this will help you grow personally and professionally. 

How to find mentors?

It is important to find a mentor who is aligned with your personal and professional development needs. Identify people who are in a more advanced stage in their career, preferably in your same field, to help you develop both hard and soft skills. A priority should be given to individuals who enjoy teaching or training and are committed to supporting the growth of others. Authenticity, reliability, awareness of a mentee’s needs, and engagement are important qualities in a mentor. Using this method may enable you to brainstorm with people you know who may be able to serve as your mentors.

Benefits of having mentorship

  1. Clarify your situation

When you are feeling lost or confused, it can be challenging to define your situation when thinking about it on your own. Your mentors can help you gain a clearer understanding of where you are now, how you arrived at this point, and where you hope to go in the future. 

  1. Valuable resource

Mentorship can be a valuable resource if you do not know what you want to do with your life. They help you define your skills and direct you towards industries and occupational roles that may be right for you.

  1. Provide guidance

They provide guidance that enables mentees to learn from their experience by offering advice, establishing trust, and listening to their questions and concerns. Mentors offer professional advice to mentees who may be entering the field for the first time, exploring a possible new career path, or hoping to succeed in their current positions.

  1. Teach from their experience

Your mentors will be able to provide you with valuable advice and insight based on the experience they have gained during their journeys, which can have been like yours. Find out what your mentors did when they were in your shoes and what they did to move forward.

  1. Role models

They can be your role models and will guide you toward a meaningful, successful, and fulfilling life. Imitate their behavior, their approach to life, and how they deal with obstacles if possible.

  1. Motivation and Inspiration

Mentors recognize when you make excuses or are unwilling to move forward and alert you to these situations. Unlike you, they are not willing to accept your unsubstantiated excuses. Moreover, they have dealt with similar fears to those you are currently facing, so they can assist you in developing the skills to overcome these fears and move forward. They have done this before, and they have “got your back.” Make use of their past successes as a motivation for your future endeavors.

  1. Encouragement

They encourage you when life becomes challenging, and you need a push to keep going. Without a mentor, it may be easier to come up with negative ideas in your daily life, especially when dealing with a complex issue or situation. 

  1. Promote personal and professional development

Mentors are experts at transforming negative experiences into learning opportunities. They can help you overcome your obstacles. Mentors can assist you to develop personally and professionally.

  1. Give honest feedback

Your mentors help you understand who you are so that you can identify your weaknesses and work to overcome them. Their feedback can assist you to identify areas of improvement, especially when you are not fully aware of them. 

Go for it if you are wondering whether to take the mentorship plunge – you will not regret it!

 

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Grace has an accounting and finance background. She enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, watching movies and playing sports.

What is Power?

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Isabella Wen (she/her), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Power

What is power?  

Some people say power is the ability to control others. Some say that wealth is power, since money runs the world after all. Perhaps power is physical strength or enamouring beauty.  

 

But at its core, what is power?

 

The other day a friend of mine ranted to me about how they wish they had the power to change what people thought about a certain author. That their opinions were wrong, that they have too much influence over young children. 

 

Another friend was upset that a certain politician was spreading false views, but that a different politician that they believe in is correct, and therefore had more power and influence. 

 

And yet another person wished people would stop giving the new internet sensation, Andrew Tate, a platform. A form of social power. 

 

Lastly, someone told me they wished that powerful people would turn their attention to the current housing market issues. Stating, “If I had the power to decide, the problem would be fixed really quick!” 

Conversations about power, control, and influence circulate around us each day. 

 

But what is power? How do we obtain power?  

 

There is a famous riddle from A Song of Ice and Fire that interests me quite a bit. It presents a situation where four people are stuck in a room. The four people are a King, a priest, a wealthy man, and a sellsword. The sellsword must kill two of them. Each person says to kill the other two people. The king argues that he is the ruler of the kingdom, his wish is the sellsword’s command. The priest argues that if he is killed, the sellsword will go to hell. The wealthy man offers plenty of money if he decides to kill the other two people. 

 

Who does the sellsword kill? 

 

Some say it is the King because he is the ruler of the kingdom. Some say the priest because he symbolizes God. Lastly, the wealthy man is a popular choice because many value money overall. 

So, what do you think? The option you choose reflects your beliefs. 

 

Power does not exist without bias. 

 

The answer to the riddle is it is the sellsword’s decision. If the sellsword believed in God and feared going to hell, he’d kill the King and the wealthy man, and so on. The sellsword has the power.  

 

Real power is choice.  

 

Real power is the ability to make a decision and the ability to choose who to support or choose who to disagree with. What to believe or what to disregard.  

 

Whether we believe that a certain politician or celebrity has power, we are giving them the power through influence and belief.  

 

We as people decide who holds power. We as people decide who to shun and who to put on a pedestal. We all have power. Power to choose and the power to make a difference through supporting what we value. Power to give people a platform for their voices. 

 

A study called the French and Raven (1959) model, explored the idea of there being 5 types of social power.  

 

First, Legitimate – This comes from the belief that a person has the formal right to make demands and to expect others to be compliant and obedient. 

Reward – This results from one person’s ability to compensate another for compliance. 

Expert – This is based on a person’s high levels of skill and knowledge. 

Referent – This is the result of a person’s perceived attractiveness, worthiness and right to others’ respect. 

Coercive – This comes from the belief that a person can punish others for noncompliance. 

 

Six years later, Raven added an extra power base: 

Informational – This results from a person’s ability to control the information that others need to accomplish something (definitions from mindtools.com). 

 

Sure, each representation of power from the beginning of the article, or from my many acquaintance’s remarks, are included here. Still, the study also explores how each social power has different effects and efficiency. What type of person are you? How do you interpret each method? What works on you? 

 

Power does not exist without bias. 

 

We control, we have power. We just have to recognize that and use it.   

 

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Isabella is a student in British Columbia. She enjoys reading, all kinds of music, meeting new people, and long walks in the park. She loves her family and friends who inspire her to work harder and pursue her dreams. Isabella owes much of her passion for writing to her older brother who always inspired her to nurture her writing hobby.

In the Moment

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Jihu Lee (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

How many of us constantly look forward to the “next big thing”? How many have also experienced finally arriving at said “big thing” only to be anxious for the next thing? I call this “Schroedinger’s lifestyle,” in which it feels impossible to be present in the moment that is occurring at a given time. 

Last fall during my sophomore year in college, I had a very intense schedule on top of the fact that it was also my first time on campus after the pandemic had kept us home online during my freshman year. Almost immediately once school started in the fall, I couldn’t wait for winter break. While I definitely enjoyed campus life, I was eager for the semester to end because of how exhausting my schedule already was and even started counting down the weeks. 

By the time winter break came, I was initially excited and deeply relieved that the moment I had been waiting for was finally here. However, I quickly realized that I was too restless and burnt to fully enjoy the break. I felt guilty about relaxing and – surprise – wanted the following semester to begin as soon as possible so that I could relish in productivity again. 

With the rise of the Omicron Variant at the time, the spring semester began online for the first two weeks before we were all confirmed to return to campus. These two weeks were immensely challenging for me, but it was also my final turning point for the mindset I carried every day. I made a promise to myself that if we were able to go back to school in person, I would treasure every little moment. When I returned to the campus that I had missed so much, I was fully determined to be present, no matter what was going on. I could not believe I had had the audacity to count down the precious weeks I was able to spend in the fall. Even amidst the high stress that I unavoidably encounter, I am learning to let it coexist with joy. 

Just as importantly, longing for the past is also detrimental to living in the moment. Of course, nostalgia and fond reminiscence are valuable, but being stuck in the past has consequences for our well-being. One of the biggest reasons I find myself wishing for the past is the realization that I’d still had so much time. Even a year ago from today, I was worried that things were moving too fast. And now, I look back and see how much life had been awaiting me and that I was far from running out of time. With this in mind, I am learning how to make the most out of the present moment, no matter how uncertain or anxious I feel about the future. And by living fully in the moment, I can make memories and create a past that won’t need grieving. 

All of this is certainly easier said than done. I myself am far from an expert and have only reached this point after facing adversity and life lessons first hand. But I hope we can all help relieve ourselves of any pressures we face – whether they are from past decisions or fear of the future – by remembering that there is only now. The past has passed and the future is not here yet. And by channeling our energy to the present, hopefully we can build ourselves both a past and a future worth remembering.

 

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My name is Jihu, and I’m from Salt Lake City, Utah! I have been with Low Entropy since May 2021. Some of the things I love are reading, writing, listening to music, playing with my dogs and spending time with my sister!

Keep on Keeping On, Even if Nothing Means Anything

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Zarna Shah (she, her, hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

Another day of scrolling through an endless barrage of engagements, million-dollar deals, and six packs; lives perfectly curated to fit on my screen and tease me with all that I could have but don’t. If only I just worked smarter, harder, longer. Hustle culture screams at me to be busier, to do more, to be better, to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of myself, so that maybe, just maybe, I can do something worthwhile, and be someone worth remembering. That’s the end goal, isn’t it? The mad dash toward excellence, just to feel like we mattered, and believe that our lives will be celebrated long after we are gone. 

Nowadays, it is easy to trick ourselves into a false sense of self-importance with all the privileges that social media has afforded us. What would have once been forgettable days, uncelebrated achievements of anonymous names and faces, are now stamped in a few lines of code to be remembered indefinitely. From markings in caves to cameras in our pockets, we have come a long way to make sure our existence is known. 

As my eyes glaze over the relentless stream of promotions, graduations, and pregnancies, my mind wanders to all those nameless and faceless that lived before me. My ancestors whose names are not in history books, whose faces are not in royal portraits, and whose achievements are unmarked. Did they not have lives worth remembering? And all the other people lost, stolen, forgotten from wiped out cultures and civilizations. They spoke in languages no longer spoken, sang songs that are no longer sung, and their stories are no longer told. No record of the lives they lived, only scarce accounts of what was lost. 

I almost pity them, but I know our fate is the same, only mine may be a little delayed. The dead only live through the memories and stories of the living, and in due course, the last brain holding the memory of me will be a decomposed pulp — or a pile of ash. The last body retaining the strengths I nurtured, and scars I created, will breathe no more. One day, even today’s most influential person’s page will be clicked on for the last time, and everything will be dust. 

So, is it all futile? Why try so desperately to create the illusion of immortality when we are all destined to be forgotten? 13.8 billion years of my atoms existing, 300,000 years of human life, and an infinite stretch of time ahead, long beyond the survival of humanity, yet we are irrefutably persistent to try and make a mark on Earth. Why make an effort when everything is destined to be nothing again? Well, that’s just what we are wired to do. Despite not knowing what all this life, love and labour is supposed to add up to, we endure on the off chance it might lead to something. 

Dinosaurs make me believe that our chances may be better than we think. 65 million years ago an entire species was eradicated. Now, a new species — supposedly more intelligent — spends years digging up their bones — to fight over them, yes, but also to learn about their ways of life and piece together details of their existence, long after they had any reasonable hope of being remembered. 

It is easy to look at the scope of the Universe and admit defeat because everything means nothing, and nothing means anything. Our existence is arbitrary, our survival is random, and the likelihood of being remembered is infinitely small. However, the chance that our actions could ripple out and matter to some entity, somewhere, someday is enough to carry on. Every human body, name, or face forgotten is not gone. Their legacies live on in us in ways we may not even understand. We carry them through our genes, cultures, beliefs, yes, but also through the butterfly effect of their everyday actions, and decomposition after death. Every creature that lived is remembered by the Earth, and the Universe must know that the Earth exists. So, we keep on keeping on.

 

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Leave your thoughts for Zarna in the comments below — better yet, start up a dialogue with the Low Entropy community in person at a Conscious Connections meeting or online at our community site. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to stay up-to-date with Low Entropy news!

Why Do We Strive for Recognition and Appreciation?

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Raghavi (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Everyone likes being recognized and appreciated. Why is this so important for us? Is it because we are social creatures who constantly want to fit in? Is it a throwback to our prehistoric genes, when our very survival depended on how highly we were thought of by the people around us? Our lives may not depend on it so much anymore but it definitely is tied to a sense of belonging and our mental health. We all want to be liked. To be recognized and appreciated for our actions tells us we’re doing things right, that we fit in and that our community likes us. It’s an external validation of our feelings, it tells us if we’re doing the right thing, a yardstick of sorts, to measure ourselves with. 

It starts at birth, when we are completely dependent on our parents for support and security. Our life depends on them until we can fend for ourselves. It is important for them to like us. We are conditioned to want their approval to ensure that they continue to look after us. Most of us, as we grow and even after we’re adults, continue to look for this –  from teachers, friends, colleagues, partners and everyone else in our lives. Striking a balance with this need is important and something that may take a whole lifetime to learn. When we seek it too much, our happiness depends too much on what other people think of us and we become people pleasers. Too little and we may be verging on sociopathic tendencies. Where we fall on this spectrum depends on the personality we are born with and it is further shaped by our life experiences. Dysfunctional families and trauma can affect our thought processes surrounding this and tip us over into people pleaser or attention seeker territory or make us go in the opposite direction, rebelling against conforming to societal standards.

We are also biologically programmed to want this. When we are recognized and appreciated it triggers the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in our brains. This in turn triggers happy feelings. Dopamine is also known as the pleasure hormone and is also triggered by things like nicotine and video games and plays a big role in addiction. This is why it is not easy to change how much we care about other people’s opinions of us. It’s hard to let go of that rush of happiness when someone appreciates us. It is also why complements can be more effective than complaints when you want to influence another person’s behaviour. I know I definitely do a better job at work when I am recognized and appreciated. Studies have shown that recognition at the workplace can boost employee performance and reduce turnover rates. Many businesses now invest in learning about and implementing ways in which to recognize and appreciate their employees. Happier employees means better work which ultimately means more profit for the business. Interestingly studies have also shown that recognition tied to financial incentives doesn’t have the same effect. 

Recognition is also linked to power. People are recognized for their power and status. Wealth is an example of something that contributes to power. People like to ally themselves with powerful people. This is probably another throwback to prehistoric times when hierarchy and strategic allegiances could mean the difference between life and death. While not so critical in today’s world, it is still important. It can make for an easier life, open more doors etc. People like being powerful as it  gives them control over others and also control over their own lives. 

While the words recognition and appreciation are used interchangeably there is a difference. Recognition is when you acknowledge someone’s performance, a more formal process than appreciation, which is when you admire their inherent value as a person. Appreciation is not about a person’s accomplishments, it is about who they are. There may not always be the time, resources or opportunity  to recognize everyone around us but we can certainly appreciate them. A few words are enough to convey your appreciation; you can tell them what you like or admire about them. You can also show appreciation through your actions: listening, giving your undivided attention, asking how someone is doing and being available are some examples. When someone appreciates us we feel seen and heard, our existence is acknowledged. When someone recognizes us we feel that our efforts are noticed. Take the time to recognize and appreciate those around you and don’t forget to do the same for yourself. You deserve to be recognized and appreciated too and taking the time to do it for yourself can be highly rewarding.  

 

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Leave your thoughts for Raghavi in the comments below — better yet, start up a dialogue with the Low Entropy community in person at a Conscious Connections meeting or online at our community site. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to stay up-to-date with Low Entropy news!

 

Perceiving Others: A Complex Process

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Elizaveta Garifullina (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Is our perception of people always correct?

 

My answer is that someone who feels people and, most importantly, knows how to listen to themselves understands people correctly. However, some people may have difficulty with this. We like to put labels on others, and then, we successfully become disillusioned with these people. But is it their fault? We fill them with our expectations and believe they are wrong if they do not meet them. 

 

Especially the first meeting and acquaintance are always filled with riddles. We can be confused by fears, anxiety and stereotypes, but we must listen to gut feelings; it is one of our most powerful tools. If when meeting a person, our whole body shouts “run” to us, and our emotions overwhelm us, then we clearly need to be careful with this person. Our body, like our subconscious, knows much more than we think and much more than we know. There is a lot of wisdom in this, so why don’t we use it?

 

Intuition. A thought that comes into our head and is felt in the back of our head. These thoughts feel like our voice. Anxiety can be caused by our past negative experiences or by various stereotypes. But the difference between anxiety and intuition is that intuition will never scare us. Intuitive thoughts are never obsessive; they will not spin in our heads and lead to panic. Thoughts from intuition just feel right but never cause disturbing feelings.

 

But even people who understand their own and others’ emotions and who are empaths cannot fully understand and know another person. Sometimes we spend our whole lives trying to understand ourselves. As for other people? People show only a part of their personality, a little bit of their character.

 

We know only a tiny part of the character of distant classmates, friends of our friends and just people with whom we went through only one situation that did not reveal all our sides of personality. If we only get closer to these people, we can get to know their great essence. Each person is incredible in their manifestation, and it takes a very long time to understand the whole personality.

 

Moreover, people change. We remember the versions of people they were when they were around, but each person goes through their own transformations. A few years, a year, a month, and even a day can completely and irrevocably change a person. We can think of a classmate at a school we graduated from five years ago in one way, but this person may already be completely different.

 

We can also be influenced by past experiences. If our new acquaintance looks like someone with whom we were very close but for some reason broke up, then we will perceive this person through the prism of past experience. Appearance, eye color, habits, place of birth, an atmosphere of a person and even the smallest details affect our perception. And if these details remind us of someone, then our mind immediately begins to create associations.

 

Therefore, the best solution that I advise everyone is to refrain from imposing expectations on people and not divide them into villains and heroes, bad and good, intelligent and silly, interesting and boring. A person can be a hero in the lives of hundreds and a villain for you. Does it mean that he is a villain? For you, yes, but would it be right to judge like that? We should appreciate every person in our life because everyone gives us amazing lessons and experiences. This is the most important thing because when the book of our life turns to its last page and closes, all we can take with us is the experience from this life.

 

Elizaveta Garifullina (she/her/hers)

 

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Leave your thoughts for Elizaveta in the comments below — better yet, start up a dialogue with the Low Entropy community in person at a Conscious Connections meeting or online at our community site. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to stay up-to-date with Low Entropy news!

Leaving a Legacy that Matters

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Ugochi Guchy Kalu (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

The concept of generativity and narcissism can make legacy seem either selfish or selfless. Since legacy is not neutral, I’d completely agree to define legacy as self-centered if only one is focused on achieving a reputation, name, infrastructures or just financial wealth. Legacy is inescapable as we will all leave behind something when we are gone. The most important question is; How do we build the kind of legacy we want to be remembered for? 

A few years ago, I encountered a communal narcissist whose legacy was somewhat controversial as many people had varying opinions about the real intentions behind all his deeds. While everyone abroad sang his praises and nearly built an altar of worship in his name, his community, family and close friends felt entirely the opposite. His family had no good thing to say about him, there was no record of his goodness towards the people that mattered. Indeed, he was a narcissist whose legacy was self centered and intended for public approval rather than doing good just for the sake of it. 

Dr Clarke was a well known great man who amassed wealth through his numerous business conglomerates. He became so popular that two out of five billboards and business magazines had his face or business logo on them. No tour to his home town would be complete without a visit to his palatial mansion whose architectural design is magnificent. As popular and as rich in wealth as he was, sadly, there was no significant impact he made towards humanity. His staff would always describe him as a tyrant, who would demean anyone beneath him. He never offered scholarships, never participated in communal development projects nor reached out to his immediate family. Strange how people who are farther away idolized him as a generous philanthropist. 

Dr Clarke passed away a few years ago and no one attended his funeral except for a few business colleagues and strangers from abroad. His tribute was empty as no one had any good memory of him. His funeral was nothing less than ordinary for a man of his status. It was indeed a regretful and historically sad day as family, friends, staff, recounted their personal bitter experiences and thought that his death was a good riddance.

Converse to this event, I recalled when Brother Stanley from my Mum’s hometown passed. The entire village was thrown into mourning, everyone was sad, wailed, screamed their lungs out in protest. Some blamed God for taking him away while some painfully offered to die in his stead if that were possible. I could not understand what he did to merit such a show of love from everyone, he was neither rich nor influential. It was during his funeral that I gained clarity of what his life represented. 

Stanley had no material riches, but he was rich in love and kindness. He was a gift that kept giving. He helped the elderly in farm activities for free, was a son to all the widows, gave free lessons to the teenagers at the local school, rebuilt fallen fireplaces, gave free rides to school children at the back of his motorbike and would single handedly sandfill potholes on the major roads to allow motorist easy access. Such and more were the testaments of people in their tribute to him. It was magical to see the entire community declare a mandatory mourning holiday that no one objected to. His life was a mirror that pointed out the inadequacies of others just by a quick glance. There were simply no words to describe his character that would do justice to how much of an impact he made in the shortest period he lived. 

He was sent off to the great beyond in the most honorable way possible, his funeral was a solemn assembly that translated into a moment of sober reflection for many, myself included. It was at that moment that I clearly understood the true meaning of selflessness and true service to humanity. 

I dare say that the richest legacies aren’t triumphant biographies, palaces or inscriptions on buildings, they are rather the inscriptions of love inside the hearts of those we have served. In the final analysis, nobody really cares about the extent of your status, prestige or material wealth, they care about your contributions and impact to their lives, because legacy lives through people and not just through results. Your positive impacts will ripple far beyond generations if we cared about living lives of higher purpose.

There are numerous people whose legacies and contributions to the society have been nothing but selfless, sacrificial, endearing, hope-bound and empowering. These people ideally understood what it means to give back without expectations. Public acceptance and praises were not the motivations behind their acts. These people understood necessities, inventions, development, growth, progression and were inspired by doing good. Their hallmark is often to be remembered for the positive outcome of their decisions rather than the gratifications and awards that followed. These are great philanthropists, educators, inventors, leaders, coaches, spiritual enlighteners, presidents, freedom fighters, abolitionists, mentors and change agitators. Indeed, the greatest legacy anyone could have, is a life that was lived in fulfillment of purpose and one that points towards positive reinforcement. 

My name is Ugochi Guchy Kalu, I believe that we are but footsteps in the sands of time, to be washed away. In the meantime, let us serve with detachment!

 

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My name is Ugochi Guchy Kalu, I have lived in a bubble and also experienced real life hurt. I pulled through the toughest times through acceptance and a positive outlook. Stay positive, pals!

The Benefits of Having Family Trees

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Grace Cheng (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Why should we create Family Trees?

The decision to create family trees will take you on an exciting journey through time. You will begin your journey at the beginning of your life as a time traveler. Review your birth record again and make a note of the details of your birth, including the location, the date, the names of your parents, and include the maiden-name of your mother. Afterward, you should record information about your residences, education, marriage, and children. Then, you should begin researching the lives of your parents further back in time. Making a family tree can be a wonderful experience for you to share with your children, parents and grandparents, and if you are extremely fortunate, with your great-grandparents.

What is a Family Tree?

A family tree represents a person’s lineage in the form of a tree, showing relationships with common ancestors. At the bottom of the family tree, you are represented, as well as your current generation and immediate family. Following this, the line would be branched upwards and outwards to represent your parents, their respective family trees, and other distant and close relatives as you continue to research the origins of your family tree. 

Benefits of having Family Trees for Children

  1. help children understand where they came from

It is common for children to be unaware of where their families originated from or to have no cultural connection to their ancestral homelands. While this may not come as a shock, children deserve to have the opportunity to feel a close connection to a country, culture, ethnicity, and town. Identifying one’s cultural identity can provide insight into everything from one’s family name to one’s ethnic makeup to one’s food preferences. Children need to understand their family tree to feel part of a larger culture.

  1. Build their self-discovery

It is human nature for children to desire to know who they are and where they come from to feel a sense of belonging. Family trees can be used to gain a deeper understanding of their ancestors by tracing their roots back through generations to establish a frame of reference for their current lives in a broader historical and geographical context. It will also strengthen their self-identify, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of their families’ past, the family line responsible for their births, and who their ancestors were.

  1. Allow children to become interested in their family history

A family tree can help children in gaining an understanding of their family’s past. It is common for children not to recognize the names of their grandparents after a generation or two. But a family tree can provide them with valuable information regarding their ancestors. As a result, they may become curious about the notable people in their family history and what they accomplished. Through these conversations, children can learn more about their current family members and where they reside. 

  1. Create a legacy for loved ones

You can pay tribute to family members by building a family tree in their honor, and you can leave a legacy that will benefit your children and their future generations. If loved ones have passed away, a family tree will allow children to commemorate the times they spent with them and remember the important role that they played in their family’s history.

  1. Encourage children to bond with their relatives

Children may discover they share similar traits and personalities with their aunts, uncles, and cousins through the creation of a family tree. They will be able to relate better to their relatives if they are aware of where they fit into the chart. Children will also be able to establish connections with their relatives. Being able to form meaningful connections with relatives is integral to living a happy and fulfilling life.

  1. Encourage children to stay connected with their families

Being connected to their families helps them maintain a sense of groundedness throughout the years. A family tree is an excellent method for fostering family connections in your children. Besides learning names and relationships between people from the past, your children can also gain valuable insight into their desire to stay connected.

  1. Make children more empathetic and resilient

When children are taught about the terrible tragedies their ancestors experienced, they are more likely to be courageous when they are facing life challenges. As a result, your children will develop compassion by understanding the shortcomings of their relatives, which will enable them to be more compassionate individuals.

  1. Learn about their family medical history

Learning about their family tree will also enable them to understand their families’ medical history. So many diseases and conditions are passed down genetically, so knowing their genetic risks are always beneficial.

A family tree can assist in connecting you with the members of your family, even the ones you may not have known to exist, or who you may have lost contact with over the years. There is a possibility that your family still lives in the area even though you are unaware of their existence.

 

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Grace has an accounting and finance background. She enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, watching movies and playing sports.

A Familial Legacy

Posted on by andrew

Andreza Gonçalves (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer.

As the years pass by, humanity becomes more and more worried about productivity. People nowadays live in a frenetic state, often attempting to accomplish something significant in order to be recognized in some way and make a lot of money. Moreover, the internet and social media have also greatly increased the need that individuals have for doing incredible things and being in the spotlight.

Many human beings tend to believe that wealth and social status on the internet are the best they can do to be remembered; however, what is not told (or maybe it is told but not taken seriously enough), is that it doesn’t matter how good you have been at work or how many likes you have had on social media; one day almost everybody might be forgotten. I, for instance, know almost nothing about my great-great-grandmother. Right now, I am not even sure of her name.

This story about being forgettable can seem a little bit morbid or even sad; nevertheless, this is not how it should be. Even in this situation, where I cannot remember my great-great-grandmother’s name, I am sure that some of the customs I have today came from her. It may sound too subtle for some people, but it is not, and I have a good enough argument for that.

Without my family’s ancestors, my grandmother would not exist, neither my mom, nor myself. Current usage originated somewhere unknown and was passed down to me at some point in my life. The sum of many people’s ideas and thoughts contributed to who I am today. 

Having a family may sound too simple to a portion of the population, but it is nothing less than the human species’ continuation and evolution. Imagine: if everyone who was born had to start from the bottom, then humanity would never evolve in numerous aspects. 

As a result, the incredible impact someone may have over centuries becomes apparent, and things like your job or Instagram account seem to have less purpose or significance since what remains is the understanding and worldview you passed onto future generations.

The Cambridge dictionary itself defines the word “legacy” as “a situation that has developed as a result of past actions and decisions.” It’s incredible to consider that humanity is composed of shards of individual behaviors left over the centuries. It fills people with purpose and motivation to do their best for others as their small contribution to a whole lineage that is about to come. 

Okay, but what about those who have no blood relatives? Aren’t they going to be able to leave a meaningful legacy? In fact, causing an impact on others who may exist after you is not necessarily related to blood lineage. Here and there, it is possible to have friends who are like family and whom we can directly influence with our choices, behaviors, and discoveries. How many of us have already been impacted by a neighbor or a colleague? Almost everybody I know can affirm having known a confident person who they didn’t share genetics with but who had a pretty relevant impact on their lives.

So, leaving a legacy goes beyond sharing DNA. A legacy comes to life when we see a safe space in people who are important to us and start to make them a home, where we share our best intentions and teach what we have learned throughout our existence. This type of inheritance emerges from a choice and is more likely to be eternal than material goods, which can be spent in the blink of an eye and can disappear like a cloud of smoke.

All in all, when our existence comes to an end, the most valuable things we might leave behind are those that can be remembered from the bottom of someone’s heart. The good news is that, unlike in the past, future generations will be able to put a face to the construction of who they are in old photographs. For that to happen, we just need to decide to leave behind something worth being remarkable. 

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Andreza is a Brazilian lawyer, passionate about volunteering, and who wants to cause a good impact in the world. Andreza loves her family, her dog, and traveling. She lives in Brazil and expects you to be touched positively by her words.

Recognition, Good Deeds, and What It All Means

Posted on by Ming Poon

“In some ways, recognition can be a powerful thing.” – Florence Ng

 

Florence Ng (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

In a second year philosophy class I took many years ago, there was an ongoing debate on whether or not Mother Teresa was an inherently selfish person despite all of her good deeds. After all, didn’t she do good deeds for her own satisfaction? The issue on the table was altruism—is there such a thing as true altruism? Particularly with someone as well known as Mother Teresa, wouldn’t such recognition be inherently selfish? More importantly, does intention even matter when it comes to good deeds? 

 

I posit these questions because our world needs good people doing good deeds. But what does that mean? Perhaps more so than any other point in history due to the wealth of information at our fingertips, we are all riding a delicate tension between hope and helplessness, somewhere on the spectrum of misanthropy and love for humanity. Good deeds feel like a stepping stone for celebrity and corporate clout while activists, advocates, organisers, etc. largely carry on with their lives in obscurity. Does this mean that recognition or the desire for recognition is selfish or evil? Where, then, does obtaining recognition with the hope to inspire fall? What about the privilege of having the resources and/or capacity to carry out good deeds in the first place?

 

Perhaps such philosophical questions are moot. At the core of it, goodness is not an intellectual pursuit, but a series of actions and ideals shaped by experiences, values, identity, and community. Such actions and ideals are often upheld by specific communities, and interpreting, in my opinion, what the human experience is about. In this way, recognizing perceived goodness is no small thing. When we encourage, validate, and give respect to an individual for their good deeds, we as communities are encouraging more of it. In some ways, recognition can be a powerful thing. 

 

For example, if a person publicly says something hateful to a minority group, it isn’t uncommon to hear of backlash escalating into death threats. In this case, can the individuals threatening harm on a person be considered doing a good deed? What if that minority group is a threatening force advocating violence? Can the speaker be considered doing a good deed? 

 

In a world where many feel isolated, it can be difficult to interpret what good means, especially in a place and time where so many conflicting depictions of good and evil abound. It may be difficult to hear yourself in a sea of loud voices. I don’t have a solution for this. Instead, I present my own beliefs on the topic: 

 

  1. Actions that exhibit kindness, compassion, and the willingness to understand another’s perspective should be recognized, reinforced and perhaps even publicised to encourage others.
  2. Good and bad deeds do not define you, but how you perceive your actions can impact how you view yourself, especially if your definition of good does not align with others. Often, this could wear you down physically and/or emotionally. 
  3. Accountability is one of the most underrated forms of goodness. It is a recognition that one’s own actions have hurt people, and steps are being taken to reconcile and heal. When publicised, however, it can often appear disingenuous. 
  4. There are no real heroes in any story and the idea of a good person is a myth when we examine the same characters from a different angle. 
  5. Not everyone has the capacity to do good deeds or work toward a greater, collective good. We live among many oppressive systems designed to make this difficult.
  6. We are all just trying our best every day in the only ways we know how. 

 

None of the beliefs I listed are without their own tensions. There are certainly days where some beliefs are louder than others. Even so, many or all of these beliefs can be true at once in this incredibly nuanced world. Ultimately, the unsatisfying answer to it all is that it’s up to the individual to decide how to recognize and encourage the good you want to see in the world and hope that the rest of the world will follow. 

 

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Hello! My name is Florence, and I’m an educator, storyteller, traveller, avid board game collector and curious, lifelong learner, among many other things. I’m passionate about human connection and mental well-being, and I love meeting new people! 



The Value of Recognition and Appreciation

Posted on by Ming Poon

“We all need to be recognized for the successes we achieve and the work we put into what we value as recognition and appreciation are large factors to our growth” – Hailee Piendl

 

Hailee Piendl (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Why do we strive for recognition and appreciation?

 

“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated” – William James. We all need to be recognized for the successes we achieve and the work we put into what we value as recognition and appreciation are large factors to our growth. It is a part of being human and a motivator for almost everyone. We strive for a “job well done” as it fuels the work we put in at our jobs, our relationships, and how we value ourselves.

 

The value of recognition in the workplace

There is a reason one may see a picture framed on the wall of their workplace that reads “employee of the month”. Incentives for employees to do their best and show impeccable customer service is to be recognized by their co-workers that they are “the best” of the month. 

My first job I ever had was at a pet store for minimum wage (shocker) and getting my first raise and being given the responsibility of managing the store was a huge accomplishment. That incentive gave me a boost of confidence in myself and in turn, I became more attentive and did an even better job at work. Hard work pays off after all! 

I believe giving incentives to employees is a great way to grow a company and those who are a part of it. Being praised for a job well done and a plaque to prove it grows one’s confidence and drive to be better, leading to a greater career and overall success of a company. We strive for recognition and appreciation in the workplace to feel respected by a community we value the opinions of.

 

Appreciation in relationships

Studies have proven appreciation and gratitude to be contributing factors to the success of one’s relationship. Whether it be with a spouse or family member, selfless deeds we do for one another would not continue if we did not get recognition for them. Why? Because it is a basic need to feel appreciated in a relationship. 

Many of my romantic relationships have ended because one of us felt invalidated in what we were giving to the relationship. The teeter totter of appreciation was tipped too far to one side and when love isn’t enough, what’s the point of being with someone who doesn’t value you? 

We need recognition to feel loved, to be seen by the one person we love the most. Oftentimes their opinion is the one we value most of all. Therefore, we seek their approval. One of the most common complaints from couples in a committed relationship is “He/she just doesn’t appreciate me”. Thus, they end up in couple’s therapy trying to figure out the underlying issue when a simple “Thank you, dear” would have gone a long way. Knowing it is a part of human psychology to be appreciated would improve relationships. 

 

Our beliefs and how we value ourselves

This is a tricky one, sometimes seen as self centered or selfish but don’t be mistaken. 

Selfishness is defined as: “lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.” Viewing ourselves in a high regard and believing we are worthy is one of the common qualities of highly successful people. It is not selfish. 

I believe viewing yourself in the highest regard is one of the greatest forms of self-love you can give yourself. The previous forms of validations above are through external sources. However, real success comes from the internal knowing we are worthy of success and love. 

If you don’t have the skill to validate yourself, one will eventually be starved of the external validation we need to be confident and go after our goals. 

 

In conclusion

We all need validation and appreciation because it is a basic need for humans. We gain that validation through external sources such as the community at our workplace and the relationships we share with others. Additionally, we need validation from ourselves to ultimately sustain confidence in ourselves and reach our goals.

 

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My name is Hailee and I have an unbreakable passion for health, wellness, and writing! I started blogging not too long ago and have since enjoyed every second of it. I write fitness and nutrition based articles over on my website www.youngandwyld.com. I am also a bookkeeper by day and online CPT by night who loves to help people achieve their goals while enjoying the process every step of the way:)

Thoughts on Perception

Posted on by Ming Poon

“There is neither certainty, absolute truth, or metaphysical reality, nor one single perception of people.” – Najmuddin Hossaini

Najmuddin Hossaini, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

      The title is a genuine inquiry that can be probed from different perspectives. One is the philosophical possibility. To investigate it from this viewpoint, it can be articulated that there is no ‘object’ unless with some abstract discernment behind it. Whether the object is real, fictional, a human being, or non-human; a sort of judgment is applied to relate it with some pre-recognitions. For instance, when we express a statement like ‘the car is red’, we go according to common sense. The same condition is true with the phrase “Sara is tall” as well. In these examples, we presupposed that a certain order is called ‘red’ or ‘tall’. That presupposition comes from our pre-recognition of conditions.

 

What does metaphysics say?

      ‘Being’ and ‘reality’ are major elements studied in the metaphysics of philosophy. If we mention at least two noticeable tendencies in this field, we walk back to ancient Greek, the schools of Heraclitus and Parmenides; which have relied upon the topic from two opposite angles. Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic philosopher who believed that there is no permanence in things except “change”. As he expressed, everything is constantly “changing” and “becoming”. His most famous statement is “you cannot step twice in the same river”. Unlike Heraclitus, Parmenides of Elea, another pre-Socratic philosopher, thought that there is some kind of stability in the universe. He indicated, in addition to the changing appearance of universe objects, there is permanent stability in them as well. According to him, things have two dimensions: Appearance which is changing, and essence which is permanent. The connection of these notions with our topic is that we can adopt any of these stances toward people so we will get different results. If we adopt the way of Heraclitus, then people are in an ongoing change condition and our perceptions of them also should follow the same attitude. Hence, no accurate perception is there, unless we examine the people along with our perception of them permanently. 

 

Moral Relativism Position 

      Ethical relativism is an outlook held by moral relativists considering different moral judgments of people. The relativists take on their positions and moral judgments according to the cultural, historical, and social contexts of individuals. Therefore, the results of their viewpoints towards people are different and variable from one person to another and from one society to another. They accept that different individuals can have different views regarding what is ethical or unethical. In different words, moral relativism indicates that everyone ought to be judged concerning the context, and this situation is true somehow even in physics. 

      One of the lessons we learned from Galileo is that we “do not have absolute motion”, or we cannot claim if an object is moving or not in general. Galileo showed that one must always introduce a “ground” or “context” and measure the motion of objects against it. Therefore, we have no such thing as “absolute motion”. Whenever it is stated this object is moving, we should ask “Relative to what?” The point is that there is no absolute truth about the motion of objects, and the motion of objects is only meaningful relative to a context. The outcome the writer gets from the topic of relativism is that our perception of people is relative too. When we opt for a position regarding an individual, we might have inadvertently involved our own culture, social values, and moral judgments in that or we may have avoided the inclusion of the contexts of the other side. Therefore, if we exclude the social, historical, and cultural contexts of others, the possibility of moral errors in our perceptions and judgments toward others is always expected.

 

What is the conclusion?

      At the time we approach one window, other windows are not seen. In other words, we live in the world of multi-meaning instead of one. And, to know it, individuals have to own a wider perspective, different prospects, and an unsolid understanding of the universe. There is neither certainty, absolute truth, or metaphysical reality, nor one single perception of people. We are dealing with a world of possibilities in which individuals perceive people and things differently. So, it is feasible that what we think of people, the way we perceive them, and from the standpoint, we perhaps judge them, are inaccurate. As Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, and theologian said: “Each interprets my notes in harmony with his feelings, however, not one fathom the secrets of my heart”. Thus, a high chance of having inaccurate imagination about people is always probable. As a last resort, we keep this epistemological inquiry ‘how do we know that something is right or wrong’ reliable.

 

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Najmuddin Hossaini holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Herat University, Afghanistan, and a master’s in philosophy from the University of Pune, India. He has published many articles on the subjects of human rights, women’s rights, education rights of women, peace talks, the Taliban extremism, violence, and environmental issues.

What does it mean to leave a lasting legacy?

Posted on by andrew

Faizah Latif (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

“To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every individual should strive towards creating a meaningful life in the hopes of leaving behind a lasting legacy, as this is the sign of a life well-lived. To make a mark in a positive way for others is an accomplishment. Since every individual develops their unique personality, skills, and lifestyle, the manner in which someone leaves behind a legacy can look different for each person. The important factor is to embody your true authentic self in the work that you do. Which special qualities and quirks do you embrace about yourself? 

Self development is the process of discovering your talents and experimenting with different hobbies in order to achieve greater heights. In the process, you learn the areas in which you excel and you are constantly in the pursuit of finding your true potential. Life is not meant to be lived in a stagnant state, and the more we are willing to place ourselves out of our comfort zones, the more we truly begin to live. There are many ways to contribute towards self development, and it depends on you and where your interests lie. This can range from community work, writing, cooking, sports, meditation, journalling, reading, or travelling to name a few. In the process of self development, one is always trying to find ways to better themselves and to keep learning and growing. You would not find someone passionate about self development that is comfortable in the state that they are in, because they are on a mission to continuously improve themselves.

The beautiful thing about creating your own lasting legacy is that you can select traits that you admire from your loved ones that you look up to and infuse them into your own life. In embodying different traits and still enmeshing your own personality, you are developing your own personalized life journey that can inspire others. Our loved ones that have passed have shared with us their gems as they left a lasting legacy, and it is up to us to discover those gems and their meaning. My maternal grandfather passed away two months ago, and he left behind the beautiful trait of generosity, as he was always giving to others in need and was fair to everyone. After his passing, this is a trait that I am trying to embody in my own life. Besides those in our lives that have passed away, we can also be inspired by role models that have shaped our lives in a positive way. By examining their positive traits, we are cultivating a healthy habit of focusing on the good in others, while simultaneously challenging ourselves to adopt those specific traits into our own lives.

Another area to implement and focus on when it comes to a lasting legacy is to share your life story with others. Whether this is through writing, speaking, or community involvement, finding a way to share what you’ve learned in life leaves a huge impact in the world. We are all composed of various struggles in our journeys that have made us stronger. In turn, we can give back to others and share the lessons we’ve learned so that others can benefit, and the community can be stronger together. Perhaps there is a trip that changed your perspective in life, as travelling derives many benefits in terms of growth. Or, you have gone through a challenge in your life that you did not think you could surmount, and you found the light at the end of the tunnel. Individuals are greatly inspired by those that have fallen down but had the courage to come back up even stronger than before. 

Essentially, creating a lasting legacy involves the ability to truly live life to its fullest and experience all the ups and downs that come our way. A lasting memory of someone is preserved in the way that they carry themselves and handle the hurdles they are presented with. If life were easy, we wouldn’t grow or have anything to learn from. Further, we would not have anything to educate others on. The final question is: how do you plan to leave a lasting legacy?

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Faizah is an aspiring social worker, currently in the process of completing her Master in Social Work (MSW) degree. She enjoys self development and advocating for important causes in the community. Writing is one of Faizah’s passions, and she is honoured to share her writing on the Low Entropy platform in the hopes of providing inspiration.

The common things that develop affective memories.

Posted on by andrew

Daniel Mejía (he/him/his), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

The question “How do you want to be remembered?” is a question that once in our lives we have been asked or have asked ourselves. Many would like to be remembered for their achievements or for being the best at something; for leaving a legacy so that millions of people remember who they were. Others, including myself, would prefer to be remembered from the heart, by anecdotes, by places, by a few people, but to be remembered by building a bond between us.

It is death, an unpredictable phenomenon like fate, and irrepressible like time. There comes a day when our time comes for all of us, our clock stops, its hands stop moving. It is at that precise moment when we take stock of our lives when we see our entire lives pass before our very eyes. The truth is that we are too afraid of being forgotten, we worry about leaving a mark on the world when what matters is living while we still can. In this way, new stories full of details are developed that, at some point and after our leave, could lead to memories of us in life. All those unforgettable moments of happiness, sadness, love, and dedication that had remained latent in our memory.

And also, think about what will become of all those memories. Will we still be remembered as we were? Will our memory remain in the minds of our loved ones? I want to think that it will. And that is, in my perception, the main difference between leaving a legacy and developing intimate memories with your loved ones. While a person with a great legacy can be remembered for their works and achievements in life, we can develop memories through things as simple as words made up with your partner, or a song that was heard on the radio while traveling with the family, or a specific place, like the one you visited with your siblings many years ago. The difference between leaving a legacy and being intimately remembered is the involvement of your senses in the process of remembering.

The smell and taste of some food made by that relative, the texture of your partner’s skin, the incredible colors that are formed in a sunset view with your friends, the sound imparted by a guitar like the one your grandfather played; all the senses are related to the process of remembering, to sensory memory. All this sensory information is stored in our body for a few seconds, although the original stimulus is no longer present. The brain is capable of deciding if said sensory information is or is not relevant to be stored. And this is the wonderful thing about leaving a memory in another person; you were relevant enough in a person’s life so that their brain allowed you to be part of their sensory memory.

The mere act of being remembered is the result of a very complex process and, to me, it would be very flattering knowing that I impacted someone’s life that much, that the times we spend together can activate the process of remembering. Particularly, I proposed to myself some kind of afterlife goal to be able to cause a big smile on someone’s face by remembering them, through little life details, a specific day in which we laugh, cry, sing; that we enjoy the coincidence of coinciding in life.

We tend to worry about leaving a legacy in this world, when in fact the most precious memories, the most intimate, and that generate sensory memories, are those that happen spontaneously, effortlessly, simply by living life surrounded by the people you love. By living we will be remembered.

 

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Mexican biotechnologist specialized in the reuse of natural compounds from agro-industrial waste. Passionate about science and the creation of inclusive spaces. From Mexico, he collaborates with Low Entropy as he seeks to migrate to Canada in the coming months.

Legacy; Remembering Those Who Have Left Us

Posted on by andrew

Cassandra Di Lalla (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Oh my stars, where do I even begin?!

Well, first and foremost – we have all experienced the loss of a loved one so let’s take a moment to remember the humans of the earth who have now morphed into the angels of the sky. Although our loved ones are not here in a physical form anymore, their spirits are still very much alive and floating around somewhere. Although their bodies are in a totally different realm, their souls are still singing. Despite not being right by your side with skin, bones, and a beating heart – they are instead fluttering around like a butterfly to bring you peace and tranquility, buzzing around like a bee to sweeten your day, soaring like a bird to bring you courage and strength, floating around like a cloud to bring you comfort, and popping in and out of your day-to-day life to remind you that you’re loved, cared for, and always safe.

It is not difficult to remember our loved ones because we simply cannot forget them. They have made such a huge impact on our life throughout the years and it is only right for them to receive full recognition and acknowledgement. They deserve the spotlight and they deserve the attention; their value, their worth, and their life means more than all the stars in the night sky.

It is so important that we talk positively about these individuals everyday so that we’re able to keep their spirits up and so they can feel the love, the care, and the kindness reciprocated. Emotions are eternal and feelings are forever so imagine the impact you had on them when you said “Rest Easy”. Their soul smiled knowing that you wished them well on their upcoming journey…whether their destination was to cozy up in the comfy clouds, swim up the stream to seek serenity, peacefully ponder into paradise, or head up to heaven on a hammock. 

It’s terribly heartbreaking to know, and impossible to accept that individuals who have passed cannot be loved back to life. If we as humans had that kind of power or magic in us, or the miracle to make that happen, then life would be pleasantly populated again with the people we love most. It pulls at your heartstrings to understand that sometimes there are things you cannot do in the way you once would with your loved ones because the pain is weighing heavily on you…but then you realize that all these things you used to do with them had become a tradition and so you continue…for them, for yourself, and for the both of you knowing that their legacy lives on. You also continue because they gave you the will to keep going, and to respect them is the easiest thing when you miss them wholeheartedly and endlessly. So, please keep their legacy alive by doing their favourite things, enjoying their favourite drink, eating their favourite foods, maybe even try taking up their favourite activity because somehow and somewhere they are thanking you for keeping them alive…in mind, in spirit, and in your heart. The act of simply making that kind of an attempt speaks volumes, but it also allows your loved ones to live vicariously through you and radiate beautifully through this lens called ‘life’. 

To those who have left this life and have gone on to their next life… we love you and we miss you, but you have taught us self-discipline and poise for now we know that though the reality of it all pains us wildly, we are loved by you no matter where you are. 

 

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Cassandra Di Lalla lives life purposefully. She enjoys reading, writing and mental health initiatives. She’s an animal lover for life and an innovative individual always finding new ways to create.