issue 6// vol 46

Why I prefer living alone

» Whether my sock is on the floor or
on the ceiling, it is my sock

Tania Arora
Staff Writer

 

or 21 years of my life I lived with my

family, and after that that I lived with
my friends in a different country. I have
been living by myself for more than a year
now, and to be honest, it has been the
greatest, most productive, and peaceful
year of my life.

In the past year, I have done nothing
but take care of myself. I have pampered
nobody else but me, and through that have
gotten to understand what my likes and
dislikes are. I have studied well and have
organized my life and house both through
deep cleaning. I might have not found out
what exactly I want to do in my life, but I
know I am on the right track. One thing
I have learned about myself is that I am
very obsessive about my cleaning habits,
which makes it difficult for me to live with
another person.

Being friends with or dating someone
is great—but living under the same roof as
them is a different adventure. People have
varied habits, living styles, schedules, level
of lethargy, and mental health—namely
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The types of OCD can range in intensity
from relatively minor to a level that pushes
regular limits. OCD can affect a person's
social, emotional, and physical health and
can be very distressing at times.

When I enter my house every night, I
do not have to worry about any arguments
that may be pending, and I do not get mad
when things aren't clean or in order—I

will find everything as it were. When I
look around, there is nobody to disturb
my peaceful existence or to peep into what
Iam doing. Basically, there is no one to
bother or distract me.

To some, living with a roommate is
better because being at home is not as
lonely when you have someone to talk to.
To me though, having a roommate is not
just about adjusting yourself their living
habits—it is about focusing your time and
patience on two or possibly more human
beings, time which you could have used
entirely on yourself to do something more
productive.

I have some unusual cleaning habits.
Anyone coming inside my house must
keep their slippers or any other polished
footwear on them. | just cannot bear
the sight of someone putting their bare
feet on my couch or bed. And here’s a
confession: every time I have a gathering
at home, I wash all my sheets the next day
after everyone leaves. Also, I wear a pair of
slippers while I am in shower. As someone
who has these obsessions, it’s just easier
and better for me to live alone.

Besides my own mental health, the
best part of living alone is that “me time” is
all the time. I do not feel the need to have
anyone by my side for anything. I have me
time whenever I feel I need to, whether it
be either in my bathtub or on my couch
with a book in one hand—wine in the
other—just relaxing. Nothing gives me
more peace than that. Living by myself has
changed mea lot, but for the better.

 

cc

 

opinions // no. 15

Illustration by Cara Seccafien

I wear a pair of slippers while I am in shower. As
someone who has these obsessions, it’s just
easier and better for me to live alone.

The fight against fake activism

» Standing around with people and making colourful signs does not make you an activist

Craig Allan
Staff Writer

 

n September 23, 2019 Greta Thunberg

madea speech in front of the
United Nations Climate Action Summit
chastising world leaders for failing to do
enough towards climate change. This
speech garnered Thunberg a tremendous
outpour of support, with people like Barack
Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Woody
Harrelson at the end of his Saturday Night
Live hosting stint on September 28, 2019.
Everyone may look at Thunberg’s speech
as a turning point. However, | think it
will likely be just another moment that
someone has made an impassioned speech
that leads people to action momentarily,
only to fizzle out when other more pressing
issues come forth. This is the reality of fake
activism.

Many are praising Thunberg’s speech,
but I think it was hollow. It had no ideas of
how to stop climate change, and even more
dangerously discredited the adaptation
of technological improvements that she
claims, “barely exist.” It was a speech made
out of anger—not out of ideas. This kind of
speech is dangerous in these times because
while it does get people rallying to a cause,
that is all it does. One only has to look at
recent history to corroborate that.

After the Stoneman Douglas High

School Shooting in Parkland Florida,
Emma Gonzalez, who was in the school
during the shooting made an eerily similar
speech regarding gun violence at a rally in
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The speech even
contained the line, “To every politician who
is taking donations from the NRA, shame
on you.”

That quote led to the crowd to chant
“Shame on you!” Very similar to Thunberg’s
“How dare you” in her speech. That speech
was made on February 17, 2018 and as of
October 1, 2019 the only change that can be
seen is that now some Florida teachers can
now have guns in the classroom.

In another case on September 28,

2018 during the Senate hearings on the
inauguration of Brett Kavanaugh into
the Supreme Court of the United States,

Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher
cornered Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator to
make an albeit informal impassioned plea
to not vote for Kavanaugh’s entry into the
Supreme Court. The outcome of this? The
vote got delayed by one week and Flake still
voted for Kavanaugh’s entry.

Impassioned speeches do not work.
They garner immediate attention and can
lead to a greater support for the cause,
but it is mostly short term. Outside of
extra attention for a march or rally that is
happening within close proximity to the
speech, it does not have the legs to last.

Speaking of marches and rallies—I
think most marches and rallies are useless.
They weren't always useless. They had
their worth back in the ‘60s and ‘7os when
there were only so many channels and the

 

media was arguably more bipartisan. Now,
there are hundreds of channels, streaming
services, and news sources which can direct
you to articles that skew your point of view.
Because of this, I think these rallies are
becoming less of a formidable hero for a
cause, and more of an excuse for people to
go out and showcase their creativity with a
colourful or funny sign.

This is more of the opinion, but I do
not believe that the people who protest at
marches and rallies ever go beyond that.

I do not believe that most people donate
to causes they are rallying for by way of
their money and time. | also believe that
the majority of people who attended the
climate rallies that occurred on September
27, 2019 most likely plan to travel on planes
in the immediate future, and to eat meat,
even though those two actions are proven
to be disastrous for the planet in regard to
climate change.

Attending a march is fine and does
have some action, but in order to make
real change one cannot just take a day off
to go stand around with a bunch of people
and think they are making any difference.
In order to make a difference you have to
sacrifice—whether it’s money, time, or
convenience. Acting is much more efficient
and impactful than simply making a sign
asking other people to do it.