Author: Sahar

— Community Building, Racism —

Cultural Appropriation: Contextualizing our Work to Eliminate All Prejudices

November 22, 2017
Sahar's Blog Cultural Appropriation Contextualizing our Work to Eliminate All Prejudices

This post on cultural appropriation inspired some very interesting conversations.  Most interesting was the fact that most reactions came from well-meaning individuals who work hard on eliminating prejudices from their day-to-day lives.  It’s difficult for people like us to realise that, despite all the time, energy, and love we put into this cause, we might… Read More Cultural Appropriation: Contextualizing our Work to Eliminate All Prejudices

— Gender Studies, Media —

Rape Culture: Consent in Movies

November 21, 2017
Sahar's Blog 2017 11 21 Rape Culture Consent in Movies Header

I have mentioned before how insidious the negative forces of society can be, and how something that seemed forever innocuous can actually be quite dangerous. I realised today that there is something we as a society seem to accept wholly and fully that could just be a big part of the rape culture problem. Picture… Read More Rape Culture: Consent in Movies

— Media —

Learning to Love and Live The Banality of Good

November 20, 2017
Sahar's Blog The Banality of Good

Most people are good and yet, when it comes to the news, books, television shows, and movies, the emphasis is on the bad.  Now while bad makes for great plots, what are the underlying assumptions of bad being more worthy than good as the focus of media content creation? Good Doesn’t Make For a Good… Read More Learning to Love and Live The Banality of Good

— Media —

Violence in the Media We Consume: Is it worth the risk?

November 19, 2017
Sahar's Blog Violence in the Media We Consume Is it Worth the Risk

Rape scenes in the Game of Thrones series served as potent forms of fuel for an ongoing debate: does exposure to violence in the media we consume cause behavioral problems or not?  Does it do so for only an at-risk segment of the population?  Would limiting the creation of violent media solve the problem of… Read More Violence in the Media We Consume: Is it worth the risk?

— Personal Development —

Walking a Fine Line: Understanding Negative Social Forces

November 18, 2017
Sahar's Blog Walking a Fine Line Understanding Negative Social Forces

In his attempt to rid an individual of a physical ailment, a doctor will first take stock of his symptoms, i.e. his “physical reality”.  Much in the same way, those trying to rid their communities of its various ailments have to take stock of its “symptoms”, i.e. its social reality.  And just like the doctor… Read More Walking a Fine Line: Understanding Negative Social Forces

— Family, Parenting —

Learning To ‘Be’ From The Cradle Up: On The Desire To Constantly Entertain My Baby

November 17, 2017
Sahar's Blog 2017 11 17 Learning To ‘Be’ From The Cradle Up On The Desire To Constantly Entertain My Baby Header

One of the elements that I have come to understand as essential to one’s personal growth—mental, spiritual, and emotional—is the ability to sit quietly and just be.  Of course nowadays, there is always something (or rather, a bunch of things!) that is clamouring for our attention, and so we are often left without a second… Read More Learning To ‘Be’ From The Cradle Up: On The Desire To Constantly Entertain My Baby

— Community Building, Writing —

Building Coherence: Writing to Contribute to the Betterment of Society

November 16, 2017
Sahar's Blog Building Coherence Writing as a Tool for the Betterment of Society

When reading about the habits of highly successful people, a couple of things seem universal.  Most of them seem to have a rigorous routine.  Most of them delegate unimportant tasks.  When possible, a large part of them simplify their lives so that they are able to focus on the more important things. Highly Successful People… Read More Building Coherence: Writing to Contribute to the Betterment of Society

— Personal Development —

The Fear of Making Mistakes: No Such Thing as Failure

November 15, 2017
Sahar's Blog Fear of Making Mistakes No Such Thing as Failure

Mistakes earn a bad reputation pretty early on in our lives. When we make mistakes on a test at school, it gets marked in bold red, is sometimes mentioned by the teacher as a bad thing we should not have done, and something our parents tell us not to repeat next time. This relationship with… Read More The Fear of Making Mistakes: No Such Thing as Failure

— General —

Carbs, Garbs and Barbs: Cooking and Community Building

November 14, 2017
Sahar's Blog 2017 11 14 Carbs, Garbs and Barbs Cooking and Community Building Header

There is no such thing as a dichotomy. We are noble, spiritual beings, and everything in our lives is meant to help us reach our full capacity. This is why we should challenge ourselves to understand how the various pieces of our life fit together as part of one seamless whole, rather than separate parts… Read More Carbs, Garbs and Barbs: Cooking and Community Building

— Family, Parenting —

Honouring Our Parents By Parenting Our Children

November 10, 2017
Sahar's Blog 2017 11 10 Honouring Our Parents By Parenting Our Children Header

It feels like whatever I do, I can never repay my parents for everything they have done for me.  And since I got married, I feel like whatever my husband and I do, we can never repay our parents for everything they have done for us as individuals and as a couple. And—not to sound… Read More Honouring Our Parents By Parenting Our Children