There were three aspects of the recent shooting at Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo that frightened me.  The first being the initial shock that arises from learning of a terrorist attack, the feeling of sadness and vulnerability.  The second wave of fear was the realization that this was not just another assault, but a direct attack on free speech, an ideal that embodies individuality, creativity, expression and knowledge.  The third wave was one I had experienced before, the fear of a ripple effect.  I worried that the incorrect presumption that this catastrophe was an act of the Islamic religion would only spawn more hate, creating the very thing that had spurred this event.

It is a sad but true fact that everyone our age has experienced this emotion, the slightly disoriented feeling that arises when you learn about a recent terrorist attack.  I can recall it clearly after the Boston Marathon bombings.  It is a upsetting feeling, realizing the lives lost and the many injured.  It is also rather confusing.  I think it is difficult to entirely comprehend how people can harbor so much hate for others. I mean, we hear of things like this relatively frequently and we understand that these kinds of things happen. Yet it is still difficult to cope with, when one deeply examines the fact that something drove these men to such hate, that they believed wholeheartedly that these journalists do not deserve to live anymore.  Accompanying this confusion is the immediate fear that terrorism is crawling closer to you and your family.  This feeling was painfully apparent at the Marathon, but I still feel it in over the Parish attack, thousands of miles away.  Although they were not attacking America, they were attacking journalists, the human representation of free speech and, as guaranteed by the First Amendment,  a value on which our culture was built.

I do not agree with the cartoons published by the magazine Charlie
Hebdo.  I would say that they portray Islam in a derogatory way.  This poor depiction is not exclusive to Islam; the magazine has insulted all walks of life including America and friendly European countries. However, no matter how much I dislike their content, their editors have the right to publish the material.  As much as we roll our eyes at a rude cartoon, a wild proclamation from Time magazine, or an image of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of Rolling Stone, these are byproducts of freedom of speech.  Although we can fiercely disagree with some things that are published (or most things), without freedom of speech we would lose the many world-changing articles, poems, songs, books and speeches that have been created.  We would feel alone in our selves, losing the song that captures our exact emotion.  We would lack inspiration, never hearing that speech that urges us to do more. Without the freedom to express ourselves we would not form different opinions, we would not challenge opposition, we would not overthrow tyranny, we would not fight for what we believe in, and we would not have the ability to profess our truth.  To take away freedom of speech would be to smother the passion that is inside every one of us.  The attack on Charlie was an attack on freedom of speech and the only way to encounter this is to fight back.  I do not mean fight back in the traditional sense, but to use the gift of speech to fight against terror and encourage hope.

As I had mentioned, the last wave of fear that came over me was the fear of a ripple effect.  I will use Boston as an example again.  I hated coming back to school after this catastrophe because I hated listening to my classmates talk about Muslims.  It was not all my classmates, but enough to trouble me.  I heard derogatory things said about the people who practice this religion. I am sure this was just people speaking from a hurt place, saying things that they did not really mean, but this is only a small example of a terrible phenomenon.  If allowed to fester, this hate, this feeling of being attacked or harmed, can turn into something so much more. Although the act was deranged, the terrorists who attacked Charlie believed they were retaliating against the phallic-faced image of Mohammed that the magazine released.  I fear that this hate will continue, that our society will have caught this feeling and turn it around on the people who practice the same religion as these terrorists.  This was not the crime of an entire faith, but the crime of some sad, sick men. In fact, many devout Muslims condemned the attack and any terrorists who use violence in the name of their faith.

Ridding oneself of hate is not an easy task, but it is something that we all must strive for.  As difficult as it is, we cannot allow the fear of this terrorism to affect us any further. In order to combat it, we must carry on, professing love in all ways possible and hoping that it can spread.

A common theme with all of our latest articles is the fact that 2015 is a new year with new opportunities. One of those opportunities is to evaluate where exactly you stand in life. Is it where you want to be? Or are you perfectly happy and content with the person you are right now? Most people people I know would answer “yes” to the first question and are always striving toward the elusive goal of self improvement. What better way to start off 2015 than by fully taking advantage of all of the opportunities that HHS has to offer?

You have four years here and at a basic level you have two options on how to spend them. One option is to choose to whine and complain about everything that doesn’t go your way. This option is exercised whenever you hear people grumble and grouse over doing work in class. I know far too many people who take that option and it’s honestly quite depressing for me to hear.

The other option (and the most favorable one) is to realize that you have the opportunity to become a better person and improve yourself during your years as a high school student. You are stuck here for about 40 hours a week so you might as well make the best of it. The best way to meet that goal is to become involved in HHS wealth of extracurricular clubs and activities. Most people I know are involved in at least a couple of them.

But joining an activity just to list it on your college applications isn’t enough.  I would encourage everyone to take the next step and ask themselves why they involved in the activities that they have chosen. Too many people fall into the trap of selecting activities due to the perceived value of them to college admissions boards. No matter how many times it has been debunked, the misconception remains that you have to be involved in everything in order to have a shot at college. Or even worse, that you have to be in the right clubs. This leads to an unfortunate issue of people attending meetings but not really being too engaged. In such a case, both the person and the club in question are being hurt. The person is wasting their time and the club finds itself starved of talent or energy and it ends up dying. That is an end result that, as a senior, I have seen far too often and heard earfuls about from plenty of other people. It is a situation we as a student body should resolve to prevent in 2015 and going forward.

I really encourage everyone to look at their extracurriculars and ask themselves whether it is the best use of their talents. To continue doing an activity you have no passion for is doing a disservice to everyone involved. Don’t overextend yourself to create a grand resume of activities. Find something you’re really interested in and commit to it.

That being said, News Club is always looking for new writers and we encourage anyone to come our meetings in the Library on Wednesdays. If nothing else, you’ll see me there ;).

Aahhh, winter break: a time to gather with family, exchange tokens of love and affection (or the gift card you think your second-cousin might be least likely to trade for cash at the CoinStar machine), stay up late and sleep in! Luckily, I did all of those things during our recent respite, but also something else that makes me giddy. I got to read!

Now, I know, some of you might think I’m a nerd because I like to read. Or you might believe I do it because it’s my job. But honestly I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember mainly because I like to escape. While growing up, losing myself in a book was the easiest way I knew to escape my siblings’ quarrels, my parents’ woes and the general angst that accompanies adolescence. Today, I read to forget about the bills that need to be paid or the stress at work (stress,  you may ask? Only in a theoretical sense, of course. I could never be stressed here!).

Teachers often talk about how reading expands your mind, exercises your brain and exposes you to new points of view. I believe all of that is true. Reading improves your vocabulary, makes you a better writer, and allows you to experience things vicariously that you could not in real life (that killer avalanche on Everest? the boy wizard’s battle against the evil bad guy? the sappy romance of a teenager with cancer? been there, done that, from the safety of my couch) But I also feel that reading is just fun — as much fun as going to a movie or whiling the hours away playing Trivia Crack.

Groucho Marx (Google him) once said “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend.” (Wisely he added, “Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”) Too many students here at HHS tell me they don’t like to read or, more simply, they just don’t read. It breaks my heart. They’re missing out on so much . . .  academically, emotionally, spiritually. I’m serious! Not reading is as detrimental to your being as staying home alone every Friday night watching Wheel of Fortune, smashing your fingers in the car door or eating too many Big Macs.

Sure, it takes a little work (although in my opinion not as much as figuring out how to maneuver the WiiFit obstacle course so you don’t repeatedly get knocked in the head). And yes, even I have times when I’d rather watch Tosh.0 or countless repeats of The Big Bang Theory. But the benefits of reading are worth it. New experiences, good stories, a chance to escape whatever ails you in real life. It doesn’t matter if you choose War and Peace (again, Google it) or Entertainment Weekly online, if you settle down with a thick hardcover or a hundred-page paperback, just read. Vow to read one online article a day, or one book a month. Read in directed study or after you snarf down lunch or while you’re waiting for practice. Read!

If you don’t, you’ll make this baby panda cry.

I respect the enforcers of the law immensely. Everyday they go out into this crumbling world and face the chance of death. Nothing is certain in their field. People are insane, and anything can happen. At least soldiers know that they face the gamble of death because they are in a war zone. But considering that the world has become  a place  with bombs blowing up civilian buildings and bullets shattering the silence of locker-filled hallways, we are living in a war zone, and that hurts to say. What hurts even more is our generation’s unwarranted hatred for police.

We hate them because they are doing their jobs. Why? Committing a crime is illegal, correct? Just because you feel it shouldn’t be, doesn’t mean it isn’t. That is just plain selfish. We know this is true but, as kid, we don’t like to admit defeat. But because police cuff, arrest, and book people for doing stupid things, the people who get nailed hate them. Those people then spread their dislike and it spreads to other people and, suddenly, an army of youths hate the men and women with badges.

I did as well until I sat down and thought for a second. Someone asked me, “Why do you dislike the cops since you seem so impassioned about it?” and I didn’t have an answer. That’s one of the few times where public opinion had influenced me so much that I didn’t have a real thought of my own. Of course there are cops who could be a bit kinder. But it’s hard to be nice when the people you deal with are equally hostile. If you do something stupid, you will be punished. Get it through your head. If you are going to do something bad, do it right and don’t get caught.

What’s worse is that the cops we see prominently on the news are  the trash that abuse their powers because they can. They are weak and do not deserve a badge; they deserve the cuffs they place on others. I have no idea if Micheal Brown’s death was justified. There are too many variables and too many loose ends. Regardless, his death doesn’t justify looting and  rioting. If people were truly angry about his death, then there would be no plundering and burning cars, there would be love and mourning in the streets. Some use these opportunities to push their own agendas, and they don’t even have a badge.

Eric Garner was murdered. There are no ifs, ands or buts, the man was choked to death on the street while being recorded and screaming “I can’t breath.” He didn’t get up from that choke hold, nor would he ever get up again. Was there ever any punishment for the officer who killed him? No. Does this mean that all officers are ruthless meatheads who get away with murder? Of course not. Yet because of this man’s actions, people believe that all cops are like this. We always remember the bad because it burns and hurts, which are stronger feelings than good. It pains me to say but it’s true.

What I’m trying to say not only applies to the boys in blue, but to everyone as a whole. We must keep the bad in our minds but we can not let it control us. Cops help people every single day they’re on duty. Some have risked their lives for the safety of the people so keep that in mind next time you feel like a big boy and call a cop a pig. Not only do you look like a tool, but you have no idea what that officer has been through.

Cops are not here to hurt us. But many feel they are here to hurt cops. Just this Saturday, two New York City cops were executed by a man “avenging” Gardner. What point or twisted justice do these murders serve? Absolutely none.

We live in a world where because one idiot screws up, all in that group are punished. We see one in a group as representing everyone: cops, whites, blacks, Asians. Grouping is a sin that people commit all the time and it must end. Do not hate cops because others told you too, do not hate cops because one cowers behind his mark for strength, do not hate cops. Thank you.