The Last airbender vs Avatar the last airbender vs The Legends of Korra.

This is going to be long. Probaly.

The first time i watch The last airbender ( the movie) i was like : This is Awesome. Now, i have watch Legends of Korra and have some pic of The Avatar the Last Airbender, and watching Avantar the last airbender, i’am like : “ Dude.. What the fuck ? “  Why ? Way too many things.

Earthbender being trapped on.. earth. I don’t have enough word to complain on how this is ridiculous. Even more so ? Aang chase them away, without any effort. For the movie to fucked up an animated show ? they did a good job. 

Aang is scared of his power.. I just can’t. Really, just watch the animated show, and watch the movie, you will be done by 15 minutes in. i’am at 39.50 min, and i’m so done with this show. That Aang have a hard time accepting that he is the Avatar ok. That is run away like a frustrated little boy ? no. Just no. Evertytime he show that his power is extremly powerfull, Aang tend to run away. Dude ! You ARE the avatar, why are you runnin away. In the animated show, ok, but in the movie ? no. Because out of 2hours 1 hours is Aang running away like a little shit. I admit i didn’t actually watch all of ATLA, (Aang, The Last Airbender.), the animated show. Why ? because for me it’s boring. Why because 

Aang ran away from the airbender, because he wanted a family, got stuck in a bubble of air, and when he came back didn’t had any training, and fought everyon who got in his way. 

Yes very reducter, and yes, i don’t care. Why ? Aang, never had a training. He never had to restrain himself, he didn’t care that he destroy building and all of that. Aang was like a “ force of nature”, all he cared about was united nation and being the Avatar. Korra was entirely somethings else, someone else. She had to trained, she had to restrained herself, she had to learn to balance between being the avatar and being the “ savior “. It’s not that she would let other people died just because, it’s that nothing in her training, taught her to be the avatar. The irony is that the one who are training her, aren’t even close to being or training the Avatar.

From what i got, The Avatar is an entity that nothing in the world can compare, you know it exist, you know it’s in everythings but you don’t care because you don’t see it. I’m not going to stop to mention that it’s a reality we are leaving in. The avatar is hell and heaven, nature and nuture. It’es everything in  between.

The fact that the end of Legends of Korra is left up to interpretation for the couple Korra and Asamy, isn’t really a surprise. Well actually it is, but it shouldn’t be. Both have shown interest in men, but restrained themselves for woman, and in the end it’s like “ it’s a question of balance. Loving whatever, boys or girls. “ And for me the ending is that. The middle. Not killing but not showing mercy, accepting and denying. Into girl and into men. The show is too busy with underlying message to actually delve on sexuality. 

Many people said that ‘” yeah Legends of Korra is bullshit, Aand is bette,r Korra only use her avatar state like a boost and never really use it, unlike Aang who is unstoppable in his avatar state. Korra is weak. “ 

Legends of Korra dance with a concept for away from Avatar, the Last Airbender. And it’s psychological effect. 

Something the movie tried to introduce to failed, miserably, because 2 hours isn’t enough to delves on many thing. Legends Of Korra is essentially psychological, and the fact  that she opened up so many bridge between the human and spiritual world show how strong she is. Beside the fact the the writter are asshole. IT show that being an Avatar, contrary to what Aang showed, is hard. Even more for Korra since she had been trained, so she had to retrain herself, something the avatar should never do. The movie showed that, and that’s one point that i have to give the movie. Aang is scared of his power, but in the animated show Korra isn’t. And the difference is that Aang unleash hell on earth while Korra have to restrain how much hell she can bring. Then again i blame the writer for not exploiting Korra’s full power.

Where Aang show no restrain, bringing up past lives, which he did a lot, way too much actually, Korra doesn’t, Korra rely on herself. How strong Korra is ? her conversation with Zaheer? He did help her overcomes her fear and PTSD and access the spirit world. Korra was able to fight the poison, and protect Raava. She was able to be the in between. Aang would have unleash all the his past life or at least unleash his avatar state in full power without care, not Korra. Korra did everything to survive, At that she didn’t just rely on herself, on Raava or anythings, she rely on everything. Raava, her friends, her family. That is Korra’s strength. Why Korra suffer PTSD ? Because she need to be connected to all element, she need to be everything, she feels like she need to be like Aang. Aang never had to be that, never had to show that. All he feels was anger. Korra feels anger, pain, misery but also love and compassion. The end of the book 1 of Korra is “ to heal “it’s when she accept that she need help, that she is willing to give everything to help her people, even her life. Something the movie show to Aang but awkwardly. Aang have an hard time connecting with water, because basically water flows  calmly but also unstoppable. 

Why did The last Airdender the animated show works better than the movie or Legends of Korra ? 

One the movie is too short to show everythings. You can’t show the complexity of an Avatar in 2 hours. And for Korra beside the sexism, i will go with the fact that Korra is an entirely different person than Aang. Where Aang rely on his past life, Kora rely on herself, her family and her past life. Aang don’t care about anythings else than bringing justice, Korra cares about bringing justice but by the rules. Rules that was set by Aang. Korra is basically trapped in the “ Aang’s cage” she have to play by his rules, and when she refuse to do it she brings the in between, the spirit world into the humaan worlds. The fact that Korra end up with Asamy shouldn’t be surprise, she defy the rules. To protect the spirit worlds, but would also give her soul for the human worlds. Where Korra is way more complexe than Aang, people prefered Aang, and that is probably because he would rather destroy everything in his path, - which show power “ than him questioning himself.

In the end Aang and Korra are the same, who live in two different worlds. Where Korra show that she is stronger than Aang, he showed that he is stronger than her. His flaws is HER strength, and her strength is what makes them the avatar.. 

Korra isn’t like Aang, she doesn’t used her avatar state to fight, unless necessary, something Aang do a lot, because he didn’t had any training, but to connected all worlds, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynha6lVALmM.

Something, i might be wrong, but was said was that Korra brought more portal to the spiritual world than Aang never could. Both have their strengh, bboth are strong, and both are the Avatar. Both are Raava. 

People can argue all day or all night on who is better and why but at the end, who cares ? Both taught us, or should have taught, us to meditated, and to bring peace against the oppressor. 

I’m a religious person, and yet nothing could bring me more peace, makes me want to help, do whatever i can. The Avatar or Raava should be the spirit of this fandom, our spirit. Not by fighting each other but uniting each other.

dealing with binding damage/pain

I had a reader ask this question a month or two back and I just realized I never answered it! Since I've been on the topic lately I wanted to give them a response:

So I came to terms with my sexuality after identifying as ftm, and binding for three years due to internalized homophobia (luckily didn't change my body more than that because my parents are extremely conservative). Any advice with dealing with chest pain/tissue damage when no longer binding?

Hey there-- I'm really glad to hear that you've come to terms with being a lesbian; it's a long journey for a lot of us, and although it's definitely not over once you recognize you're "just gay" after all, it often opens your life up to possibilities you thought were forever closed. Once you've settled in, in my experience at least I've found it to be a big fucking relief in a lot of ways.

The advice I'd give you is really contingent on what kind of damage you suffered, where the pain is currently and what in particular exacerbates it, what you're currently doing with regards to wearing garments on your upper body, whether you also have posture changes due to slouching/binding, and how far out you are from when you've stopped binding. I'm going to write to a general audience both because I don't actually know what you're experiencing, because you might be unsure yourself or not realize something you're experiencing is related to binding-related (or dysphoria-related) issues, and because I think a lot of female people could benefit from this discussion. One of the resources I want to link you to is a 2017 study that I think I've reblogged a couple times now, called "Health impact of chest binding among transgender adults: a community-engaged, cross-sectional study" which is I think the only research piece that we have to have systematically examined negative health outcomes of breast/chest binding practices. I'd advise anybody binding or with a history of binding to look through this study to educate themselves on the risks and prevalence rates of a number of health issues commonly caused by or associated with binding. Not everyone knows or is willing to admit that certain issues they are experiencing could be binding-related so just simply having this information is a good start. You can find the study linked here for free: https://transfigurations.org.uk/filestore/binding-project-postprint.pdf I also want to preface this with the plea to please take seriously anything you're experiencing; I know it's a chronic myth in the trans community and in gender non-conforming female circles where people might bind that there is a level of binding that is "safe" or at least significantly "safer". Although your problems can escalate the more time you spend binding (whether measured in hours per day, the frequency with which you bind, or how much time total you've spent doing binding practice) or with certain binding practices (like using ace bandages or duct tape, "double binding", or using too much compression) binding can cause certain problems near-immediately, such as muscle aches or other musculoskeletal related pain, shortness of breath, and skin issues. Serious binding-related problems, like rib movement or decrease in lung capacity, can occasionally happen very quickly, i.e. within a few months of beginning binding regularly, even following generally well-regarded harm-reduction practices for binding.  I sometimes read of people who doubt that binding could have hurt them because they "only" bound for such-and-such a period of time or "only" with a commercial binder, and who seem to refer to some mythical lumberjack trans man who wears his binder 12 hours a day in the timberlands and has no problems, or at least just bears them through his beard with no complaint, as the gold standard for binding. I know for many female people bearing the pain and body issues that come with binding is considered a hallmark of masculine identity and that your right to name your distress as gender dysphoria is often in question if you decide that the costs of binding are too high for you. There is a very nasty arms race to the bottom in trans community sometimes about who is the absolutely most dysphoric and the absolute manliest, and if you don't think that any horrible level of nihilistic self-destruction is worth it to ward off the prospect of Really Being a Girl then you run the risk of losing this terrible game. I want to begin my discussion of binding risks and known problems with this because most of us struggle with this mentality in some form, at some point, and choosing to prioritize taking care of our bodies in a very basic way over doing what our dysphoria tells us is necessary to make it go away can be extremely difficult, to the point we may deny that we have anything happening with us that we need to take care of at all. Listening to your body will take a lot of time when all you could hear at one point was how gross, humiliating, disturbing, and wrong it was. It's a lot like learning to communicate with a species of animal you've never had to interact with intimately and that maybe you're repulsed by, like a rat (which are perfectly wonderful creatures, by the way). That all out of the way, the first question I want to ask is this: are you having any problems with breathing, your lungs, or general respiratory problems you suspect are related to binding? This is probably one of the most serious problems some people have with binding and is not something I feel comfortable advising on given that it can be extremely medically serious and life-limiting. Problems frequently cited are general shortness of breath, chronic wheezing or coughing, feeling deprived of oxygen especially when exercising, and feeling like you have fluid in the lungs. These may be more serious if you smoke, are being exposed to environmental allergens, or have a pre-existing respiratory issue like asthma. I did not experience this but would definitely direct you to seek advice from a medical professional if you are having lingering issues of this nature.

Binding is also known to cause permanent rib changes-- serious and/or chronic chest or back pain should probably warrant a trip to the doctor. Broken and cracked bones are possible from binding practices, or from becoming injured while binding. If you're experiencing intense or odd pain you may have also pushed your ribs out of alignment to hit an internal organ or compress a nerve. Some symptoms, including ones like gastrointestinal issues, can indicate that you have altered the position or function of organs contained inside your rib cage or that compression is affecting their ability to work properly. If you suspect this is going on I also don't feel comfortable advising you to do anything else but seek medical advice.

Costochondritis is a common symptom that people who bind experience. It is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum (the center bone in your chest) and is something that I experienced even when just wearing tight/multiple sports bras. I had it off and on the entire time I wore bras or used a binder and it ranged in painfulness from mild to so-intense-I-had-trouble-breathing. It is usually a temporary condition, but it can reoccur continually over time to various degrees of intensity. I usually waited out the times it occurred more mildly, but if it's severe you may need a course of steroids to decrease inflammation (as I did twice in my late teens/early twenties). You can usually tell that you have it instead of some sort of more medically serious chest pain if you poke your ribs towards the center of your chest and the pain feels both external and shoots up dramatically. If you aren't sure whether the pain is located in your ribs or elsewhere, you should probably get things checked out to make sure you don't have a heart or lung issue from binding or otherwise. Another thing I want to mention is that you can very easily sprain or pull muscles from getting in and out of binders or moving around in them, especially if you're moving around vigorously or exercising. This should also generally be temporary and can be treated in the same way you usually would treat any muscle injury (rest, heat/cold, gentle stretching and movement) but even if you stop binding, look out for continuing symptoms from any serious pulls or strains you might have incurred while binding. Wrenching your neck in particular can result in lingering issues. It might make you feel stupid to admit or think about, but "dumb" injuries like pulling your shoulder while getting a stuck binder off are mechanically the same as any other injury, so keep an eye out. A lot of pain you might experience while binding or even years after binding has to do with your muscles-- this can be from binding directly from the way a binder/bra exerts force on your chest and shoulders, from range of motion issues from being constricted in a binder or from compensating for binding pain, or from chronic posture issues from hiding your breasts. I also want to note, because they're so common in trans and gender non-conforming female people, that autism in particular but other neurodevelopmental disorders can change your posture in weird ways, and your sensory feedback is likely atypical or not fully integrated so you might have odd ways of moving that aren't necessarily mechanically optimal. All these things together can lead to chronic pain throughout your body-- obviously most people talk about pain in the upper back, chest, shoulders, and neck-- but chronic jaw pain or headaches are a potential issue from tightness or referred pain from lower down, and compensating for upper body tension, motion issues, or pain can lead to changes in the position or motion of the lower back, hips, or legs which can lead to tightness and pain. I unfortunately have both lingering issues in my chest, shoulders, and back and a host of posture-related pain issues even over two years after stopping binding, due to ways that I compensated for wearing compression constantly on my chest (I would wear sports bras even to bed) and ways I changed my body posture to prevent "looking female". I have a slouch about as bad as what’s-her-face, as most trans men I have met also do regardless of whether or not they're post-mastectomy, and although it’s gotten better with mindful practice and lack-of-binder I am still totally not where I want to be. There are many physical therapy resources out there that are now publicly available online-- on resource websites as well as YouTube-- and regularly stretching using these strategies has basically held my body together this whole time through several physically intense jobs. I personally use a set of stretches for headaches, and a number of sciatica stretches, calf stretches, and trapezius-focused stretches that I found all over the internet. There is also a tumblr thread here (not all of which is posted on my blog, please check the notes) where another woman who experienced binding damage solicits advice and many people offer suggestions for binding-pain related stretches and exercises. I also made a DIY foam roller out of a 2-ish foot stretch of 3 inch PVC pipe and some squishy shelf liner that I glued around the outside, and I have a DIY rice bag I pop in the microwave for use as a heating pad. I have also found that regularly taking omega-3 oils helps mitigate the level of inflammation and pain my muscles can reach; I take algae-based oils because I am vegetarian but if you eat fish, regular fish oil pills will work just as well. If you are still wearing a supportive bra or have chosen to deal with stopping binding by stopping everything your muscles will not have learned to support your chest yet, especially if it's large. If you quit all chest-supporting garments cold turkey or go to only very minimal chest support after binding you might have a lot of pain initially. My general chest and breast pain has substantially decreased after 2+ years of being without a bra or binder, so it's worth a shot or two to learn to do this, but you will have increased pain initially until your body adjusts. It was both my actual chest muscles, wall, and ribs that hurt as well as my breasts (something that might be obscured by dysphoric-friendly language about "chests") but once my chest and shoulders became sufficiently built, my breasts "sagged" appropriately to hang where they were comfortable, and I adjusted to the sensory input of feeling the weight on my chest, I was ultimately more physically comfortable than I ever had been in bras or binders. The pain was not easy to get through-- it was sometimes excruciating-- but now I can do anything I could do previously with a bra or binder without one, including run. If you are in this position I recommend upper body exercise or introducing regular upper body work into your daily life; this will help you build muscles appropriately and learn to move your body in a mechanically optimal way. It does simply just take time if you are attempting to adjust to minimal or no compression on your chest, and stepping down more gradually can help (such as by wearing athletic compression wear, which I have a guide about here). But it took me probably about a full year before I no longer had this sort of pain, and about another year or so before it felt fully "normal". I talked more about the process of stopping wearing bras and what it felt like in this thread, if anyone is interested in knowing more. On the topic of changes to skin and tissue: sores, infections, skin damage, and so on are common from binding, especially if you are large-chested. I still have some mild issues with this in the summer, as many people do, when I sweat a lot and various fungal and bacterial microorganisms can easily proliferate. This should resolve itself over time if you wash regularly with a gentle antibacterial soap or cleanser, keep the area between and under your breasts dry, change your clothes daily, and try to wear loose-fitting clothing. But as always, anything that won't go away for weeks, or that is resulting in skin breakage, swelling, or sores, should be addressed by a doctor. My breast tissue did change from binding with a binder, and my breasts became more "floppy" and "soft". I gained more stretch marks than I had already had. I suspect I am more prone to breast pain than I was previously, and my nipples and breast skin have little conscious registry of sensation, but I don't know if that came from binding, either with a binder or bras. But to my knowledge most changes to your breasts from binding are largely "cosmetic". I have not heard word from anyone that this damages your breast as an organ, but then again most people who bind usually do not breastfeed. Stories by trans men who kept their breasts and became pregnant indicate that their breastfeeding is relatively normal, but we simply do not have the data to know how binding might affect breast function. I do not know either if you're more likely to do something to the breast tissue by binding which could increase the likelihood of any medical issue in particular or create the opportunity for pain. Mine are definitely "saggier" to some extent and have gotten even "worse" post-binding, but as I've noted this has not been a bad thing, because I do not wear a bra any longer and my breast tissue now hangs in a way that allows me to move without pain. Finally, I just want to mention there are a lot of emotions that you might feel from having binding damage in a similar way that anyone who did something to themselves in the name of transition or dis-identification might. I sometimes personally feel extremely stupid for having done what I did, and that makes it even harder to deal with pain or other physical issues, even though it was understandable that I reached for binding to cope with my feelings at the time. I also feel extremely stupid and conflicted about my values a lot of the time given that I still have impulses to go back to binding even though I know that it hurt me and I don't actually want to begin again. I feel really angry about how my body was sexualized at a young age and how my family and doctors dealt with my early puberty, about how my family chose to humiliate me for being neurotically "modest" instead of supporting me through something difficult. Sometimes I feel really bad about quitting binding or for having to quit because of pain because I feel like I was "proving" right people who criticized it or my impulse to hide my breasts for the wrong reasons, or even that they are right because I "deserve" the pain I feel as a result of trying to avoid my body. I feel exposed and ashamed a lot about my breasts, and it's been hard to cope with the effects of binding damage realistically in a way that values my not-being-in-pain when I'm also trying to manage dysphoric feelings. I feel messed up that I felt "validated" about having and using a binder and that I tried to ignore how much pain it put me through in favor of hoping that it would facilitate me some day achieving some ultimate male-like body state where basically I couldn't suffer anymore. These are all varieties of normal feelings to feel, and I just want others to know that it makes sense if you feel stuff like this. Re-centering on taking care of yourself and your body takes time if the feelings are really intense, but it's worth getting back to focusing on what you actually value-- your health, your functioning, and so on-- even if it takes a while, and you don't have to immediately ignore or push past what you feel to "get better".

You made me super curious about that veganism essay, if you ever feel like sharing, I'd really appreciate it (no pressure though!). I gave up dairy recently because it gave me almost daily headaches and I'm considering going fully vegan (I never really ate a lot of meat to begin with), but I find it really hard to make up my mind. I feel like a lot of the information out there is very us-centric too and doesn't really apply to me, so I'd love to hear a more European/international approach ^^

I did end up translating it, so here you go! :)

a few things I need to point out: I wrote this for a middle school student, so I didn’t delve too much into scientific facts — so please take everything I say with a grain of salt and do your own research if you’re curious, because these are things I learned after reading a lot of studies from certified nutritionists and medical researches.

I also most likely got a little preachy at times (sorry) but please remember that I’m not judging anyone because that is never my intention. I wrote this while keeping in mind that this girl needed it for a school debate where she needed to try and convince people of veganism, which is exactly what I tried to do. ^^” if you are still curious after reading and want to know what kind of documentaries to watch, let me know and I’ll be happy to lead you in that direction.

There are plenty of reasons to approach veganism, or to at least adopt some of the vegan principles into your everyday life; but the most important ones are health, the industry and the planet, and ethics.

Although a healthy diet does not necessarily need to be vegan, a plant based diet can be very beneficial for your body, especially for people with certain chronic diseases, deficiencies or to simply improve your overall health. It has been long since proved that nutrition is tightly linked to the reduction of particular symptoms and the improvement of the quality of life, and a plant based diet definitely carries these benefits. Personally speaking, veganism got rid of my migraines and stabilized my (otherwise disastrous) hormonal situation. It is also proved by nutritionists that a balanced vegan diet, based in real and varied foods, can cover almost every deficiency (except B12, which I will talk about in a second).

One of the myths that worry non vegans the most is the supposed lack of proteins in a plant based diet. This does not suppose any issue at all, as plant based foods are abundant in proteins and it is quite easy to reach the necessary daily intake as long as the diet is varied. A great example are grains — chickpeas, beans, lentils (these in particular are not considered complete proteins as they don’t carry all the amino-acids, but they can easily be completed by including another food that has said amino-acid into your diet, like rice, for example), tofu, tempeh, soy, etc. Plant based proteins are even of higher quality than animal based.

When it comes to supplementation, the only one that is absolutely necessary is B12. This vitamin comes from a bacteria which animals obtain from the ground and the food they’re fed (animals do not have the ability to manufacture vitamin B12), and we would obtain it if we did not wash our vegetables (which we obviously have to do), so it is not necessarily a bacteria that comes from the animals themselves. In some cases they’re even supplemented with said vitamin.

Plenty of people might argue that taking B12 supplements means that it is not a “natural” way of living or that we are not “designed” to be vegan, but in a world where we’re surrounded by technology, where we use phones and cars on a daily basis, what is natural is very relative and what is unnatural does not necessarily mean it’s harmful. The 21th century allows us to be vegan quite easily and that’s what truly matters, not that we were carnivores in the past. It may have been true that millions of years ago it helped us evolve, but we live in a time when we can lead a completely normal life without eating animals, especially if we take into account how harmful and dangerous the industry (industrial farming) has become.

Which leads me to my next point: the industry and the planet. The industry has definitely worsened over the years, as the more it expands and the more its production grows, the quality of the food gets worse and a piece of meat of one hundred years ago is completely different to the one they might sell you today, which is filled with chemicals, antibiotics, hormones… just so the animals grow faster and bigger and taste better. All of this is harmful for the human health (which is a longterm process you might not notice until you’re of adult age. After all, deficiencies take a long time to show up) and it also affects the quality of life of the animals. Unfortunately, there are very few regulations in the industry (both in America and in Europe), which continues to destroy natural landmarks and plays a huge part in the deforestation of the planet. This occurs because the industries need insane amounts of land to be able to grow the crops that serve as food for the animals. If you think about it, it’s quite illogical to destroy so much land to feed the animals that people will then feast on as processed meat full of hormones, instead of directly giving those crops to all the poor people around the world who have no food to get by.

At the same time, it is proved by diverse studies that animal farming produces more greenhouse gases than all of the transport clumped together, which has a huge effect on the planet and global warming. It is also a completely unsustainable system, as the demand continues to rise towards insane levels that the industry can’t even keep up with, which only worsens the deforestation issue. We have reached a point where every second more than three thousand animals are killed in inhuman ways, which only gets worse overtime. All of this is proved and studied through statistics (I really encourage everyone to do their own research on this), but most environmental organizations do not raise awareness as they are sponsored by the same powerful industries (Greenpeace, for example, is sponsored).

(now I get a little graphic on the following paragraphs, please avoid if you’re too uncomfortable about animal torture. Carry on after the *)

When it comes to ethics, I believe that everyone (or most people) would recoil if they saw the living conditions of these animals. As I mentioned before, there are not enough regulations in the industry that look out for the way they live, and the abuse and mistreatment of the animals is quite normal all over the world (even though I did my research through american studies, I was surprised to see that here in Spain it is actually way worse).

These industries only care about selling meat, not the animals. They’re beaten up, tortured, locked in enclosed spaces where they can barely move, they get so fat that their legs break under their weight, the hens get their beaks cut off (they are crammed so close together, they try to peck each other due to stress), and the chicks are gotten rid off by crushing them alive or getting thrown in the trash, where they asphyxiate due to lack of oxygen. It is quite cruel, and there are plenty of videos and documentaries where you can see that this is in fact very real. Earthlings is the most famous one.

*

Another discussion is related to organic meat, and if it is a good option when faced against veganism. Though it might be true that some companies treat their animals better, it is hard to be 100% certain as the regulations (and advertising tactics) can be quite confusing and ambiguous. In some places of the world it can be legal to say a product is organic just because the cages of the animals are just slightly bigger. From an ethical point of view, veganism is still the better choice. When it comes to health, I have to recognize that experts accept that there are lesser risks by eating high quality meats (except red meat, which is still unadvised by nutritionists) but if you compare how much you would spend a month eating organic meats against a whole foods plant based diet (without any processed junk or vegan substitute meats - they tend to be quite expensive, and that’s where the myth of veganism being expensive comes from) then the latter option is way cheaper and more comfortable.

One last argument I have to acknowledge is that veganism is said to be too “extreme”. In my opinion, it should not be considered something extreme or negative to do something good for your own body and for the planet, where the pros definitely outshine the cons. Meat should not be considered an essential staple into your diet, or something you need to be happy — if anything, it should be something additional, and it is crazy to think how so many people view vegetables that way when it should be the other way around. It should not be extremist to base your way of living around plant based sources, not when our society has forced people to believe that meat is essential for a healthy, happy living when it is far from the truth.

It is true that each case has to be treated differently, because each body is different and certain foods will suit some people better than others, but it is something relatively easy to delve into as long as you do your extensive research and are aware of what you’re doing. Veganism is not extremist at all as long as you have the knowledge and the support of a professional, as any changes in your diet (not necessarily related to veganism) needs to be monitored by a doctor.

Veganism should not be perceived that way — because in my opinion, it is mainly focused on reducing animal suffering in the best way we can. It is not absolute. It is not giving up everything in your life. We cannot solve all the problems of the world, but we can make an effort into supporting one cause and having a positive influence in it within our possibilities. We are only human, and just because we are defending one cause in particular (in this case, animals), it does not makes us hypocrites nor insensitive to human issues. There will always be unjust situations we will not be able to solve, and it is in our hands to choose our own battles.

Being vegan does not mean torturing yourself for it, it does not mean to stop enjoying life or getting obsessed with food just to “live a few years longer”. One argument I always see is that we will die sooner or later, so we have to live the way we want to and in the best way possible without worrying too much about those causes or the way we nourish our bodies. But if you truly want to lead an optimal, happy life, and leave a good print before you leave this world, should it not mean giving your body good, delicious and healthy foods that affect positively both your health and the animals, so you can lead an even better life? it is quite disappointing to see that veganism and a healthy plant based lifestyle are so related with “unhappiness” or “obsessing yourself” when it is the complete opposite. When it is done for the right reasons, when it is done right, it does not suppose any major struggle and it can turn around your life for the better. A well balanced plant based diet can even give you a better emotional wellbeing (scientifically proved), which inevitably comes with more happiness.

It is not extreme, it is simply making an effort (which can obviously be hard at first, but easily becomes natural as long as you do it right). Even just going to a restaurant and ordering the vegetarian menu instead of the one with meat does so much good, because you’re creating demand for those kind of products and are showing the world that there is growing interest in this kind of lifestyle.

And I have to add that even though I do defend veganism, I also defend small steps, and that being conscious of these situations and trying to approach some of the ideals of veganism (like meatless mondays, for example), is already beyond incredible in itself, and it is something anyone could easily do. I am sure that a lot of people would genuinely consider the entire transition if they at least tried some of these small steps and saw how easy and fulfilling it is. The sensation you get when you know you’re doing something good (for yourself and for the planet) when there is no meat on your plate is quite indescribable, even more pleasing than the act of eating meat. There are just too many advantages to this kind of lifestyle, and I promise it is truly worth it in the long run.

Exploitation of Musicians

I am hoping that after reading this, everyone has more respect, a deeper understanding and a more mindful approach towards musicians.

There is an ever-growing unhappiness I see in the musicians' eyes, and just the heartbreak you hear in their voices, despite the lyrics or songs.

I feel a need to make a change in their lives as much as they bring about a difference in mine. I feel that everyone who listens to music should read and share this article. Even if it only reaches a few people this may help to change the view and actions people have toward musicians in a positive and more insightful way.

Musicians are not just entertainers. They too have to deal with life, but we (fans, industry) don't allow them to do anything peacefully and with clear thoughts, I know that I've also been guilty of this. We have put so much pressure on these people. Their lives are always under a microscope. It is not always possible for musicians to stay sane when they are continually pushed and placed under stress and scrutiny, I will elaborate on this later.

Looking at it deeper as discussed, we place a lot of pressure on these musicians. Pressures to be on tour, pump out new music, promote their music through interviews and social media with the expectation set of each album being better and crisper than the previous. This can cause anxiety, high-stress levels, and depression. They then turn to Substance abuse to cope and keep them going, etc. Talented people are left in this cycle running down a rabbit hole leading them deeper and deeper into self-destructive patterns/behaviour.

For a better understanding of the point I'm trying to make, below I’ve summarized facts that I found during my research for this article.

The truth is that not everyone can be a musician: dedication, hard work, talent, persistence, and perseverance set them apart from everyone else, as with any career where people are good at what they do. There is a deep understanding and passions, but apart from that, I’d like to share some studies done on the differences between a musician and a non-musicians mind so everyone can understand how special they truly are.

Differences between a Musician & Non-musicians Brain:

Using Frequency Following response (FFR) experiments, scientists found that musicians may have a better musical memory as well as enhanced verbal memory compared to non-musicians.

 Areas within the brain responsible for motor control auditory processing & spatial coordination is larger in musicians’ brains.

The Corpus Callosum of musicians is larger. These nerves make it possible for both hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other.

In the book Musicophillia, that Dr Oliver Sack wrote he said, "Anatomists would be hard put to identify the brain of a visual artist, a writer, or even a mathematician – but they could recognize the brain of a professional musician without a moment's hesitation."

Everyone has read or heard that music is good for your soul and so on, but below, I have listed how important and good it truly is.

Effects music has on us:

Chemistry - When you listen to 'pleasant' music, for instance, this can lead to the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are the happiness hormones.

Chronic headaches & migraine remedy

It improves sleep.

In Sync - One thing that research tells us about music is that it can 'entrain' our brainwaves.

Increases verbal Intelligence

Listening to certain music can actually alter the way you perceive (see) another persons face.

Mozart's anti-seizure effect- The latest 2014 study revealed that listening to Mozart K 448 (Sonata for Two Pianos in D major) reduced the seizure recurrence and epileptic form discharges in children epilepsy.

Music greatly affects and alters our moods.

Music has the power to enhance some kinds of higher brain function: Reading and literacy skills, Spatial-temporal reasoning, Mathematical abilities, and Emotional intelligence, Recall of autobiographical and episodic information

Music improves concentration and attention.

Music improves mood and decreases depression.

Music improves neuroplasticity – this is the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.

Music improves overall health.

Music improves physical activity and motivation.

Music reduces pain & helps the healing process.

Music reduces stress, aids relaxation & lessens anxiety.

It promotes Post-Stroke Recovery.

It raises IQ, academic performance, memory & learning ability.

Reducing blood pressure

The four central hypotheses explaining music's facilitation of exercise performance include - Reduction in the feeling of fatigue, Increase in levels of psychological arousal,  Physiological relaxation response, Improvement in motor coordination,  Body movement and coordination, Music helps to work more productively.

Tinnitus -Music therapy in the early stage of tinnitus can prevent tinnitus from becoming a chronic condition.

***Interesting Fact - Specific frequencies induce different states in our brain:

Beta Waves

Hertz Level: 14–40 Hz

Effect:  Awake, normal alert consciousness

Example: Actively conversing or engaging in work

Alpha Waves

Hertz Level:  8–14 Hz

Effect: Calm, relaxed.

Example:  Meditating, reflecting, taking a break from work

Theta Waves

Hertz Level: 4–8 Hz

Effect: Deep relaxation and meditation, mental imagery

Example: Daydreaming

Delta waves

Hertz Level: 0–4 Hz

Effect: Deep, dreamless sleep.

Example: Experiencing REM sleep

It is now clearer how music & musicians enrich our lives, offering more than we realize to us.

There are a few factors to consider when thinking of people within the music industry. They are placed under huge amounts of scrutiny and stress to live up to expectations, having to deal with life, and demands to make sure to stay relevant and at the top.

Studies found that due to fame many people suffer, and struggle. Although this is, what musicians want and work very hard to achieve these studies have concluded that the reason people strive for fame usually is due to a deep need for feeling accepted, loved and appreciated. When the realization that the void isn’t being filled becomes clear, it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, disappointment and heartbreak. The dire need to try to fill the void expands and deepens. This is not to mention the detrimental effects that fame has along with the pressure, and trying to deal with this "void" daily.

Effects fame can have on people:

No Privacy

Intense scrutiny if it is their personal lives or in their career.

Huge amounts of pressure usually unrealistic expectations from fans as well as the industry/labels/managers, etc. to stay relevant and achieve.

Paranoia increases

Feeling suffocated "like a caged animal"

Lost sense of self

Feeling unfulfilled /Loss sense of challenges

Fear of becoming irrelevant

Feeling inferior or undeserving.

Feeling alienated and isolated intense.

This can lead to:

Self-doubt and higher levels of insecurity within work- and personal life.

Self-destructive behaviour occurs.

Depression and anxiety levels rise.

Mental instability and stress heighten.

Due to above-mentioned musicians turn to substance abuse and alternative coping mechanisms, they are just humans that are expected to have god-like abilities in the sense of juggling everything in their personal and professional life. Trying to cope, keeping everyone happy, staying sane and at the top. 

The most frightening aspect isn't the abuse of anything but that supposedly “caring” fans, the "industry" and their management teams watch from the sidelines how the out of control spiral happens. No helping hand is extended as it is a "do whatever is needed” industry. If it is required to take something to stay at a certain level or achieve a goal, it will be catered for or even sourced, leading to a dependency in some cases.

Effects of long-term Substance Abuse:

Due to numerous factors, depression, paranoia, and anxiety, form or worsen this also means that the kidneys, liver, heart and lungs start developing deadly problems. Now, this is a bit of a catch 22 situation. Is the depression or substance abuse a result or a cause and vice versa.

Ways to Manage Stress, Pressure and Anxiety along with the reasons musicians struggle to break the cycle:

Take time out — Being on the run and having to be relevant doesn't allow proper downtime.

Eat healthily — when you are in the studio or on tour doing shows, eating healthy isn't always an available option.

Limit caffeine intake - When you need to stay awake Caffeine is usually option one.

Exercise daily — again on tour or having to be in the studio allow little to no time for exercise.

Get enough Sleep — again on tour, having to be in the studio, having to work on new projects there isn’t time available to get enough sleep. 

Don't Use Drugs & Alcohol — Dependency is usually created due to the need to stay awake, calm nerves when performing or whatever the case may be, this is already a lost cause. 

If you break down the Pressure, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression - all these require good sleep patterns, eating healthy etc. that is nearly impossible if you are on tour for months at a time or busy with new projects or just in the studio recording new material. Consequently, this spiral just continues daily.

Furthermore, according to the site "weheartmusic" from the 1st of January until the 4th of September this year already 439 musicians have passed away, in 2017, 589 musicians were lost and in 2016, 603. I find this very sad and heartbreaking to say the least. I will be adding the reasons and causes at a later stage.(As this is a lot of data to work through)

So, in conclusion, I truly hope with all the information gathered and presented that everyone that reads this, will be more caring, more aware, considerate and conscious in what they expect, and the demands they place on the musicians they adore or actually just musicians in general.

Below are interviews with just a few musicians we lost in 2017. When no one was listening.

Chester Bennington

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC_-zeWYMYo

Col Bruce Hampton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNezyaXlMjM

Chris Cornell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMtDwjUXtsY

Gregg Allman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Xuf_pkpUQ

 In the future, I would like to conduct interviews with a few Musicians and get their views and their feelings about their own lives within this industry, so everyone can understand where they are coming from and going through on a daily basis.

Please see the reference list below:

“Do Musicians Have Different Brains?”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/eyes-the-brain/201006/do-musicians-have-different-brains

“Musician Psychology Accounts for Talent, Success”

http://online.notredamecollege.edu/psychology/musician-psychology-talent-success/

“Behind the music: Why are musicians more likely to suffer from depression?”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/dec/17/musicians-depression

“Insomnia, anxiety, break-ups … musicians on the dark side of touring”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/25/musicians-touring-psychological-dangers-willis-earl-beal-kate-nash

“The Psychological Consequences of Fame”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/genius-and-madness/200903/the-psychological-consequences-fame-0

“The psychological impact of being in the spotlight: the emotional struggle of celebrities”

https://drchristinavillarreal.com/2010/03/26/psychological-impact-being-spotlight-emotional-struggle-of-celebrities/

“Fame is a Dangerous Drug: A phenomenological glimpse of celebrity”

https://www.saybrook.edu/blog/2012/02/18/02-18-12/

“Music Affects the Brain for the Better”

https://blog.bufferapp.com/music-and-the-brain

“Music and the Brain:”

https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/music-and-the-brain-affects-mood/

“How Music Affects Us and Promotes Health”

http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml

https://examinedexistence.com/the-effect-music-has-on-the-brain/

“How Does Music Affect the Brain?”

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/17143/1/How-Does-Music-Affect-the-Brain.html

“9 ways music can improve your life”

http://theweek.com/articles/448464/9-ways-music-improve-life

“5 Ways Music Affects Your Life For The Better”

https://finds.life.church/5-ways-music-affects-life/

“How Music Affects Your Life”

http://www.syncrat.com/posts/5060/how-music-affects-your-life

“Musician Reveals 5 Ways How Music Changes Your Life”

http://www.michaelgregoryii.com/2015/06/musician-explains-how-music-changes-your-life/

“Musicians Who Died in 2017”

http://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-who-died-in-2017.html

“Musicians Who Died in 2016”

http://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-who-died-in-2016.html

“Musicians Who Died in 2018”

http://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-who-died-in-2018.html

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