#schoolessay

[kawaiipotetu]

Minimalism

Minimalism is a lifestyle where people consume less. Consuming less on things, on time, on debts, on worries and on stress. By minimizing the things mentioned before we can add value in more important things. We add value on our health, on our relationships, on our personal development, on our belongings and our overall sense of purpose. Due to the widespread compulsory consumption of the mass population; people have grown to buy impulsively on unnecessary things for short-term satisfaction but through practicing minimalism as a lifestyle, people can live more by having less.

Minimalism is not just a trend people try to do for nothing but it has underlying purposes on why people choose this kind of lifestyle. Ikigai is a common term in japan which means “a reason for being” or a “reason to get up in the morning”. Ikigai is a practice in which a person sets their goals and add value to their sense of purpose. Ikigai is a big part in minimalism as it promotes living intentionally by doing so according to one’s purpose in life. Minimalism is the solution to the excessive accumulation of consumer goods that caused permanent damage to the earth’s environment. The impact of consumerism ranges from the earth’s plummeting natural resources to the purging of biodiversity in forests and oceans. Minimalism is not forcing oneself to get rid of comfort or convenience, and it is not about living poorly but it is about valuing one’s own life more than the tangible things that society conditioned us to consume.

There are several aspects how people can benefit through practicing minimalism such as how it can improve one’s general well-being, letting go and forming relationships and personal growth. Other benefits includes a cleaner home. Materialism is correlated to loneliness. He said that lonely people are drawn to spend impulsively as a coping mechanism in order to fill the empty void inside them. This explain what happened to one individual, he had a successful career, had a two living room condo unit, and had everything he wanted but still was not happy until he was introduced minimalism. Minimalism values the overall well-being of a person, it is said that living intentionally, discarding unnecessary items can help people live in clarity and focus on the wellness of one’s physical and mental health. Minimalism can build stronger relationships by letting go of unhealthy relationships of the past. By moving on and taking off the burden from a toxic relationship, we can give space to people we can cherish our time with. Our lives are too short to waste it on ruminating past mistakes. In minimalism, people are encouraged to keep moving forward to become better versions of ourselves. People need to get rid of hindrances in order to grow. Marie Kondo said in her book that decluttering gives you space with things that spark joy in life. By keeping only the things that spark joy, we use those things in its full potential. By knowing the things we keep, we become more self-aware of what’s important.

Minimalism is not a threat to an economy. There’s a common misconception that normalizing minimalism is the downfall of an economy. Minimalism is not zero-spending. Moreover, it is where you spend the money. A person does not need a hundreds of clothing and fifty pairs of shoes. He explains furthermore that minimalists spend their money on experiences, travels, high quality products and anything that adds value to one’s life. Minimalism though minimizes the quantity of stuff, it maximizes the quality of each valuables and experiences. Consumption or spending on things is not the problem but compulsory consumption is. Over consumption is what lead people to buy unnecessary things compulsively. These products are marketed to promise people convenience, satisfaction happiness but that is not always the case because there are some things that people can’t buy. Compulsive spending then leads to addiction and this kind of addiction isn’t always healthy; physically or mentally. Minimalism is booming in japan. The trend started when Marie Kondo published her book on decluttering and Fumia Sasaki’s book on minimalism. Ever since then industries have made higher quality products and clothing. This trend then become worldwide, minimalist companies like MUJI now have several branches around the world.

The people of today have been accustomed to consume material things mostly for satisfaction and convenience. But when the way people consume become compulsive and addictive this is where the problem starts. The products people bought mindlessly are then piled up in a space, abandoned and will never be used again. This does not only apply in items but also as a lifestyle in general. In life, we must lessen the bad habits and value our health. In order to have more time to enjoy, we must lessen the time we deal with stress. We need to cut-off bad relationships and move on to find a new one. In order for us to grow as a person, we need to remove something in the way. Minimalism shows us how to maximize our value and experience without relying on too much material products.

[kereempuff]

Dead Poets Society (a review)

I. Introduction

The story of the movie Dead Poets Society revolves around a teacher who teaches in unusual ways and his students in a preparatory school for boys whom sticks to traditional teachings. The teacher had thought his students the actual meaning of poetry, how to make a poem and conformity. The teacher had helped his students to face the pressures their parents and school have given to them. The teacher also thought his students to think for themselves, pursue their dreams and carpe diem (to seize the day).

II. Critique

           Visually, the movie was shot beautifully for a movie released in the 1980s. This movie has one of the most impressive and exceptional cinematography and screenplay ever released from the director, Peter Weir, who isn’t really well known in the industry. Even though the movie is shot beautifully, it is not one of the most memorable.

The characters performed by astounding actors like Robin Williams and young Ethan Hawke was portrayed well in the film. Emotionally, the actors really did well on how they portray their emotions, the feeling of hopelessness, happiness, and love, they did really well but not all of them. Other actors were young and the acting was yet to be questioned. Despite the questionable acting of some actors, the movie turned out great.

Story wise, the movie is a masterpiece. The story not only relates the situations in the past but people of the newer generations can also relate to the problem shown by the movie about the pressure of the parents to their children and the school to their students, the understatement of change and improvement by the people with authority, the disapprove of “new effective ways of teaching” by the people with authority whom sticks to the traditional. Having hope, being able to do what you want and pursuing your dreams as well. The grief of someone’s death and the unjust system of the society portrayed by the movie, that was released decades ago, and yet it can still relate to people of today and the future making it timeless and always living.

 III. Overall

           All in all, this movie is a classic and everyone should watch it. Despite it being underrated, the movie is worth watching and should have what it deserves. The theme was ageless and will forever be relevant. The people of today should watch this movie and be woke that this issues are real, that people should be reminded that we can think for ourselves, to say what needed to be said, and to do what is right.

Dead Poets Society (a reaction)

Every person has a different background. Every person has their own unique identity. Every person have their own version of one’s self. Do you know yours? If the world is a long poem, what will your verse be? What will your contribution to the world and to yourself? How can you say that you’re going to die realizing that you have lived? Would you rather make your own path or follow the one that you idolized? I may not give you the answers but you know to yourselves that you already have the answers.

             The movie “Dead Poets Society” is a very inspiring movie that it made me realize many things. This movie is already one of my favourite movies because of the handsome actors of it and it also made my everyday lives interesting in the different possibilities that I can get. The movie has different messages for the viewer’s, life lessons and inspiring quotes. I was actually sad about the last part because Mr Keating was kicked out of the school. I am really mad about Richard Cameron because he knows the truth about the death of Neil Perry but he pointed Mr Keating as the reason behind of Neil’s death. I pity Todd because I know how it feels to be left by a friend but his problem was harder than mine. I also pity Neil because his parents don’t want what he want to be, and it made Neil to do suicide. I loved how the movie goes, the flows so smooth and there were no shocking moments but it hurts a lot that it has a sequel or what because the ending is not really good. Anyways, I still love the movie and it made me cry a lot in the part of the “O captain, my Captain”. I wish that it has a part two but I think it won’t have one because some of the characters were old already specially Mr Keating. Different style of learning was implemented by a teacher here in the movie. It makes the teachings more active and realistic that each of his students understands what he was teaching. It also made the students apply what he has taught and helps them to be more disciplined. The interaction between the student and a teacher makes them both active and be true to each of them.

           Worth a watch movie, make your two hours’ worth it by watching this movie. I know that this can make you realize what is your worth here in the world. You will know what is the reason of your existence in the world. This movie will help you to answer the questions in the first paragraph and make yourselves worth it for everyone.

[kereempuff]

Toxic Positivity

In times of global crisis, in where everything suddenly changes and maybe in shock due to this pandemic. While the coronavirus is spreading and giving damage to people physically, the spread of toxic positivity is damaging people mentally and emotionally. I resent or even envy people who tells people to “stay positive” because they are not the ones who are suffering. There are people that are hungry, in grief, sick, are arrested, anxious of something they have no control of; any emotion they feel are valid. The pressure on students to comply as if every student has a stable internet connection. Just because they have authority doesn’t mean they need to diminish basic human empathy.

 Toxic positivity is when does or manifest being happy at inappropriate situations. Toxic positivity can also build a persona far from the self. People that have “only good vibes” persona often have hard time expressing themselves of sadness to other people and ends of bottling all those feelings inside (Ballick, 2019). Showing happiness during times when you’re actually sad can eradicate some support that could help you. The Filipino musical “And Huling El Bimbo” showed some characters who portrayed toxic positivity. When Joy, an epitome of happiness, faced a tragic event in her life, her friend Hector did nothing but instead he assumed that “she’s strong” and she can handle it. Another example is in the film “Parasite”, when the rain poured heavily, we can see how juxtaposed the situation of the two different class. The rich thought that the rain was a “blessing” or something that is desirable but the other family was on the brink of losing a home.

 Some people may manifest it unwarily, some people does it as a coping mechanism especially in social media. It is unhealthy though. To those who does may be in denial of their own sadness and thus by portraying as someone positive they could lessen the idea of people worrying about them. People should let themselves be vulnerable because once they painted themselves as someone “always happy” or “positive”, the pressure of maintaining it can be mentally draining. Vulnerability is not a sign of weakness but more of a sign of self-respect for the feelings that are meant to be felt by a human being. Denying oneself of such feelings is like a rejection of one’s self.

 All in all, people should stop promoting toxic positivity instead they should give support to those who are having a hard time and to those who are making ways to improve the situation. Too much positivity is not healthy, stay authentic. Vulnerability is important, feelings are valid even though they are not always nice. Have empathy and consider what other people feel. Once again, I do not resent the ones who are okay during the pandemic; I only resent those who are bothered by the fact that there are people in distress. People should be more considerate to other people and pray for every one’s well-being.

[kereempuff]

Minimalism by a 19 years old

Minimalism is a lifestyle where people consume less. Consuming less on things, on time, on debts, on worries and on stress. By minimizing the things mentioned before we can add value in more important things. We add value on our health, on our relationships, on our personal development, on our belongings and our overall sense of purpose. 

Due to the widespread compulsory consumption of the mass population; people have grown to buy impulsively on unnecessary things for short-term satisfaction but through practicing minimalism as a lifestyle, people can live more by having less.

Minimalism is not just a trend people try to do for nothing but it has underlying purposes on why people choose this kind of lifestyle. 

Ikigai is a common term in japan which means “a reason for being” or a “reason to get up in the morning”. 

Ikigai is a practice in which a person sets their goals and add value to their sense of purpose. Ikigai is a big part in minimalism as it promotes living intentionally by doing so according to one’s purpose in life. Minimalism is the solution to the excessive accumulation of consumer goods that caused permanent damage to the earth’s environment. The impact of consumerism ranges from the earth’s plummeting natural resources to the purging of biodiversity in forests and oceans. Minimalism is not forcing oneself to get rid of comfort or convenience, and it is not about living poorly but it is about valuing one’s own life more than the tangible things that society conditioned us to consume.

There are several aspects how people can benefit through practicing minimalism such as how it can improve one’s general well-being, letting go and forming relationships and personal growth. Other benefits includes a cleaner home. Materialism is correlated to loneliness. It is said that lonely people are drawn to spend impulsively as a coping mechanism in order to fill the empty void inside them. This explain what happened to one individual, he had a successful career, had a two living room condo unit, and had everything he wanted but still was not happy until he was introduced minimalism.

 Minimalism values the overall well-being of a person, it is said that living intentionally, discarding unnecessary items can help people live in clarity and focus on the wellness of one’s physical and mental health.

 Minimalism can build stronger relationships by letting go of unhealthy relationships of the past. By moving on and taking off the burden from a toxic relationship, we can give space to people we can cherish our time with. Our lives are too short to waste it on ruminating past mistakes. In minimalism, people are encouraged to keep moving forward to become better versions of ourselves. People need to get rid of hindrances in order to grow. Marie Kondo said in her book that decluttering gives you space with things that spark joy in life. By keeping only the things that spark joy, we use those things in its full potential. By knowing the things we keep, we become more self-aware of what’s important.

Minimalism is not a threat to an economy. There’s a common misconception that normalizing minimalism is the downfall of an economy. Minimalism is not zero-spending. Moreover, it is where you spend the money. A person does not need a hundreds of clothing and fifty pairs of shoes. He explains furthermore that minimalists spend their money on experiences, travels, high quality products and anything that adds value to one’s life. Minimalism though minimizes the quantity of stuff, it maximizes the quality of each valuables and experiences. Consumption or spending on things is not the problem but compulsory consumption is. Over consumption is what lead people to buy unnecessary things compulsively. These products are marketed to promise people convenience, satisfaction happiness but that is not always the case because there are some things that people can’t buy. Compulsive spending then leads to addiction and this kind of addiction isn’t always healthy; physically or mentally. Minimalism is booming in japan. The trend started when Marie Kondo published her book on decluttering and Fumia Sasaki’s book on minimalism. Ever since then industries have made higher quality products and clothing. This trend then become worldwide, minimalist companies like MUJI now have several branches around the world.

The people of today have been accustomed to consume material things mostly for satisfaction and convenience. But when the way people consume become compulsive and addictive this is where the problem starts. The products people bought mindlessly are then piled up in a space, abandoned and will never be used again. This does not only apply in items but also as a lifestyle in general. In life, we must lessen the bad habits and value our health. In order to have more time to enjoy, we must lessen the time we deal with stress. We need to cut-off bad relationships and move on to find a new one. In order for us to grow as a person, we need to remove something in the way. 

Minimalism shows us how to maximize our value and experience without relying on too much material products.

[wilrei9650]

New Post

Hey Guys! Another new post that was originally a school assignment. This one is more of a short story and is based off of The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. It does have some Gatsby spoilers though. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23780263

[owlhead-chase]

An Explosion Of Colours

I am colour blind. I feel alone in this world. All I want...no, need...is change. My passion makes me feel loved and desirable. I get attention that way. And best of all, it brings me colours.

I create artworks for a living, quite ironic, don’t you think? My work, to most is quite revolting, but to others it’s a composition to analyse, to find the motives behind each showpiece, and why I used this specific muse. I choose my inspiration at random. Save the style I always use, there is nothing to connect one masterpiece to another. My methods are redundant, but I prefer routine. Don’t we all?

Once I’ve finished one piece, I feel alone again, unwanted, unneeded, and I’m forced to create another.

My magnum Opus will forever adorn the archives of humanity. It was my most exciting piece. I knew the model, a gorgeous niece of mine. Unfortunately, no one suspected me as the creator, not that I’d tell them it was me either.

I remember it vividly – The crimson beads dripping off her supposedly peachy complexion. I remember when I embedded the lustrous edge in her bowels. Afterwards, she was strung up, her ensanguined feet eye-level for me, and a puddle of cruor beneath her.

Pride swells in my chest each time I recall it. This was my work. Just. Mine.

Colours burst into my vision when I create. To you, it may only be three dull colours, but they paint and fill my world.

Shades of red, ranging from the deepest ruby to the lightest blush. From the darkest tone of obsidian sliding down to smudged charcoal. Hues of ashen silver to graphite.

Today I will make a self-portrait. All great artists have at least one. This one will have to have a slight difference in style though.

I have two choices: Shall I hang this portrait up, or have it struck down and punctured?

I’m going to have to make the incision carefully. You see, I want this one to take the longest, until I see nothing but onyx. No rushed cuts or gashes.

Slowly, painfully.

Perfect.

[flawlessokay-okay]

Footsteps in the Dark

The one thing Delia Desmond despised the most in the entire world was without a doubt her family home. Yes, it was absolutely beautiful if you liked living in a haunted-looking 19th century mansion, but when you had been born and raised in such a house, there were many aspects that began to irritate you.

First and foremost, the monthly heating bill was making an enormous dent in her inheritance. Obviously Delia didn’t have an inkling on how substantial that dent was because some family friend took care of the housing expenses, but she was almost certain that it was costing her quite a lot of money to keep the house at a high enough temperature, and therefore keeping Delia’s toes from falling off. It also didn’t help that Delia was by nature a cold­blooded person in the very literal sense of the term.

Secondly, the family home was bigger than any other house in the town of Oakville, Oregon. Due to its isolated located on top of a hill, wherever you seemed to be in Oakville, you always caught a glimpse of the Desmond home and its ten thousand square foot estate. Not that Delia was absolutely sure of that statement either. She tried to avoid going into town entirely, and had successfully been doing so to this very day. At first, the colossal size of the house delighted Delia who hated people more than the average human should. She would have a refuge, a place to hide from the world. However, in a touristic town like Oakville, its Victorian era beauty enthralled more than it repelled much to Delia’s displeasure.

The prime reason for Delia’s hatred of this mansion had to be the constant emptiness that filled every single room. Now, there is a fine line between emptiness and loneliness. Delia never felt alone when she was by herself. When her parents had passed away, she had become her own best friend, her ultimate companion. Weeks had gone by, years had flown by, yet Delia had never felt the need or the desire to interact with anyone. She rejoiced in her solitude, she loved the privacy. Although recently, there was something about this house that made her feel so hollow, so raw, so afraid. Sometimes, she would lay awake at night, and this overwhelming nothingness threatened to suffocate her, and left her wondering if it was possible to drown in nothing.

Every fiber in her body told her that there had to be something more than this house, but Delia couldn’t bring herself to sell the house and leave. It’s that hold it had on her that frightened her the most.

A million thoughts plagued her mind as Delia settled herself into bed with a book after another long day. She flipped through a few ivory pages in the hopes of finding the chapter she hadn’t succeeded at finishing the previous night. In a matter of seconds, the folded corner of a page caught her attention, and she let out a sigh of contentment, for she was eager to lose herself in the story. The faint light emitted from the nearby lamp was sufficient enough for Delia to read. As the sky darkened and the night grew old, Delia’s mind swam with words, images and faraway universes.

Suddenly, a peculiar noise yanked Delia from her reverie.

Step, step, step.

Slightly frustrated, she strained her ears to listen in order to try and identify the unfamiliar sound.

Step, step, step.

Her heart sunk to the pit of her stomach.

“Someone is in the house,” she said to herself before slowly walking over to the door of her bedroom, and pressing her ear to the cold wood of the panel.

The footsteps persisted, but now the sound of dragging had joined the unsettling cacophony. Then, it stopped as abruptly as it had started. All Delia could hear was the steady beating of her heart, all she could feel was the quivering of her legs. She gripped the brass door handle until her knuckles turned white. She could taste blood in her mouth, a result of biting her bottom lip to stop the clattering of her teeth. Delia swallowed the bile that had accumulated in the back of her throat, and broke down the only barrier between her and the intruder by slowly opening the door.

Delia cursed the old age of the house as the door creaked opened, but luckily the noise had started again. She stuck out her head to glance into the thankfully empty hallway. Delia held her breath while the sounds lured her out of her bedroom. It was almost like being pulled out of her own little haven to embark on the perilous journey towards the unknown. Delia’s mind ordered to stop, but any control she held over her body had long disappeared. Delia seemed to have no choice.

A shiver ran through her body, turning her blood to ice while the sounds led her towards its provenance, the same way the stars guided a lost traveler to safety. Although, Delia doubted she was being led to anywhere remotely close to safety.

At last, Delia found herself in one of the lavishly furnished living rooms. Even though the young woman had never really spent much of her time in this room, pastel colors and lace irritated Delia to the core, she would know when something did not belong. The overwhelming amount of brown cardboard boxes definitely was not a part of the room’s design. Delia crouched down, and pulled open the flaps of the box to expose its contents.

Delia had hoped that by knowing what was inside the boxes she would have a better understanding of what was taking place, but instead utter confusion now joined the already existing emotions that lay buried in her chest. She furrowed her brows, and tore open box after box until she had to cease all activity and catch her breath.

The proprietor of the home did not understand why each box was filled with common household objects. Just to name a few, Delia had discovered a new cutlery set, some notebooks and a lovely lavender scented candle. Delia didn’t have time to process his new information because the footsteps resonated through the hallway. Frantic, she scanned the room for a hiding spot, and settled on locking herself in a closet. Delia pushed her back up against the wall, and left the closet door slightly ajar.

Step, step, step.

The silhouette of a man appeared. 

The normalcy of this individual surprised Delia. He wasn’t broad shouldered or very tall. He wasn’t dressed completely in black either. In fact, he didn’t even give Delia the impression that he was uneasy about being in a house that was not his. This stranger did not fit the image of the intruder she had in mind. She sighed, whether it was in relief or in disappointment she did not know.

The man reached for another box, but froze and stared. He now lookedslightly disturbed; it was etched onto his features. His eyes searched the room, and strayed a moment too long on the closet door. Delia’s heart threatened toleap out of her chest. A wave of déjà vu washed over her, and she dug her nailsinto the tender skin of her palms to keep this strange and familiar feeling at bay.

Finally, the intruder shrugged, and left the room with another box in hisarms. Delia waited until the footsteps became background noise, and sprungfrom the closet. She fled from the living room, and she knew she needed toleave, needed to get help.

On her way to the entrance of the Desmond home,Delia had intended to simply pass by the kitchen, but that same mysterious force that had lured her from her bedroom forced her to linger. That’s when she noticed the dozens of newspapers spread across the mahogany dining table.

She slowly advanced, and clutched the first one she could get her hands on. She gasped.

It read: “The Desmond mansion has finally been sold to acclaimed crime author Chuck Hartwell who hopes to document the murder of Delia Desmond,young heiress to the Desmond estate and fortune.”

Delia was particularly adept at forgetting, but there were times like this when the memories came flooding back so vivid, so real that Delia had to relive the pain, the despair and the fear of that fateful night months ago.

Since then, Delia had learnt that to force yourself to forget is a dreadful thing, but to force yourself to remember is truly horrifying.

[polisciandir-issues]

Does the United States have the capability and resources to retain global hegemony into the 21st century? What challenges does the U.S. face?

  The United States of America was once the most powerful Nation in the World. Since the fall of its only competition, the USSR, in 1991 the U.S. became the single World Hegemony. It took over all the positions and responsibilities required of the World Hegemony and it executed them precisely as needed be. But as time went by America’s strength has declined. The U.S no longer has the means to maintain its role as the Global Hegemon into the 21st century. This is due to three reasons. One, there are certain standards required of a Global Hegemony. Two, the U.S no longer fulfills the requirements to be the Global Hegemon. Finally, U.S. Foreign Policy is pushing away from world politics and trying to focus on itself and other issues.

What is Hegemony and what does it mean to be the Global Hegemon? What are its standards? Hegemony in short is defined as the preponderate power. They who set the World Order, and manage it. However they are also the ones who are held accountable for all by all. More extensively it is defined as “the First Amongst Equals”. Hegemony is the State which holds the most Power. Power refers to the ability to make those do that which one requests even if they do not desire to do so. The World Hegemon is the State which hold such powers and can execute them through out the world at will. However that is not all, there are certain positive and negative rights and responsibilities which are intertwined into such positions. Of positives privileges there are three. The first of which is that they are free to set the world order or status quo to that which best suits them and their policies. Secondly they own the most advanced and up to date technology. Finally and most importantly they hold the strongest military force completely at their disposal that can be projected onto every region of the earth at will. While there may be privileges to being the World Hegemon there are also some responsibilities which come with the position as well. The World Hegemon must maintain the World Order which they have set put. This requires them to maintaining communications, tradability, the International Monetary and Banking System, Terms of Trade (currency used), the Sea, Air, and Land Technological Lengths as well as holding all responsibility for the decisions and actions of themselves and everyone else. They must create new technologies to stay ahead all while keeping the international community at bay. Thirdly they must provide from their own military the military of all forms for those under their domain who cannot provide it for themselves. They inherit the role of “policemen of the world” protecting their own rights and the rights of others as well. These are all rights and responsibilities which the U.S. once was able to uphold; but in the recent years and leading up to the 21st century the United States of America will not be able to fully uphold such positions and standards.

How does the U.S. meet these standards? Can the U.S. uphold these responsibilities and its position into the 21st century? Or rather how does it already fail at meeting these standards now and looking into the 21st century? The first standard of a Global Hegemon is being able to maintain the World Order which they have already put in play. They must also continue the development of newer technologies and the continuation of the creation of a military which is able to be projected through out the world. For this to be accomplished the U.S. requires that which it no longer has, money and resources. The U.S no longer holds the same amount of clout and resources as it once did. At their current state of a $17.6 Trillion dollar debt they cannot afford both literally and physically to continue their unilateral approach to foreign international politics. In 2013 the U.S. government fell into a complete lockdown over its financial budget. It was not able to act or act upon anything in this state of internal crisis. As Kepuchan states, “Democrats and Republicans have been unable to find common ground” (Kepuchan, p. 5) giving signal to internal struggles in the U.S. This is seen and interpreted by the international community and those other States as news that America is loosing ground. In order to achieve the first goal of a Hegemon they must fix their internal struggles first and then take a multilateral course of action. The United States of America must once again ally themselves with others of the same interests and push for the continuation of the status quo that the World Hegemon, that the U.S., put into motion. However Kupchan argues that it is already too late for this and he is correct, “The West is losing not only its material primacy as new powers rise, but also its ideological dominance.” (Kepuchan, p. 4). Materially we do not have the means to send military and project power due to our currency issues. Furthermore if the U.S. continues using unilateral approaches to international affairs therefore costing them more and driving them away from the other States they will resolve little and make little progress. On this Kagan compares the U.S to Catcher in the Rye, “ More often it [the U.S.] played the role of Catcher in the Rye” (Kagan, p. 30). While Kagan makes the point that the U.S. despite its showings of decline is in fact keeping itself together and continues to spread democracy the evidence when placed together is overwhelming and steers to Kupchan point of a declining America in the future. The U.S can no longer afford to be the policemen of the world. It does not have the capability to do so. They cannot be the ones who stretch out their arms before others fall in efforts to catch them like the U.S. used to do. This is not only due to the internal struggles it is facing or the monetary issues but the fact that other States in the international system are now pushing for change in the status quo. America after spreading itself too thin does not have the power to stand for itself and protect its world order.

U.S. Foreign Policy is pushing away from world politics and trying to focus on itself. Due to U.S decline they are foreseeing the future and preparing for it.“American and European strategists understand that new powers are on the rise and that Western primacy will inevitably wane” (Kepuchan, p. 6). America sees how it can no longer project its power due to internal and external issues and is therefore enacting new foreign policy. Policies that will as Kupchan and G. John Ikenberry state “the West should “sink the roots of this order as deeply as possible,” thereby ensuring that “the international system the United States leads can remain the dominant order of the twenty-first century.” (Kupchan, p. 6). While the U.S. still holds some power as the World Hegemon it should take its chances now and integrate its Western Society onto the new world/ status quo. “Indeed, the United States and its European partners have taken the lead in transforming the G-8, a global directorate dominated by Western nations, into the G-20, a more inclusive grouping of major powers in which the Western democracies are in the minority.” (Kepuchan, p. 6). Even the U.S. sees their own downfall as the World Hegemon and are moving towards making policy that reflects so. Even the people of America are unsure about American Hegemon. Kagan spoke about the American people in his book and how it will be up to the American people if the U.S. ever wants to go back to being the World Hegemon. Kagan on Americans competing for hegemony wrote, “If american History is any guide, however, there is at least some reason to be hopeful” (Kagan, p. 131). While Kagan is an optimist and Kepuchan a realist if America ever wants to be in control again it is at home where they should focus. For In order to be Hegemony one must control the commanding heights of technology first and formost. America has lost its hold over Global Hegemony for now. The turn as Kepuchan described will happen and America has to take the steps necessary to have that turn in their favor as well.

In summation, to be a Global Hegemon one must be the preponderate power. They who set the World Order/status quo, and manage it. However they are also the ones who are held accountable for all by all. The United States set the world order after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 to that of American Western Society. The U.S. brought forth its technology and its military and was able to and use it to their will by projecting it through out the world. However in recent years, in the mists of all its internal struggles both governmentally and financially, the U.S. has started to lose face in the international community. Other States such as China, Russia and other non-western Nations have began to take its place as regional hegemonies, reechoing to be the new global hegemon. America can no longer project power and uphold the status quo and sustain its place as the World Hegemon. It is failing in keeping the first, second and third role of the Global Hegemon. The United States Of America is declining. The United States Of America has declined. The United States Of America by definition, through its actions is no longer the Global Hegemon.

Bibliography:

Kagan, Robert. The World America Made. New York: Random House, Inc, . Print.

Kupchan, Charles A. No One’s World. New York: Oxford University Press. Print.

Nye, Jr. Joseph S. The Future of Power. New York: Perseus Book Group. Print.

Andres R Lopez

FIU Freshman

INR 3081 (U01C) Summer C

Panther  I.D.  4887197