Counterintuitive Spring 2023

The Flaws in Animal Experimentation

Animal experimentation has been around for a numerous number of years and has always been a controversial topic. The two sides of this debate are the ones who believe that animal testing is beneficial and will save lives, which is true. On the other hand, animal testing has is ethically wrong and is not accurate to the genetics of humans. Animal testing has been marked as inadequate by Cambridge. Their studies suggest that an animal’s behavior may be influencing the end result of the experiment. Such as being in an enclosed space could cause distress and even abnormal behaviors within the certain animal. The choice to carry out animal experimentation does not have a correct answer and will never have one.

The main debate of animal experimentations begins at the thought of the tests being cruel and inhumane. Commonly, in animal research, the subjects are treated to force feedings, lack of water or food, and even infliction to pain such as burns from the chemicals. (These burns are usually to test the healing process.) Every year nearly 100 million animals are subjected to harm during the animal testing. In today’s world, the United States has the technology to do innovated research, but they still go back to the barbaric use of animal experimentation. The use of animal experimentation usually leads to the animals to be crippled, burned, and even poisoned. Animal testing has been a popular controversial topic and is shown to be cruel. Animal experimentation has been around for many years and has served a variety of purposes in society.

Additionally, millions of animals that are used in experiments are discarded, like trash. The National Institute of Health (NIH) reported that just in eighteen months, from the years 2011 to 2013, over 1.5 million pounds of animals were placed in waste collection. The animal waste is extremely dangerous to human health because the waste is contaminated with the chemicals, and even infectious diseases/viruses used in past experiments. Some companies disagree with discarding the waste by incinerating the animals’ corpses, but that leads to emitting gases into the air.

“The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) reported that: “a recent study found that 2.1 million deaths have been associated with human-produced fine particulate matter – a main component of smog” 

Animal experimentation is an expensive use of study. Some animal experiments could take up to months and even years to perform and analyze. The cost alone would be an insane amount due to the time of the study. For example, it takes almost a whole decade with 3,000,000 dollars to complete an entire experiment while abiding all the laws. At the end of the experiment, it only would register one single pesticide to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Evaluating each of the chemicals can take up to millions of dollars, and many years to complete the experiment Also, companies can lose a ton of money if the tests do not account for how humans would correctly respond to the treatments. Fewer than 10 percent of potential drugs make it to the human trials. According to the Humane Society, drug companies spend an average of four billion dollars to fully develop a new kind of drug. And if that drug fails, then billions of dollars went down the drain. So why waste the time? Because maybe it can help the lives of humans.

Humans and animals are not exactly the same. Many drugs that can appear safe and effective in animals may not be the same with humans. The drugs could cause significant harm or even death. In 2004, a study was conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration that 95 percent of drug trials in animals failed to reach clinical trials in humans. Of the ones that are approved, more than half are withdrawn due to serve lethal effects that were not detected in the animal experiments. Thalidomide, a sleeping pill, was introduced in the 1950s, which resulted to about 10,000 babies to be born with deformities. The pill was examined by animals first, but the experiment did not show the symptoms in animals as it did to humans. Thusly, concluding that animals should not be reliable to human health.

Replacing animals used in experimentation would improve the quality and the humanity science of health. Technology has been growing for years, and new non-animal methods have been developed. Types of non-animal methods include cell cultures, human tissues, volunteer studies, and computer models. Scientists have managed to grow 3D cell structures, that can even behave as miniature organs. These structures provide a more realistic way to test new therapies, which can also be more accurate than animals. Cells have been used to create innovative devices that can accurately mimic the heart, lungs, kidney and even gut. Cell cultures have already been in key developments in areas such as sepsis, kidney disease, cancer, and AIDS. Human tissues are another way to study the human physiology. Human tissues can be donated from surgery such as biopsies and transplants. Using human tissues can replace the cruel tests that animals have to face and will prevent the study passing false information. The Humane society also advocates the comparison between using human replications from animal tests.

“The expensive and time-consuming two-year rat study to assess whether a substance is cancerous to humans is only able to predict human cancer 42% of the time. A cell-based test (CTA), which has been in use for over 50 years, can predict 90% of known human carcinogens.”

Ultimately, animal experimentation is a complex subject. Many people can deliver different opinions of the subject matter, which none of them could be the “correct” answer. Animal experimentation has given light on human health, but also effects the lives of the animals. The facts about animal testing are clear, millions of animals lose their lives for the sake of human health, but is that really worth all the death? Using alternative methods can save the lives of animals and improve the accuracy of the tests run for human health.

References

Akhtar, A. (2015, October). The flaws and human harms of animal experimentation. Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics: CQ: the international journal of healthcare ethics committees. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594046/.

Cornett, E. M., Jones, M. R., & Kaye, A. D. (2019, May 11). Ethics of animal experimentation – springer. Ethics of Animal Experimentation. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-99124-5_25.

Humane Society International. (2019, March 31). Limitations of animal tests. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://www.hsi.org/news-media/limitations-of-animal-tests/.

Lowering the Rate of Abortions

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. The vast majority of abortions result from unplanned pregnancies. Typically, unplanned pregnancies result from misuse or no use of contraceptives. Some accidental pregnancies result from incest or rape. Carrying a baby to term and raising it is a large emotional and physical responsibility. Taking care of a child can be a massive undertaking that would be unwelcome by someone who did not plan for having a child. There are many reasons women would want to terminate their pregnancy. One reason is that pregnancies become unwanted because a woman is concerned for her health and well-being. Another reason is that the financial demands for raising a child may also be too difficult for a woman to handle. Not being able to afford a child would be a danger to the woman and the baby. Women may not want to raise a child that they did not plan for because they may be unready to be a parent. A woman who has an unplanned pregnancy may not want a child because it would interfere with her lifestyle and other responsibilities. A planned pregnancy is life-changing. Forcing a woman who did not plan to be pregnant into giving birth to a child could be harmful to her life. Preventing unwanted pregnancies and the hospitalization of women would require more access to contraceptives and more safe sex education.

An abortion can either be “safe” or an “unsafe” abortion to end the women’s pregnancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines safe abortions “when they are carried out with a method that is recommended by WHO and that is appropriate to the pregnancy duration, and when the person carrying out the abortion has the necessary skills.” On the other hand, unsafe abortions are abortions that happen when the people, environment, skills, and medical precautions are not up to the World Health Organization’s standards. Unsafe abortions increase the risk of death for the woman who is carrying the fetus. Due to unsafe abortions, around 7 million women are hospitalized every year in developing countries. To prevent the hospitalization of women the stoppage of unwanted pregnancies would be a solution.

To help prevent unwanted pregnancies the use of contraceptives would be an effective solution. Lack of knowledge about contraceptives is a reason that some women may not use them. The women do not know how contraceptives work and how to get ahold of contraceptives in their lives. Women may also choose not to use contraceptives because they believe that contraceptives will have a negative impact on their bodies. For example, some women may believe that the birth control pill could cause infertility. Another reason is that some women may use contraceptives incorrectly because they do not know how to properly use them. This lack of knowledge about contraceptives does not help women and further increases their chances of an unwanted pregnancy.

The lack of access to contraceptives can also be a reason that unwanted pregnancies happen and result in abortion. In the study by Clinicalkey, they mention in their article that “It has been estimated that 125 million women have unmet needs for family planning, mostly in the developing countries.” There is a lack of resources and access to contraceptives for millions of women. The only form of contraceptive available to many women is unsafe abortion. The lack of resources to receive contraceptives and the lack of availability can ultimately result in an unplanned pregnancy and ultimately abortion.

Since many women do not know how to properly use contraceptives, education should be adapted to the women’s understanding so that they can learn how to properly use contraceptives. Changing the education to the level that women may require is a good way to make sure the success of contraceptive understanding in women is higher. Having information about contraceptives available to women is not effective if the women cannot understand and put the information into practice. Sexual education for both men and women is essentially important. Without proper sexual education, there would be a possibility that the rate of unplanned pregnancies would be much higher. When sexual education is in place in many people’s lives, it teaches people how to responsibly have sex. In the Clinicalkey study, sexual education is shown to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse, reduce the number of sexually active young adults, and greatly prevent unplanned pregnancy in many women. To reduce the number of abortions, increasing complete sexual education in young adults would effectively do that.

The price of contraceptives for women who need them may not be available to them due to their affordability. Contraceptives may also have to either be free or greatly reduced in price otherwise they will remain inaccessible to most women. Providing money to areas of education for women and affordability of contraceptives could drastically change the unplanned pregnancy rate of that area. Financially supporting many women who want and need to receive contraceptives would greatly reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and thus reduce the number of abortions in that location that needs to financially supports women’s contraceptives.

There are many different reasons a woman may want to terminate her pregnancy. Those reasons can include the large responsibility of a child, the finical burden that a child can put on someone’s income, and changing someone’s lifestyle or previous life plans. There are two types of abortions. One type of abortion follows the World Health Organizations’ requirements and is considered safe for the woman. The other type of abortion does not follow these medical requirements and is considered unsafe. Unsafe abortions can have a negative impact on a woman’s health and can result in hospitalization. To help prevent unwanted pregnancies the knowledge and access to contraceptives should be available to women. Extensive sexual education can also contribute to the proper use of contraceptives and people having responsible sexual intercourse. By reducing the costs of contraceptives many women will have more access to these essential devices in their lives. Implementing many of these solutions can create a decline in abortions.

References

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Preventing unsafe abortion. World Health Organization. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion

World Health Organization. (2014, November 28). WHO | Preventing unsafe abortion. https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/unsafe_abortion/hrpwork/en/

The Right Way to Reduce Abortion. (2006, October 23). Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news/2006/01/20/1796/the-right-way-to-reduce-abortion/

Haddad, L. B., & Nour, N. M. (2009). Unsafe abortion: Unnecessary maternal mortality. Reviews in obstetrics & gynecology. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2709326/

Haddad, L. B., & Nour, N. M. (2009). Unsafe abortion: Unnecessary maternal mortality. Reviews in obstetrics & gynecology. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/insurance-coverage-contraceptives#

Clinicalkey. ClinicalKey. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S1521693410000180?returnurl=null&referrer=null

The Mahna Mahna Phenomena

Theatre is an enigma of society and no matter how deeply it is studied, it will always hold secrets unbeknownst to the rational world. People tend to live their lives in realistic, understandable ways-wake up, go to work, eat food, sleep, and repeat. This life is comprehensible, comfortable, and predictable; it’s reality. However, in very specific situations, people are willing to throw all sense of reality away and forget about the current moment. This occurs when theatre is being created. No matter what role someone plays in a performance-performer, director, audience member, etc, as long as they are witnessing a performance, specifically a live performance, they no longer exist in a comprehensible space-they have been transported to an unreal reality. It is astonishing that people are willing to accept theatre as an authentic situation, especially knowing all the while that it is merely an imitation. This very mind-boggling statement is all to say that there is an extremely fine line that exists between “genuine” and “imaginary” in a performance setting. Furthermore, there is an arguably finer line between “inanimate” and “alive” in a performance setting. It is the theatre artist’s duty to explore the infinite realms of these concepts and present them to willing audiences in a dramatic manner. First, it is important to understand at which point a major theatrical tool-the puppet is “alive” and “inanimate” and how that applies to a theatrical setting.

One of the many outlandish aspects of the performing arts is puppetry. Puppets are not “real” in the traditional sense, but they still hold an incredible amount of power and in the theatre setting, they are portrayed as living beings. Understanding the human-to-puppet relationship first requires an understanding of what constitutes a “puppet”. Puppets are not limited to Kermit the Frog-like felt hand puppets, they can be wooden marionettes, human-sized creatures made of sticks, or simply inanimate objects such as a water bottle, broom, or napkin. The possibilities are endless when it comes to crafting and experimenting with puppets-they can convey so many different emotions and ideas. Anything inanimate can be animated with a willingness from the puppeteer to put their energy into the object. Throughout history, artists have experimented with the possibilities of puppetry. The craft began as a tool for ritual or religious ceremonies, spanning back all the way to the 5th century B.C. Rod puppets, hand puppets, shadow puppets, marionettes, and flat figures are some of the most well-known early forms of puppetry. Unique puppetry, such as bunraku, which originated in Japan, is also a prime example of puppetry in history. Puppets can be as small or smaller than a finger or larger than a human. Puppets were used to tell stories before theatre was even a developed art-it essentially paved the way for storytelling. From puppetry, performance theatre blossomed. As defined in the article, “The Theatricality of Objects: Object Theatre Beyond the Puppet” by Åndi Hanske, “The term ‘object theatre’ emerges from the world of puppets. It describes a form of puppetry that utilises found, or real, objects in puppeteering, to create anthropomorphic characters or to symbolise figures, places, landscapes or metaphorical ideas.” This form of theatre is more widely experimented with today and it is revealing incredible discoveries for performing artists. Any form of puppetry is capable of creating incredible art-the only requirement is that the artists and viewers keep their minds open to its possibilities.

An important aspect of puppeteering is understanding that puppets will only care as much as the puppeteer lets them, meaning they will only move with the same amount of effort that the puppeteer has. After all, a puppet’s personality is only projected through them, not necessarily fulfilled by the object. However, people sympathize so deeply with puppets that it is difficult to imagine these characters as mere objects. This kind of strain between the two worlds of puppetry is precisely what makes it so compelling. As said in the article, Between Human and Object: Performing Artists on the Possibilities of Puppets”, “the crucial point about puppets is that they are real and unreal at the same time.” People know that the puppets are not alive, but they connect with them when another human projects emotion into them. A wonderful example of this kind of deep connection comes from the article, “Power in Puppetry ” by Miranda Wright when she states, “In order to make good on his promise, the puppet offered to provide a demonstration of death itself. He offered to die in front of us. When the moment came, I couldn’t breathe. As the puppeteer behind the curtain lifted his hands from the puppet’s body, I realized there truly was no life left in my new friend. I watched a life end, and sat in the theater crying.” This kind of deep, emotional reaction makes it clear that a performance is successful once the artist has put their effort into it, but even more so, once the audience has allowed themselves to accept the performance as real. Wright had this experience because she saw the marionettes “breathe” and “come to life” and she accepted that as natural. She kept her mind and heart open to the possibilities of the performance and it touched her deeply. Scott Cummings describes this idea perfectly in his article, “Puppets: Still Very Much a Thing”, when he states, “The puppet lives in the audience’s imagination. We try to steer that, and perhaps persuade it to go somewhere exciting, but to be honest we don’t have a huge amount of control over it.” So, that fine line between “inanimate” and “animate” in the theatre is indeed tricky to understand but it relies on a working relationship between the puppeteer, the puppet, and the audience. All three must be working in harmony and be open to learning new things because that is when the real magic happens.

References

Cummings, S. T. (2019, December 30). Puppets: Still Very Much a Thing. AMERICAN THEATRE. https://www.americantheatre.org/2015/06/24/puppets-still-very-much-a-thing/ 

Eprints.worc.ac.uk. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/5218/1/The%20Theatricality%20of%20Objects.pdf

Wright, M., & Wright, M. (2016, August 3). Power in Puppetry. Getty Iris. https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/power-in-puppetry/

Powerlifting : The Safe and Efficacious Way to Exercise

In the most literal explanation, exercise is the engagement in physical activity to sustain or improve health and fitness. At the end of the day, it’s crucial to examine the opportunity costs of varying types of exercise. Why? Irresponsible engagement in high-risk activities with little benefits in contrast to other viable options result in injury and setback, which will do anything but sustain or improve your health and fitness. Powerlifting is not only a safer method of exercise compared to other popular sports, but also has such a larger array of benefits. The lack of popularity and widespread knowledge of this sport is very disappointing and unfortunate, as the injury rate for example for numerous athletes could be vastly reduced. Sustainability and longevity are crucial to maintaining exceptional health and fitness, and powerlifting is the sport that excels in those attributes.

Lifting in general for children and adolescents are notoriously looked down upon for false pretenses, whether intentionally or not. Exercise is a very broad subject and is an umbrella term for many varying methods that burn calories, build muscle tissue, and builds skills and attributes for the athlete. The author of Should Kids Lift Weights? debunked many widespread myths about lifting weights as a child. One well known myth surrounding weight training as an exercise method is how it apparently stunts the growth of children and injures their growth plates. Many popular competitive sports are up to four hundred times as likely to lead to a growth plate fracture than weight lifting! When deciding what form of exercise is most sustainable for increasing the health and fitness of an individual, it seems self explanatory that the one that is far less likely to fracture their growth plates is a more intelligent decision.

At first glance, the sport of powerlifting seems very dangerous. It’s the sport of competitive lifters battling to lift the most weight in their weight class, and in some cases, the competition of lifting the most weight at the least bodyweight. In Strength Training for Children and Adolescents: Benefits and Risks, the author digs into the benefits of strength training, which is the primary source of training for the sport of powerlifting. When pondering about what form of exercise is most efficient and optimal for an individual to pursue, it’s quite important to dig further into its benefits and look past its condescending connotations. It’s quite obvious that any form of exercise, certainly including strength training, is to be done with proper supervision and safety precautions, which current studies do not typically show any aversion towards for children and adolescents. Studies consistently prove the benefits of strength training in children and adolescents with the addition of a consistently low injury rate. Some of the benefits for young lifters include but are not limited to improved motor skills, better body composition in terms an increase in muscle tissue and a decrease in body fat, and improved bone health. What is strikingly important is how bone health is drastically improved if the athlete began strength training as a pubescent. With all of these benefits and a consistently low injury rate, it seems as if it should be the go-to for anybody looking to exercise regularly.

When people, specifically children and adolescents, are choosing a sport as their form of exercise in school, it is quite rare for powerlifting to be their first choice. Along with it not being nearly as popular as some of the top picked sports in schools, it’s not very common for powerlifting to be an available extracurricular to even pick in the first place. It doesn’t make that much sense for powerlifting to not be a popular choice when you really put your mind to it, especially when considering the benefits and considerably miniscule injury rate. Many other sports that are popular choices for children and adolescents are far more dangerous. The authors of Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents don’t hold back with proof of that statement. A study was done that showed an injury rate of 0.29 per 100 participant hours in adolescent powerlifters. To be more specific, these powerlifters were individuals lifting larger loads than the average gym-goer in the disciplines of back squat, bench press, and the deadlift. This study also included a contrast to an extremely popular heavy contact sport in schools: rugby. Rugby displayed an injury rate of 0.8 per 100 participant hours. When put into comparison, this study showed how the sport of rugby has almost three times the injury rate of powerlifting. It is also important to note how much more popular and available of a sport rugby is than powerlifting in schools. As explained previously, it seems like a far more intelligent choice to engage in powerlifting, which is evidently a safer and far more beneficial form of exercise than most of these popular high contact sports such as rugby.

The fact remains that exercise is not only recommended, but also essential for a human being to live in a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. However an individual chooses to engage in exercise in their choice entirely, and most people are in a position to choose from a vast array of methods to complete their exercise. At the end of the day, some forms of exercise, such as different sports, have more benefits and are safer than others while some are riskier and have less benefits. It all comes down to analyzing and comparing the opportunity risks when engaging in a form of exercise. Powerlifting is not only one of the safest forms of exercise available to most people, but has such an impressive resume of benefits that are proven to present themselves in all people, especially children and adolescents. This information would be more available and well-known if introduced and was made available in more curriculums, as it was proven above how some benefits from this sport are even more prominent when initiated at a pubescent age.

References

Should kids lift weights? should kids lift weights? – The Grove Fitness. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://thegrovefitness.com/blog/view/should-kids-lift-weights.

Myers, A. M., Beam, N. W., & Fakhoury, J. D. (2017, July). Resistance training for children and adolescents. Translational pediatrics. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532191/.

Barbieri, D., & Zaccagni, L. (2013, May 23). Strength training for children and adolescents: Benefits and risks. Collegium antropologicum. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?id_clanak_jezik=150931&show=clanak.

Purposeful Happiness in Life

Emotions, such as happiness, sadness, anger, or jealousy are a natural part of human psychology. When people think of these emotions, they normally define these emotions with examples of short-term moments. Happiness would be described as an array of positive emotions including joy, pride, or gratitude. It can also be defined as a mental and emotional state of well-being. Everyone has a different interpretation of happiness and what exactly is the cause of it. The value of happiness is deemed very high in today’s society, which is evident by the increasing search for guidance through motivational speakers, life coaches, and self-help books all with the main focus of increasing happiness. Happiness is usually defined in terms of personal positive feelings or a personal gain. For example, someone might say that that eating their favorite food or going to the beach makes them happy. However, the distinction between the emotion of happiness and the happiness in regards to your life satisfaction is not regularly identified.

Scientifically, happiness can be defined by chemicals released by your brain which work to regulate your mood, perception and view on life. Four main brain chemicals that induce happiness include dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. In Happiness & Health: The Biological Factors- Systematic Review Article, experts have shown that biological endogenic factors that influence happiness are divided into five major areas: brain and neurotransmitters, endocrine glands and hormones, genetic factors, physical health and typology and attractiveness. Neuroscience studies have shown that parts of the brain (amygdala, hippocampus, and limbic system) and neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and endorphin) play a role in the control of happiness. A few studies have also pointed to the role of cortisol and adrenaline (adrenal gland) and oxytocin (pituitary gland) in controlling happiness. These factors are also accompanied by exogenic influences such as social, cultural, and economic factors.

In terms of life-long happiness, that definition is a bit more complex.  People have a tendency to chase or long for a false sense of happiness, that is influenced by what others deem as proper success. This phenomenon is seen in the common desires for wealth, power, influence, or love. Materialistic values play a huge role in our society’s definition of happiness and success. The need for materialistic items is linked under the common desire of wealth as anything that has a monetary value is valued most by people. The author of Consumerism and its discontents, Tori DeAngelis, explains that in today’s world we own so many materialistic items and endless other commodities that weren’t around in the past 50 years, but are we any happier? Consumer culture has reached a high and there has been a decrease in life satisfaction. In psychologist Tim Kasser’s book, “The High Price of Materialism”, Kasser describes how people who organize their lives around extrinsic goals such as acquiring materialistic items, report greater unhappiness in relationships, poorer moods and more psychological problems. He differentiates extrinsic goals, which focus on possessions, image, and status, from intrinsic ones, which aim at outcomes like personal growth and community connection. “Material things are neither bad nor good,” claims James E. Burroughs. “It is the role and status they are accorded in one’s life that can be problematic. The key is to find a balance: to appreciate what you have, but not at the expense of the things that really matter–your family, community and spirituality.”

Happiness in life is usually identified by your life satisfaction. Life satisfaction can be defined as the extent to which a person finds life meaningful, full, or of high quality. It can be seen as an endorsement of or positive attitude toward one’s life overall. As people reflect on their life choices and where they are today, they are inclined to think about how they feel about the journey and what they wish to accomplish with the rest of their time. The term “life satisfaction” is often used as a synonym for “happiness” and is often either associated with or identified as a substantial component of well-being. However, there are two individual implications of the word “satisfaction” that are used in various circumstances. In one instance, “satisfaction” can refer to the perceived fulfillment of expectations or living up to the standards. In other instances, “satisfaction” can refer to a feeling of being pleased with something. Due to these different implications of the word “satisfaction,” there are two different understandings of life satisfaction when analyzing a person’s emotions toward their life’s meaning or purpose.

The purpose of life is important for psychological and physical well-being, and it is both a goal for and a means to a fulfilling life. Purpose can be defined as a key, self-organizing life goal. Purpose is central in that when present, it is a prevalent theme of a person’s identity, and it is self-organizing in that it provides a basis for behavior patterns in everyday life. As a life goal, a purpose creates continual goals and targets for devoted efforts. Self-organization should be found in the goals people create, the effort that is devoted to these goals, and the process of decision-making when confronted with conflicting options of how to distribute limited resources such as time and energy. A purpose motivates a person to dedicate their resources in certain directions and toward specific goals and not others. This creates a sense of determination that fuels a person to continue toward their short-term goals. Terminal goals and projects are created and followed due to the existence of a purpose. As a life goal, a purpose cannot be achieved, but instead there are frequent objectives for efforts and resources to be devoted. A purpose creates a foundation that allows a person to be more resilient to obstacles, stress, and strain. If people have the assurance of a larger purpose or a bigger picture, they are more likely to be motivated to push through and hurdles.  Also, persistence is deemed easier with a life goal that resonates across time and context. Following the path and direction of a purpose can lead to other elements of well-being such as life satisfaction, serenity, and mindfulness.

References

DeAngelis, T. (2004). Consumerism–Consumerism and its discontents. https://www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/monitor/jun04/discontents

‌ Dfarhud, D., Malmir, M., & Khanahmadi, M. (2014). Happiness & Health: The Biological Factors- Systematic Review Article. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 43(11), 1468–1477. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4449495/

Hall, A. (2014). Life Satisfaction, Concept of. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 3599–3601. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1649

‌Kashdan, T.B. & McKnight, P.E. (2009). Origins of Purpose in Life: Refining our Understanding of a Life Well Lived. Psihologijske teme, 18 (2), 303-313. Retrieved from https://hrcak.srce.hr/48215

Needs a Title

Avocados are delicious food sources that have countless of benefiting factors to eating them. A staple food that you will find in popularized vegetarian diets. The vegetarian diet has also been increasingly popular among the dietary spectrum. Not only is being a vegetarian noted for its health benefits. It plays a significant ethical role when its members choose to convert. In health, Ethics and the Environment: A qualitative study of vegetarian motives, twenty-eighth of participants participated in a study to answer the simple question of why they chose vegetarianism. Animal welfare is the most prominent decision. But there is the underlying fact that there is a complementary concern to the environment. And this stems from the impacts of the meat industry. One participant noted that they “found there are health and environmental benefits to vegetarianism, as well as lessened injury to animals. It’s all good.” But is it all good? There is a misconception within the agriculture industry that people overlook, and the unfortunate effects of mass production on the environment contribute to health complications. 

There is a global production of avocados, and it’s noted in Living Wage Report for Michoacán, Mexico-Non-metropolitan urban and rural northwestern regions that this production has increased by 172% during the last decade. Now, most of the world’s avocados come from Michoacán, Mexico. And agriculture in this region is their most influential economic income. Mexicos mass production of avocados contributes to 50% of the international contribution of the avocado product. But the secret is because avocados are produced in abundance, it creates a detrimental impact on the surrounding environment. When a single product like avocados is grown in a similar location, it disrupts the natural process of agriculture. Meaning when you grow only one plant, in one area all the time the soil starts to degrade. This immense amount of growth will yield fewer avocados per year. If avocados can’t keep up with demand, there will be devastating consequences for Mexico’s economy. And vegetarians worldwide will be disappointed if one of their popular foods isn’t always available. 

To combat the sequences of nature and make sure yields are consistent most companies resort to fertilizers. In the Investigation of Effect of Chemical Fertilizers on Environment, it empathizes that most fertilizers contain several ingredients. These ingredients are phosphate, nitrate, ammonium, and potassium salt. They’re are the steroids of plants and are supposed to increase plant production. But fertilization over accumulates heavy metals within the soil. This can result in finding a fertilizer in places it is not intended. There is a high level of nitrogen in fertilizers. And only about 50% of the that will be absorbed by plants. The remainder amount of the nitrogen will seep into the soil and find its way into groundwater. With that being said, there is research that finds high levels of nitrogen in wells of agriculture areas that use fertilizers as a means of production.

But water isn’t the only factor that is affected by the mass production of avocados, fertilizers are potent in soil and air pollution. Soil isn’t as easy to track as water because it doesn’t fall into a stream or sewage and, there isn’t a directive factor of pollution within the soil and the air like water. So soil pollution isn’t as immediately obvious, but it’s seen through time when the soil starts to degrade. Ingredients like sodium and potassium can negatively impact the soil throwing off its PH balance.  

And although air pollution isn’t as prominent as the water or soil, there are nitro oxide emissions caused by fertilization. This gas is sitting in the low layer of the tropospheric ozone and contributes to gases not being able to leave earth, commonly known as the greenhouse effect. 

And these pollutions are taking a toll on the people of Michoacán, Mexico. Pollution is undoubtedly bad for the environment, but it can cause serious health implications for the people living in the area. Environmental pollutions: Its effects on life and its remedies evaluate how pollutions can cause serious health problems. It is lead to believe that in the case of water pollution, it is said that water pollution is the leading cause of death and affects such a wide range of areas like our oceans, lakes, and drinking water. Drinking polluted water can give one water-borne disease like; Hookworm, liver and kidney damage, and in severe cases cancer and heart disease. High concentrations of nitrogen in water pollution also have secondary effects on infants that cause methemoglobinemia. It is a blood disorder where an unusual amount of Hemoglobin protein is produced, disrupting the distribution of oxygen throughout the body, creating what the world likes to call blue baby syndrome. Infants don’t have stomach acid so they cant in a sense fight off the nitrate, and as a result, iron and oxygen transfer in the blood are lost, leaving infants strangled to death. Yes, the mass production of avocados is killing infants because of how recklessly the world desires this food. 

And there is a power struggle in Michoacán, Mexico between the economy and the health of the citizens. In, Living Wage Report Michoacán, Mexico Non-metropolitan urban and rural northwestern regions it is accounted that 46% of citizens live in poverty. There is a lack of health care and social security access. And 28% of citizens do not have health care access at all. If people can’t afford health care, then pollution in this area caused by avocados is significant to their lives. They cannot cure the disease or get help for their newborn children, and they’re left stuck. Vegetarianism and popular global foods are damaging communities and lives. A diet that focuses on the well-being of animals because they’re being slaughtered doesn’t account for the people suffering in Mexico because avocados are a staple food. And it makes one wonder, is being a vegetarian worth the cost of human lives. 

References

K;, F. N. W. (2007, September 20). Health, ethics and environment: A qualitative study of vegetarian motivations. Appetite. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17980457/.

Khan, M. A., & Ghouri, A. M. (2012, January 8). Environmental pollution: Its effects on life and its remedies. SSRN. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1981242.

Marcelo D, Rocío E, Claudia F, Martha A, Richard A. (2020, October). Living Wage Report Michoacán, Mexico Non-metropolitan urban and rural northwestern regions. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from : Marcelo Delajara, Rocío Espinosa and Claudia Fonseca, with Martha Anker and Richard Anker.

M, R., M, N., & R, N. (2016, January). Soil pollution: Causes, effects and control. Research Gate. Retrieved October 21, 2021.

Reynolds, T. W., Waddington, S. R., Anderson, C. L., Chew, A., True, Z., & Cullen, A. (2015, July 7). Environmental impacts and constraints associated with the production of major food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Food Security. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-015-0478-1.

Savci, S. (2012, July 19). Investigation of effect of chemical fertilizers on environment. APCBEE Procedia. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212670812000486.