Birthdays, they seem to sneak up so fast, don’t they? Prior to turning the big 2-5, each passing birthday felt no different than any other day of the year. Even life’s most celebrated milestones felt rather mundane. When I finally turned 21, I had already abused the hell out of an unstoppable fake ID. In…
Umuganda: “Coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome.” That’s precisely what Rwanda, one of the most densely populated states in Africa, intends to do. In an effort to restore shattered fragments of a lost culture, Rwanda created “Umuganda,” a monthly tradition in which people join arms to achieve social good. The state’s collective identity eroded as a result of ongoing domestic conflict that spiraled after the state’s independence from…
Are polite manners obsolete? Traditional etiquette is entirely redefined in the digital age. Long gone are the days of snail mail and love notes by carrier pigeon; instead, we live in a “now” society in which people seek instant gratification through technological means. Text messages, e-mails, and Facebook “Wall Posts” are a few effortless ways we tend to say thank you,…