The Chronicle of Charlotte

     Stories and poems have been used for centuries to express a certain type of wisdom. They illustrate a thought, feeling, or moral that stated by itself would be meaningless. The clearest example of this are the fairytales of our childhood. Without even realizing it, while watching movies like Cinderella and Ariel, we are taught that in order to live our desired happily ever after, we have to act like the princess.  You must be kind, gracious, and patient - and never, under any circumstance, have any agency in your own life.  Seriously, look at basically every original Disney princess and all they do is wait around for things to happen to them. They are each forced into a traumatizing situation, such as being kidnapped by a beast or cursed to sleep for a hundred years. Then, suddenly their problems are solved by someone else and they enjoy the life of their dreams. Most likely, it's a prince who swoops in with a non consensual kiss. This trope is not onl...

     When we are growing up, we’re told a lot of “helpful” lies. Like how Michael Jordan was cut from his highschool basketball team, or how Einstein failed math. Except Michael Jordan was never actually cut from his team and Einstein had mastered college calculus before starting highschool, so neither of them actually failed anything. While the image of our favorite sports stars and certified geniuses struggling the same way we do is certainly appealing, it’s just not true. We’re told these white lies as a method of inspiration, to support the comforting notion that if you try hard enough, no matter how many times you fail, you can be anything. However, ultimately, there are some levels of achievement that are just not possible when you're not born with a particular set of traits. If you aren’t over 6 feet, you're probably never going to have a career as a basketball player. And unless your IQ magically jumps to 160, it’s safe to say you're not going to make any signific...