Stuck

Shipped off to school working 8 hours a day,
A place where no one cares what you say.
And no one cares about the problems you face,
One small mistake and you're a disgrace.
Now what's the point of being one in the herd?
'Cause even though you're screaming you're not even heard.
You're walking down the corridor and not one head has turned,
Lessons have been taught but they're not the ones we've learned.  

- Like Soldiers, By Xeno The Lyricist ft Fleurie-

  

I don't know what was going through Xeno's head as he wrote this song and a part of me is desperate to know while the other part just wants to remain in blissful oblivion.

In his song, Xeno has addressed a lot of first world problems and how millennials are stuck in an unforgiving and rigid system, with almost no way out.

When I think of school, or when the idea of a school is portrayed in a book or in a movie, especially set during the nineties, it's depicted as a haven where learning takes place in a cohesive atmosphere and education is not restricted to a textbook. 

I'm sure, schools of today also strive to give this cohesive atmosphere to their students, but something has snapped and there's a change in the mindset of people and this transition has been illustrated so beautifully by Xeno, in his raw but refined lyrics.

Our systems, especially our education system follow the "one size fits all" pattern. Students are herded like cattle. It is so unyielding that there is no place for accommodating students who do not have conventional expectations or dreams. Students begin to feel trapped and maybe even suffocated. This turmoil has no easy solution and often these students are categorised as "feeble-minded" or "unfit", which can have a lot of negative effects on the esteem and confidence of a growing mind, especially one which actually isn't "unfit", it just has a different orientation. 

People have become so engaged in this rat race that the students call their world, they've forgotten about the bigger picture. I know students who suffer from depression and/or are victims of drug abuse. These issues are not addressed effectively in present-day schools. Disciplinary issues like your haircut's resemblance to the vogue of a football icon or how squeaky clean your shoes are, are given such attention but no one really addresses the mental health of students. Priorities are not checked and activities are undertaken because they're a part of a routine, not because it is a sound initiative. 

On the other hand, there is only so much the institution can do, for it's responsible for academically training thousands. In my opinion, the revolution has to be individual. People have to stop being so oblivious to pleas for help, for these SOS calls are usually not upfront. Generally, victims are not comfortable pouring out their heart, no matter how close you are. Learning to pick up signals that a person is in need of assistance or could do with a supportive shoulder has to be common knowledge. People have to stop being so insensitive and have to start thinking twice before speaking because you don't know what could push a person over the ledge. 

The revolution doesn't have to be restricted to schools alone, but I do think schools have to be the epicentre because they give birth to the future of the world. 

Miss Peppermint asks: Have you been a victim of the herd mentality? Let me know in the comments section below!

Show some love to Xeno The Lyricist, he writes lyrics which might urge you to think and are quite catchy at the same time!!

Vegas

"Who do you think you are? 

Running around leaving scars."

- Jar of Hearts, Christina Perri

“He was just a guy. Something happened, he snapped or something." said Stephen Paddock's brother when questioned. 

Stephen Paddock was a regular chap who liked burritos. Today, he is a dead criminal who slaughtered 59 people and injured 527 from his hotel room, in Vegas. 

What went wrong? The police are unable to determine the cause behind the mass shooting as it was not a terrorist attack (it did not have social or political motives). Yes, the shooting cannot be justified, but I would love to know what was going on in Paddock's head. 

No child is born evil. The way a child is conditioned by society determines his behaviour. Each action undertaken by a person in a sound state of mind has a reason behind it. The reason(s) may not make sense to the families of the people upon whom the damage was inflicted, or to the victims, or to you, or to me. But in the head of the inflictor, his actions were validated. The man was probably in great mental distress or aggrieved in some way to take such a drastic step. Sadly, we will never know his tale.

However, at the end of the day, people did lose their lives and families were torn apart. Solutions like gun control are being tossed about social media. Sure, that could stop small robberies but could it stop a determined criminal? Gun control is practised in other countries but it does not faze hardened criminals from using underhand methods to obtain weapons. 

Someone once told me about a serum which is being prepared by scientists which could potentially remove certain notions and memories from one's brain. This implies that if concepts of terrorism and hate are removed from the total population, one day we could have mankind thriving in peace, for no one in society could condition a child to despise. No one could be so cold that they traumatise people on purpose. No one could run around leaving scars.  

My prayers are with the victims of the Vegas attack and their families. I pray for peace and for global happiness. 

Miss Peppermint asks- How do you think peace can be established forever? Let me know in the comments section! 

Battle

Put out the fire before igniting

Next time you're fighting. 

- Kill Em With Kindness, Selena Gomez

"In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers."-Neville Chamberlain.

First off, my heart goes out to all the victims of the terrorist attacks. It's deeply disheartening to think that we live in a world where people readily kill and impair their own kind. I pray for peace in our world and I pray for the strength of the suffering families.

War. The word portrays an imagery of bloodshed, weapons and nothing positive. History has seen so many wars which caused a number of casualties, simply because a decision was made in the heat of the moment.

History is always written by the victorious. Stories of success and prosperity spread like wildfire. However, no one ever preserves the resentment of a crying mother, who lost her son on the battlefield. No one paints the beautiful but tear ridden face of a newlywed who doesn't know where to look for her husband. We live in a world where the splendour of a gory victory lasts longer than an honourable and valiant sacrifice.

One rational decision, one sip of water, one more thought before reacting, would've eliminated all the unnecessary sorrows, the tears and the bloodshed. Putting out the hostile fire in your heart, before stepping on a metaphorical battlefield is necessary, or else, that fire will char innocent people, along with your nemesis.

I don't validate wars but I do understand that in such a diverse world, living g without conflicts isn't possible. Until our world leaders figure out a productive and fruitful way of solving conflicts, the least we can do is resolve our problems like the evolved species we call ourselves.

Beau Monde

'Cause we all get lost sometimes, you know?
It's how we learn and how we grow.

-Cold Water, By Major Lazer Ft. Justin Bieber & MØ

If you think about it, our world is an alluring place with unique mechanisms for achieving every objective. For example, humans require oxygen to survive and the residue is carbon dioxide. Plants require carbon dioxide to survive and give out oxygen. It works out quite well for everyone, doesn't it? Miss Peppermint feels that's it's too convenient to be a coincidence. Let me know what your theories are, in the comment section.

They say that in life, we first face an examination and then learn our lesson. Every time you fail during a practice session, you're better than you were when you started, even if it's a small percentage. This is because now you're aware of what not to do.

 An individual may face defeat multiple times but eventually, they will blossom. Even if it's not meant to be, they are never left empty-handed. There exists the runners-up award which is labelled experience. This is the natural mechanism.

Most of us live in frantic and hectic realms, where facing failure has become arduous, partly because of social pressure. Survival in this society with the runners-up trophy is fatiguing, if not impossible. Our society has managed to contravene the natural mechanism. Anything which goes against nature's laws is indubitably jeopardous.

This social pressure can be counter-productive but also be a driving agent for the aspirants who are preparing for Success. However, those who fail, have no other alternative but to toughen up and battle against society. Coming under and acting under social pressure is inevitable unless you decide to abandon the metropolitan life and start living with the Seven Dwarfs (smart decision Cinderella!). 

A Stage Where Every Man Must Play A Part

You sell out every stadium,

And the crowd goes crazy when you're done.

-Brave, Honest, Beautiful,. By Fifth Harmony

This song is remarkably empowering. It conveys a very positive message in which Fifth Harmony tells the listener that there is nothing to be afraid of. You're brave, honest and beautiful and there is nothing you can't do.

In the literal sense, the mentioned lines claim that the listener is a scintillating performer and a vivid crowd-pleaser. The listener indulges in typical stage performances like singing or acting. However, Miss Peppermint comprehends the quoted verse divergently.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." is an eminent line from one of Shakespeare's frequently quoted passages. Miss Peppermint interprets that the world, or the universe, is just a platform and all the human beings are solely actors, struggling to gain success in a play, called Life.

Just like it is important for an actor to gain popularity and success via acting, it is vital for any other individual to be successful in all of his/her endeavours. It's not just the conventional stage artists who try to master their stage presence, it is attempted by every mortal. An actor's stage is literally a raised platform, a doctor's stage is the operation theater, a blogger's stage is the internet, so on and so forth. Every individual who steps on the biggest stage, called The Universe attempts to ensure that by the end of their lifetime, they could gain the regard of their audience and their fellow "actors".

So be Brave, be Honest, be Beautiful. Be the best version of you. Your aim is to achieve whatever you aspire for and to get the crowd to go crazy by the time you're done.

Bullets

You look pretty good down here

But you ain't really good.

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets, the bullets?

-Sign of the Times, By Harry Styles

Right off the bat, please do listen to this song if you haven't done so already (After reading this post).

Man is a social animal and to maintain any amicable relationship, a person can not reveal every emotion s/he undergoes. Left with no alternative, those emotions either blow up in an unhealthy manner or are buried within the individual, often resulting in mental and emotional misery.

Most people who bury their emotions end up being cheerless but they do somehow manage to put up a jolly appearance. As Mr.Styles mentions, they look pretty good, but they ain't really good. Channeling emotions in a constructive way is something most people fail to master even in late adulthood, resulting in the infestation of several toxic emotions within the soul. This could result in a cumulative toll on the individual's physical and mental health.

Every person, especially in today's day and age, experiences the ordeal mentioned multiple times. However, we never learn. Our emotions are the bullets and just like we can not outrun a bullet, we can not defeat our emotions. It is fruitless to even attempt to do so.

If Sheldon Cooper Ph.D., Sc.D., from The Big Bang Theory, failed to dodge his emotions, what are the chances for us common mortals?

If It All Goes Wrong, Darling Just Hold On

Feels like you're standing on the edge

Looking at the stars

And wishing you were them.

-Just Hold On, By Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki

Close your eyes and picture what according to you, the writer is talking about in those 3 lines.

Miss Peppermint pictured a beautiful girl in a flowy summer dress, with her hair taken by the wind. She's standing on the end of a cliff, looking up at the stars. What is going on in this angelic young lady's head?

The celestial bodies comprising of hydrogen and helium are a part of everybody's lifetime. On the other hand, a few members of the highly complex homo-sapien species, are quite rarely spotted. Both the types of stars are almost unapproachable, and most of them are, well, hot. 

The word star was probably a result of a series of transformations from an earlier designated word for those twinkling objects in the sky. From a Peppermintal point of view, famous people are called stars probably because they have acquired and mastered the ability to lighten up a place with their mere presence. And like I said, most of them are hot. 

Does the pre-mentioned young girl wish to be an acclaimed celebutant or does she wish to be to like a diamond in the sky? 

Maybe she has encountered a major adversity and she wishes upon the stars that she could go over to the other side. To her, I would say (maybe even sing), "If it all goes wrong, darling just hold on".
If everything is hunky-dory with her personal life, maybe she does want to be a luminary. 

Else, we're just looming over a girl looking into the sky like, she has nothing better to do. (tee-hee)

Miss Peppermint asks: How did you picture the three lines? Let me know in the comments section below!