shaunblog

“You never know what you have until it’s gone.” A common colloquial phrase applicable to nearly every event, this quote speaks to me specifically when contemplating loss. Loss is widely considered to be one of the worst feelings that a human being can feel. It appears in many ways: losing a competition, losing a loved one, or sometimes even losing yourself in the hustle and bustle of life. To process this grief, this inner turmoil of losing something you hold dear to your heart is perhaps the most painful process of all. You may value something when it’s there, but you will never know how truly precious it was until it’s gone. When originally tasked with writing about self-actualization, I struggled to find topics to write about. I looked at everything for inspiration, from my dog to the War and Peace novel on my bedstand, but nothing stood out. Frustrated by my lack of ideas, I proceeded to, as I usually do when I face any minor difficulty, shuffle through my liked songs on Spotify. A...

A literary classic of the Romantic era, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley exposes the desperation and emotional mania of human nature as individuals suffer in their endeavors to achieve glory. The wonder of this piece lies in its unique exploration of how a reclusive and seemingly antisocial man, seeking to understand the world, attempts to make a legacy for himself. After losing his mother, he suffers from severe grief that makes him almost unable to function normally. He dedicates himself to his work, sacrificing his health and his relationships in order to stand out and truly solidify his genius within the public eye. That wasn’t about Frankenstein by the way. Despite its uncanny similarity, “the piece” in reference is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West, quite a fitting name for both works in general. Following his notorious music video controversy with Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs as well as a breakup with his girlfriend Amber Rose, a most definitely unstable Kanye was def...