The Contreversy of "living in the moment"

  In an interview with People Magazine, the renowned tennis player, Naomi Osaka, discussed the lessons she’s learned and the importance of “living in the moment” and “enjoying the journey.” While these common phrases are often misinterpreted as only applying to a select group of people, I believe that Naomi Osaka’s quote is completely valid in every context and applicable in every situation. 

While the audience of People Magazine is generally comfortable and well-off, the quote can especially relate to those in terrible situations. For example, in class, we viewed a photograph of a girl laughing on a swing amid the wreckage of a Sudanese refugee camp. This photo is powerful as it shows that even in some of the most dire circumstances a person can be in, happiness is still possible. In fact, I argue that it is more crucial to “live in the moment” and enjoy the present in these situations, as we don’t know what will happen next. The girl in the photo may have lost her loved ones and seen the worst that humanity has to offer. But she is still openly laughing at something as small as a swing. “Living in the moment” is not about always feeling joy. Instead, it means acknowledging the emotion you are feeling and trying to make the best of every situation. 

Naomi Osaka’s program to empower girls through sport is a perfect example of “enjoying the journey.” Girls have been discriminated in many athletic activities for most of history. Osaka’s initiative seeks to inspire confidence in girls who may not have it and ensure that they do not forget how far they have come. It is not just in sports where that is true. Doing a hobby or activity that makes one happy is an example of enjoying the journey. Once again, this quote does not mean you must feel joy at all times or you must force an emotion that is not there. The “journey” that Osaka is referring to will inevitably have hardships and setbacks, but it will have joy as well. “Enjoying the journey” means appreciating everything you have gone through and being proud of yourself that you are still standing. Naomi Osaka is a world-renowned tennis champion, so she has definitely faced her share of challenges. That is why when she says she “enjoys the journey”, I know that she doesn’t just mean all the good things life has to offer, she also includes the obstacles and how she overcame them. 

“Living in the moment” is also about finding joy in the small moments of life. These do not have to be expensive hobbies, such as playing an instrument or traveling. Instead, these are the everyday moments that have an impact on you. Small moments such as seeing a sunrise, laughing with your friends at lunchtime, or seeing the stars on a clear night. All of these are examples of everyday joys, and they are different for everyone. While I, an upper-middle-class high school student in the U.S., find a small moment of happiness in taking a nap after school on a Friday, another girl, my age, living in the Gaza Strip, may find a small joy in looking up at the moon and appreciating a quiet night. My point is, everybody has their own struggles, so we can either go through life complaining about our circumstances, or we can learn to find happiness where we can and make do with what we have. 

Naomi Osaka’s quote is true in every situation. From the most war-torn village to living in a mansion in Beverly Hills, humans are wired to find happiness everywhere. In the words of Amanda Gorman, “there is always light, if only you are brave enough to see it.” Living in the moment does not have to apply to a utopian world, because everyone can live in the moment; we just find joy in different things. We can all “enjoy the journey” if we acknowledge that the journey is different for everyone and the journey is not always full og joy. We do not know what tomorrow will look like, but living in the moment helps us keep a positive outlook on life and get through anything. 

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In an interview with People Magazine, renowned tennis player Naomi Osaka discussed the lessons she’s learned and the importance of “living in the moment” and “enjoying the journey.” While these phrases are often seen as clichés or reserved for the privileged, Osaka’s words hold universal truth. Her message applies to everyone—no matter their background, circumstances, or struggles.

Although People Magazine’s audience may be generally well-off, Osaka’s philosophy resonates especially with those facing adversity. In class, we examined a photograph of a young girl laughing on a swing amid the wreckage of a Sudanese refugee camp. The image is powerful because it reveals that even in the direst conditions, joy can still exist. In fact, in moments of uncertainty, living in the present becomes even more vital. The girl may have lost her loved ones and witnessed unimaginable suffering, yet she smiles—finding comfort in something as simple as a swing. “Living in the moment” isn’t about constant joy; it’s about acknowledging one’s emotions and finding meaning in each experience, no matter how painful.

Osaka’s initiative to empower girls through sport is another expression of “enjoying the journey.” Throughout history, girls have faced discrimination and exclusion in athletics. By inspiring confidence and creating opportunities, Osaka reminds them to recognize their progress and value their growth. This mindset extends beyond sports—any pursuit that brings fulfillment embodies the spirit of enjoying the process. To “enjoy the journey” is not to ignore hardship, but to embrace it as part of one’s story. As a world-renowned athlete, Osaka understands that success is built on both triumphs and obstacles. When she speaks of joy, she includes the strength earned from perseverance.

“Living in the moment” also means appreciating life’s small, everyday joys. These do not require wealth or luxury. They may appear in a sunrise, a shared laugh with friends, or a quiet moment beneath a starry sky. For me, an upper-middle-class student in the U.S., happiness might be a Friday afternoon nap after a long week. For a girl my age living in the Gaza Strip, it might be looking up at the moon and savoring a rare moment of peace. Everyone experiences struggle differently, but we all have the power to seek light in small places. We can choose to dwell on what we lack—or to notice what we have.

Ultimately, Naomi Osaka’s message is universal. From a war-torn village to a mansion in Beverly Hills, people can discover meaning and hope in their circumstances. As poet Amanda Gorman reminds us, “There is always light, if only you are brave enough to see it.” Living in the moment does not require perfection; it simply asks us to be present and grateful. Enjoying the journey means recognizing that joy and struggle coexist, and both shape who we become. We cannot predict tomorrow, but by embracing today, we cultivate resilience, gratitude, and peace.

Blattodea

 I am being haunted by a cockroach

Every chair I move,

Every drawer I open,

It is watching me. 

Sometimes scurrying,

sometimes still,

But always there.

I never know what intentions are behind those malicious eyes,

I don't even know what a cockroach's eyes look like,

As I can never view their Medusa-like figures,

Before turning to stone

These evolutionary-resilient and skilled monstrosities,

torment and torture my sense of self, 

and shake me to my core. 

Millions of years of oppression on humankind, 

Such a tiny body, 

Yet such a devastating impact.

My dread of these creatures borders on veneration, 

As in the end, fear itself is uncontrolled admiration. 

sun and rain

 Sun and Rain

I hate the sun

I am a slave to its glare,

My head bowed to its golden crown

I love the rain,

Each crystal droplet washing away my ghosts

Leaving only my glistening face

I hate the rain,

As it pelts ruthlessly against my skin

Bullets ricocheting against a frozen soul,

I love the sun,

He stands like an old friend,

Leading me out of a black-hole nightmare.

The Metamorphosis - an analysis

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka quickly became one of the best works of literature I've ever read. It is a short novella, only about 90 pages long, that tells the story of a young man, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day apparently transformed into a roach of some sort. The story does not go into detail about how or why this change occurred, only that it happened. 

The novella is told from the perspective of Gregor Samsa. Gregor is first introduced as a traveling salesman working for a company to pay off an "ancient debt" that his family owed to the company's owners. The story begins with Gregor waking up one morning late for work and with aches all over his body. He does not immediately realize that he has undergone a metamorphosis, instead, he attempts to get up. Interestingly, he does not seem very surprised at his transformation and immediately assesses the situation logically. The way he approaches his dilemma says a lot about Gregor's character throughout the story. He is incredibly work-oriented and the only thing he concerns himself with providing for his family. For the past five years, since an incident that his family had with the owners of his company, Gregor has been working tirelessly to make sure his family has everything they need. Throughout the book, we see Gregor sacrificing and working himself to the brink just to make his family's lives easier. However, as altruistic and kind as Gregor's actions seem, his narrative is written dryly, almost as if he is emotionless. I believe this was done on purpose. 

Franz Kafka, in some of his other writings, tends to be witty, and humourous and seems to make light of bad situations. However, The Metamorphosis, in particular, has a very ominous and impassive writing style. The main character seems to lose hope about his situation quickly and is shown as almost indifferent to what is happening to him. There are few times throughout the story in which we see sparks of emotion from Gregor and even those get less and less frequent. The few examples in which he does show signs of being human usually have to do with his family.  For instance, to prevent his family from being disgusted at the way he looks after the metamorphosis, even though he has no control over it whatsoever, he hides himself under a bedsheet and crams himself under a sofa just to spare his mother and sister the sight of him. 

Gregor's selflessness, to a fault, can also be interpreted as giving up on himself. For the last couple of years, before the metamorphosis took place, Gregor had been consistently putting his own happiness and his needs after his family. One interesting idea that I observed while I was reading was that the entire story seemed to be a metaphor for Gregor's declining mental health. This prompts the idea that a physical "metamorphosis" never actually occurred. 

From the first few paragraphs of the story, it is clear that Gregor has not woken up as he usually has. However, the only evidence of a change occurring overnight is that Gregor describes himself as having a hard shell on his back and small feet. The story does not go into much detail about his physical changes which hints at the fact that this story had a focus on his mental state.

Before the story was set to begin, Gregor already seemed to be in a depressive state. His internal monolouge was incredibily dry to begin with, and he always seemed on the edge of giving up. When his family completely outcasted him, he wasn't disappointed. It was almost as if he had no expections for anyone around him to respect him. He tried to hide himself and the changes that were happening to him from his family as much as he could. This also follows the assumption that the novella is told as a metaphor of depression as it is natural for those with mental conditions to go to great lengths to hide their conditions. This sort of behavior makes sense as the time period this was written in (the early 1900's) shunned those with mental disorders. 

The Metamorphosis ended with Gregor Samsa, while still in his roach-like form, dying after getting incredibly weak and hopeless. In the pages leading up to his death, Gregor's thoughts seemed to get less and less rational as he completely gave up. He saw himself as a useless member of his family who was better off dead. The resolution of the novella, although sad, seemed to fit the story. Gregor was spiraling throughout the story made the end quite forseeable. 

Using a roach what Gregor metamorphosizes into was supposed to signify how he felt like he was a burden or a parasite on his family as time went on. Every detail in the story, from his family members to the setting all seemed to fit the metaphor of how one feels when they are falling into depression. The way Kafka embedded this message in the story made The Metamorphosis a beautiful and thought-provoking read. 

Poem based on the voyager 1

 Voyager 1

Lost on a path,

Set out before it,

Calculated to precision,

The Earth but a speck in the emptiness,

The sun but a twinkle in the dark

Barreling toward the void,

Rushing into the vacuum, 

With its eyes shut,

About to become one with the abyss surrounding it

Time

Time

Time is an illusion - Albert Einstein

We see hazy outlines of 

a future that could have been,

Close enough to touch,

Yet veiled from within.

We gaze wistfully at the past,

Frozen in photographs,

Alive in our minds,

The resounding echo of a laugh.

We live in the present but never experience it,

An infinitesimally small moment,

Always there,

But always gone.

Stars

 Stars:

It's odd how we feel so connected to something so far away,

Yet completely alien to those around us,

Why is it that stars offer more familiarity than the Earth? 

Is it that its light traveled

for millions of years 

to reach your eyes?

Or maybe the way 

you realize things about yourself when looking at them,

that there is power in feeling like nothing,

that there is a gravity in weightlessness,

that not everything in our lives means something,

but a small prick of light in a dark sky,

means everything

to me