EJ

”Endlessly Smiling”

At first, this statement doesn’t seem too troubling, but when you really think about it, the idea of endlessly smiling forever feels like a cruel fate. What made me connect deeply with this thought were moments involving people with depression or those facing death. It feels contradictory to the idea of smiling, which is supposed to represent happiness.

When someone dies, they’re left without emotion, stuck in the last feeling they experienced. This thought brought me to my older brother that passed away, I imagined him endlessly smiling. I plan to revisit his grave when I return home and retake this picture, placing the sign near his resting place.

Another moment that made me reflect on this statement was the effect of antidepressants. Although I’ve never experienced depression myself, I’ve lost loved ones and know people who are struggling with it. I’ve seen some become dependent on antidepressants, relying on them as their only way to feel happy.

The idea of “endlessly smiling” ultimately reveals itself to be more gruesome than it seems at first glance.

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Toronto Trip

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Video Assignment: PRIDE

Pride is often considered the deadliest of the seven deadly sins—a force that, while people may deny it, lies deep within us all. It begins innocently, as a sense of self-respect or accomplishment. But when taken to extremes, pride becomes destructive. It can morph into arrogance, stubbornness, and a dangerous sense of superiority, making it almost impossible to accept criticism or admit flaws.
Sometimes, pride is all that remains. Let me paint a picture for you: imagine being beaten, oppressed, enslaved, and stripped of your humanity. You fight for freedom, but the world offers you only a diluted version of it. Every step forward is met with another push back, and you’re brought to your lowest point. When you have nothing else—no money, no love, no freedom—what else do you have left but your pride?
Pride may be deadly, but in the end, it’s the only thing that keeps us human.