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Pew Research has showed a decline in religious participation over the past several decades. Ethan and Patrick speculate the reasoning behind the trend and what we can infer the future of religion will be. How can religion cater better for the next generations? Why does traditional religion not appeal to Gen Z?

Society endorses positivity because it is always to look on the good side. However, how can too much positivity be too excessive and toxic to a culture or an individual. There is a fine line when inorganic positivity can empower an inauthentic and insecure environment. We discuss and explain how we believe unreasonable positivity is a root for anxiety and other psychological problems.

I wish Julius Caesar would have advised us this time last year to 'beware the ides of March'. Would have been helpful if we were informed, "Hey, we are about to embark into a global pandemic that will forever impact the timeline of society and yourself." Would have been nice. But here we are, days away from 2021 and thinking 'What will be the lasting impact of this virus' impact?" There are a lot of uncertainties and speculations going around but we wanted to give some of our thoughts through focusing on specific industries and communities. We understand predicting the future of the world is obviously unreasonable and uncontrollable but it is important to reflect what new innovation we can each adopt in our own lives and small communities. We hope 2021 treats you with achievable challenges, serenity, and peace. Hope you enjoy.

Social media. You ask different people about what they think of it and what its function is you get some variated answers. Some will proclaim a more cynical view on its ordeal others would justify how positive and beautiful the application is and others may have little to no inclination on it. There is no mandate in law that requires ourselves to join and participate yet over 3 billion humans are on. There is a lot to unpack on how social media has significantly altered the world's behavior but we, as teens who literally were the first generation to grow up with social media, want to understand what is the actual functional use of it. What has it become? And why do functions change?

Success is such a loosely tossed around word in our society. Success is often glorified and valued with medals, fame, figures, and status. But is that all what 'Success' is or is it much more simple and frequent? Honestly, what is 'Success'? To be honest, that answer should not be anybody else's power but yours. I got no freaking clue what the person next to me wants out of their one precious life, only themselves can truly realize how to succeed in their journeys. As a Gen Z member, we are constantly reminded about all the 'Successful People' around us. We grew up with a Social media perpetually telling us the unrealistic and polarizing things in life that can make us feel small. But it is very critical to see beyond that and realize you are the Captain to your ship. And you decide the voyages it embarks on. Not going to lie, I lose sight of my true purpose of Success every so often but I remind myself, I just gotta trust and believe in all the work, time, and energy that I have prepared for this moment. The book Patrick referenced is called "Mission Success" but OG Mandino. Highly recommend. A good 200 page read that will add to perspective of what Success means to you. Peace. And Press Pause.

Self-Care... A term coined and frequently used in modern society. What the hell is 'Self-Care'? What does that even look like? The practice is heavily endorsed by health advocates but why now is it so emphasized as a vital practice to daily life? What does Self-Care look like for you? What is the PURPOSE of Self-Care? We hope this podcast episode allows a space for curiousity and greater clarity on what Self-Care looks like for yourself and why you feel it is necessary. We believe Self-Care is a 'one size fits one' practice that should be a space for serenity, creativity, and destimulation. We encourage you practice your fun interests and remember to give time to the things you love. I hope you carry on this conversation with yourself and your peers. Cheers!

How often do we get distracted period. Is the human time of focus declining? What are the inducers to the decline? Technology? Culture? Capitalism? There are so many factors that play a major part in our attention. Will our lack of attention be the crux to human disaster. Are there benefits to a shortened attention span? How will Gen Z and future generations progress society?

Press Pause Podcast w/ Ethan & Patrick

How much of our own free will is the determinate of beauty? Is there such thing as 'preference' in beauty? How can beauty cause bias? How has our sociocultural standards defined beautiful over time? As members of generation Z, we see beauty on social media. Apps like: Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube are a red carpet of beauty. Profile accounts detailed with glamour and eloquence without a single drop of imperfection. The standard of modern day beauty is generated by these figures on these applications. But what about before the digital age? And what about other civilizations? Are they as impacted by the same standards? How much of beauty is influenced by environment and how much is through nature? Beauty captivates the eye like no other. So difficult to explain how its method affects societies behavior. We encourage you to think with us and question.