5 Must Read Medium Stories (First Half of 2021)
It makes me very happy to see my friends pick up writing (again) after a long hiatus. I’ve always wanted to read my friends’ works and I might’ve been too pushy about it sometimes. I stopped when I realized that for a lot of people, writing means baring your naked self for everyone to see. The whole package including all flaws. Pimples, scars, syntax and grammatical errors are no exception.
I started writing medium articles (bad ones at that) at the hopes of (1) having an outlet for my thoughts, and (2) implicitly encourage other people to publish their writings. My expectations were for people to think that “hey if Lanz can get away with this bullshit essays, I can definitely do better”.
I won’t necessarily claim credit for starting a trend(?). Still, if my bad writing was key to encouraging anyone to share their good writing, then it’s all worth it. In the likely event that I had no part in influencing others to write again, I’d still want to be there to support them so that they’ll continue writing and I can keep reading their wonderful works. Hence, I’ve created a a list (not ranked in any way) of my recommendations for you to read while taking a shit or having a yosi break.
1. The Trouble With Politics by Pablo Joaquin
In this article, PJ engages the idea why people take the blue pill when it comes to politics, and why we shouldn’t. A good read when you’re tired of all the seemingly unnecessary complexities of our society and are looking for a slight nudge towards caring once again.
2. Is Government Debt The Problem? by Kiko Santos
Once you’ve got a taste of PJ’s political passion, the next important step is to reframe the way we think about issues. Kiko Santos, the previous Central Student Council President of UST has great insights to explain why our presumptions are often not true. His other work Debunking the Idea of “bobotante” is also a great read.
3. What Could I Have Done? by Raffy Perez
Moving away from the macro-scale of things, I believe it’s important to understand ourselves if we want to help out in society. Raffy does a great job of reconciling regret and progress without necessarily suppressing the feeling of regret. A wonderfully written piece from the perspective of a med student.
4. Calling Out the Cold-hearted by Cass Aldana
The way we navigate the society roots from our perception of the world. Its complexities often push us to be protective and dispassionate. In this piece, Cass explains how her views have changed which lead her to feel that vulnerability can be valuable.
5. Of Keyboards, Vinegar, and 20-Peso Rates by Jiego Tagaban
Introspection and politics often overlap with how growing up is largely intimidating. Jiego does a great job in dragging the readers back to at time right before life becomes overwhelming. A great chill read that brings you back into time before things became online.
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Writing, from the perspective of John Green simply means giving yourself permission to suck. For me tho, writing means giving yourself permission to be great. I hope more people would pick up writing, and the ones who already do would continue to put themselves out there.
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Lanz Nathan John is a debater and a student from UST. He releases stories, essays, and articles in medium on a weekly basis. For this week tho, nothing he’d like to write about is as important as writing about the way other people write. You get what I mean? You probably don’t (and that’s ok).
