In the Ted Talk “What Reading Slowly Taught me About Writing,” speaker Jacqueline Woodson talks about her relationship with reading and the different benefits of reading. One reason the Woodson gives that one should read is the ability to focus on reading and block out all of the other noises in the world. This really resonated with me because in high school I used to use basketball as my outlet from the world. I think it is important for everyone to have a hobby that they are able to use as an outlet, whether that be working out, sports, or reading. LIfe is tough and there are a lot of struggles one has to go through over the course of a day. Having an outlet gives you the ability to disconnect and have necessary time to yourself. Without an outlet it can cause people to be stressed for too many hours, ultimately leading to depression and/or anxiety.

One reading/Listening that really stood out to me was the podcast on Hotel Corona. Hotel Corona was set up in Israel to care and isolate COVID 19 patients. Unlike other parts of Israel, Arabs and Jews were living together and surprisingly they were all having a great time together. I think this podcast stood out to me because of its message of peace during 2020, a year filled with chaos. It was refreshing to hear about a group of people,who were infected with COVID-19, maintain a positive attitude. The Hotel can be used as a symbol of hope for peace in the future. People set aside their differences and came together to form a bond of unity. The podcast taught me that people get along by nature. If we stopped viewing peoples as enemies and start looking to them as family we will continue to grow and live in a world of peace and equality.