Wise Monkey News is here to provide young people an opportunity to discuss the issues that affect their lives. We hope that, through your participation, this website serves as a forum for the development, exchange, and expression of ideas that will prepare us to assume our positions as the leaders of tomorrow's world. Have something to say?
Backpacking in Japan
by: Bryan Jacobs - printed on 04-11-2001
One of my fondest memories of Japan was when I was camping on the beach in Hokkaido, the northernmost of the four main islands that form the country of Japan. I was sitting alone on the beach drinking an Asahi beer listening to Enya and watching the moon come up over the ocean. It was definitely one of the most beautiful moments of my life. The moonlight shimmering on the water as the waves were gently rolling in.
Following the sunset: A call to travel
by: Andrew Noethe - printed on 03-27-2002
I find myself living in a world of sunsets. Each day ends under the long shadows of an Indian sun that steadily stretches past majestic forts, palaces of former maharajas, ancient temples, and the sleepy desert hills of Western India. As the distant red sun falls behind the horizon, life comes to a halt, thus granting me a few precious moments to appreciate my life in India and the life I have left behind.
Defining the Environmental Goal
by: Meghan Molenda - printed on 01-23-2002
As I passed the curb and saw the rejected bins of recycling that sat in front of my house, I had to think for a moment about what it actually means for me to be an environmentalist.
I get the label all the time especially on trips back to my hometown, but it is one of those labels that has harsh connotations.
Most people are kind of weary using the word "environmentalist" because it has a particular stigma based on an entire set of beliefs, values, and political stances that go along with that word.
Catholic Ethics Necessitate Life Style Change
by: Isaac Vanderburg - printed on 12-07-2000
The Pope John Paul II warns “Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its life style”. However here on the bluff our ‘life style’ has been without such a look since the school’s founding in 1901. At the University of Portland, mountains of Pepsiâ cups are mined and leveled daily. The blue ore is filled then drained of fluid, eventually finding itself in a classroom trashcan with other Pilot waste that should be recycled.
All in a day's work
by: Nate Farley - printed on 03-06-2002
Tomorrow, I will shake hands with child molesters, pray with violent drug offenders and take Communion to murderers. After our Mass in the prison chapel, I will help the chaplains and volunteers take Communion to those who are unable to leave their cells for Mass—including those on Death Row.
I cannot pin down why I was first interested in doing prison ministry, but it had intrigued me for some time.
Romero’s Legacy of Liberation Call and Challenge
by: Dawn Hunter - printed on 11-15-2000
Within the Catholic Church, a new approach to theology has blossomed during the second half of the twentieth century. This theology is now known throughout the world as the theology of liberation.
This theology is astonishing because its deepest insights did not spring from the minds of scholars in Europe, but rather from small communities of the poorest and least literate men and women in Latin America.
