Hi there, and welcome to the second Smesher newsletter. This issue is about Change. A huge subject, we know. But we’re not going to analyze the world in the past two years or two months. Instead, we’re offering some inspiration about igniting change, enabling change, and being the change.
As Tupac Shakur put it: "I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world."
Being the change; being the first
Mehak Ashraf, from Srinagar, Kashmir, goes by the stage name Menime. This name is a riff on Eminem, whose music and life story inspired her, apropos 2PAC’s quote above. Menime is Kasmir’s first female rapper ever. Isn’t it extraordinary that in 2022, one can still be the first to do something? Makes you think.
Mehak Ashraf faced criticism from both her parents, as well as “men and religious quarters who considered rap and music to be an ignoble pursuit for a Muslim girl,” as she told The Wire.
“We must encourage talent, encourage artists,” she told Brighter Kasmir earlier this month, “Then only will they get motivated and inspired to do something new, something fresh, if they are encouraged.”
Wise words. However, at the moment all of Menime’s YouTube videos are unavailable, and she hasn’t posted anything to her Instagram since August of 2021. We left her a message there, and hope she is OK. We will keep you posted. If you have any ideas on how to help her music break out and inspire change, please let us know.
Enabling the change of one life
Inspiring others through art is one way to kindle change. But we can’t all go around being role models and muses to the masses. We can, however, change the life of one other person. And that’s pretty extraordinary too. Children International is a nonprofit that enables sponsoring one specific child. For $36 a month, they say, you can change this kid’s life forever. Give them the healthcare they need, pay tuition, make sure they have a good here-and-now, that paves the way to a better future.
Food for thought on donations, wealth, and inequality, can be found in this report by Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery from 2020 Gilded Giving 2020: How Wealth Inequality Distorts Philanthropy and Imperils Democracy
Oops, we did it again
Humanity, that is. And what we did yet again, is to disrupt the balance of nature with our excesses. A new study shows that advances in street lighting are reducing the efficacy of coastal species’ camouflage. *sigh*
#EarthHour2022, which just took place on March 26, is a great place to start with your own efforts to reduce light pollution. But the Lights Off movement needs to go further if we want to be the change.
So what else can you do? Turn off the lights when you’re not using them. Reach out to your local government, to minimize light pollution while keeping the streets safe, with motion-activated lighting. Get involved with the Dark Sky Association. Or get creative, like this French parkour collective, turning off lights in Paris.
Our goal is to provide you with the tools, resources, and inspiration to thrive in the crypto-sphere while helping cultivate a more equal and compassionate society. We look forward to hearing your thoughts. You can write to us by clicking Reply.