Peace in a Pod

(I would like to preface this opinion piece by stating simply that: this is my opinion, on what is clearly a sensitive and nuanced issue, and it is subject to change as I change. My intention is never to preach, to hurt, or to make anyone feel bad, and I hope I can address this particular topic with sensitivity and respect. After you read this blog post, I would be more than happy to engage in conversation with you should you wish to discuss any point in further detail.) The idea for this post was sparked by a conversation I had recently with a group of friends in which the topic of cosmetic surgery was mentioned. Not gonna lie - I was a bit taken aback as the conversation continued and I discovered just how polarised our opinions were. I personally don’t feel any draw towards lip fillers, Botox or anything of the sort, but I support bodily autonomy and everyone’s right to choose. That said, it made me wonder why we as a society are so taken up with physical appearance and what this fi...

Sport is religion. And just like actual faith-based institutions, participation levels vary across the board. Some people are band-wagoneers - they buy into the buzz about the town the day of an important match, yet couldn’t name a player on the field. Others are lapsed or never practiced to begin with - these folks probably think PSG refers to some type of ointment. But, for people such as myself, sport is something that breathes life into the deepest core of our beings, no matter if it is a loss or a victory from which we are reeling. In this post I’m going to riff on this theme some more, but with regard to the experience of the spectator as opposed to the player or the athlete, since I would know very little about that (much to the dismay of my former inter-county-hurler father, of course). First off, sport is emotional as hell (which is quite ironic since the consumption of sport is primarily viewed as a male or masculine activity. Bizarre then that watching an event both live an...