Innovation Is the Way to The Future

According to the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, more than 35.5% of U.S. innovators were born outside of the United States, and 10% are children of those who immigrated. Over 50% of these immigrants descend from Hispanic and Latino countries. Many essential innovations (created by Hispanics and Latin Americans) have changed the United States as well as the world. Three major inventions, created by Latin Americans, have changed our world for the better. By exploring innovator Alfredo Moser’s revolutionary lamp, Pedro Paulet’s liquid-propellant rocket engine, and Baruj Benacerraf’s gene discoveries, we get a better comprehension of how essential Latin American pioneering is to the betterment of our world.  Using nothing more than a few plastic bottles, water, and a splash of bleach, inventor Alfredo Moser improved the lives of countless people. Living in Uberaba, Brazil, Moser experienced frequent electricity blackouts. “The only places that had energy were the factories - not people’s houses,” he says in an interview with BBC. His invention, the Moser Lamp, is a clear plastic bottle filled with a specific amount of water and bleach. A hole is drilled in the roof, placed according to the annual sun position and wattage requirements. It is sealed around the roof using polyester resin. Even during heavy rains, the bottle will not leak water into the home. This sustainable lighting alternative is cost-effective, only amounting to $1 each. MyShelter, a company specializing in alternative construction, hires people to create and install the bottles. Therefore, providing a small income and essential service to those in need. By using what he saw around him Alfredo Moser positively impacted countless lives in over 15 different countries. His invention will have a lasting impact on our world.  Pedro Paulet was a Peruvian space and rocket pioneer. His invention of the liquid fuel motor and the first modern rocket propulsion system made it possible for mankind to reach the stars. Paulet was the first person to build a liquid-propellant rocket engine. This discovery and innovation of his made it possible for the volume of the propellant tanks to be relatively low. As well as provide more thrust and allow a prediction for how long the rocket will stay lit. Furthermore, essentially bringing humankind one giant step closer to space launch and travel. Although he never lived to witness his success, due to his death in 1945, his miraculous discoveries are present in today’s space exploration.  Immunology is the study of the immune system. This field is essential for studying medical and biological sciences. Venezuelan-born American immunologist and pathologist Baruj Benacerraf won a Nobel Prize in medicine. His discovery and research on histocompatibility complex genes taught us that these genes help the immune system recognize foreign substances. Baruj Benacerraf paved the way in medicine through his discoveries and still is doing so today. Although he has passed, his research has been vital to understanding and battling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, his studies have allowed for safer organ transplants. As well as identifying the susceptibility of people to an autoimmune disease. His invention/discovery has changed the way we understand medicine; and how we will continue to apply it in the future. Whether it is improving lives through electric-alternative light, space travel, and vital genealogical medical advances, Latin American innovations have and will always be a part of humankind’s past and present. From now, into the future, these three Latin American innovations, and countless others, will leave a lasting impact on our world. La innovación es el camino hacia el futuro. ~Per Aspera Ad Astra~

I believe

 

High Morals

I believe that your morals reflect who you are as a person. When all hope is gone, the only thing that stays with you is how you choose to look at the world and treat others. When I was younger I had no idea what to really stand for but that in life you should always treat everyone with kindness and respect. But those who told me that were the same people to look the other way when someone was suffering and not accept them because of their religious beliefs. I questioned why the word “everyone” didn’t really mean everyone but only a select few who had fit the definition of what is “right”. 

I believe that morals shouldn’t be about you saying you have one but about how you live your life and who you choose to support. My morals are simple but yet powerful. I live my life with love and positivity each day reminding myself that in order to make the world a better place I have to envision it. I choose to accept everyone even if they aren’t the same religion, race, or sexuality. My morals are weaved into my soul and it lets me decide to be on team humanity. In our world we are surrounded by conflict that makes us feel the need to say a specific group is right and the other wrong but it shouldn’t be like that. I have been so used to seeing everyone fighting each other that I have forgotten what it is like to see support and love.

I believe that having morals means that you will not walk by when you see someone being racially profiled, you will not hide when a little boy is being bullied because of his sexuality and you will not be willing to stand next to someone who thinks my life doesn’t matter because you support the same cause. No human should ever feel invalid and feel like they have to fight to show why they are more important than the economy. Having different ideas is okay, It is what makes us special but not what is not okay is making excuses to why you justify hate in this world. In my eyes I have never been one to pick a side because I believe there shouldn’t be any but I will always put my morals over everything and choose humanity. 

I believe that one day I will wake up to the sound of the sea and think about this day when I wrote this and I will smile. I will smile because I know that I have done my part in this world to spread love and positivity. I will smile because I woke up everyday and chose to support everyone. I will smile because never once did stand by someone who didn’t stand for humanity. I will smile because in my heart I held this quote “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and that my morals stand for living and loving freely.

By, Essie

I Believe In Contradictions

I believe in patience. In waiting for moments to come and opportunities to present themselves.
The hustle and bustle of life- of society- will not change the fact that slow and steady will win the race,
because life is not taken at a fast pace. I’ve seen friends zoom pass me in success or relationships
or knowledge while I lingered where I was, telling myself to wait for it.

I believe that life’s not a spectator sport. If watching is all you’re going to do, then you’re going to watch
your life go by without you. I believe in chasing every dream, every opportunity, every chance,
even if you don’t have a functioning plan. I believe that some opportunities repeat
while others only present themselves once, and I will not wait around to find out which is which.

I believe that time is a social construct, giving us due dates and deadlines.
Granting us paranoia and anxiety for not finishing on time.
Setting goals that only the few and far between can actually achieve.
Setting a status quo that is overused and out dated. I will take my time and look before I leap.

I believe that caution must be thrown to the wind, shattered and broken.
Patience may be a virtue but at what cost. What must I sacrifice for the ability to wait.
Wait for luck, love, half a chance. No thanks I’ve already got plans.

I believe that my life is not run by me, it’s run by a society that decides who I get to be.
If I don’t draw the line then when does it stop? When can I take the reins.
Left, right, stop, go, it’s up to me then, but when will that be?
Will I ever plant a garden I never get to see, what is my legacy?

I believe that I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m lost in an invisible maze and now I’ve jumped down
this rabbit hole and am lost in the haze. I’m what the kids call drop dead depressed and yes,
I will laugh through the pain. A wave of relief washes over me as a print out each refrain.
I believe in double meanings an I use them to keep me sane.

I believe in the security of a pause. Giving me ample time to calculate, analyze and over dramatise
my decisions. All’s fair in love and war, but I call a truce.
I need a break, a moment to myself, a moment to just breathe.

I believe that I want to more than survive. I believe that life I rushing past me at a pace
that I can’t keep up with. I believe that I don’t need water to feel like I’m drowning.
I believe that patience yields focus but I also believe that I still need to catch up.
I’m going too slow for my life and I’m being left behind,
and all I’ve managed to do was waste my life’s time.

So, do it. Decide.

Is this the life you want to live? Is this the best you can be?

Can you be stronger? Kinder? More compassionate?

Decide

Breathe in

Breathe out

And decide.

~ Yours Truly