Issuu

MARS’ HILL Volume 31

Issue 02

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi | Pg. 23

Who are you when nobody is watching? | Pg. 19

FHSS Representative: Searching for His Vision | Pg. 13

I N D I V I D UA L

TH E

TE A M

Emma Helgason Editor-in-Chief

Eva Agbonkhese Managing Editor

Anika Idreou Chief Copy Editor

Geneva Schut Visual Editor

Sebastian Roque Marketing Manager

Shiya Liu Layout Editor

Trinity Kirchtag Arts & Culture Editor

Gnana Damarla News Editor

Hamdan Sadiq Chaudhry Sports Editor

Owen Born Opinions Editor

George Wilson Humour Editor

Sofia Carter Cruz Illustrator

Isabella Gibbons Photographer

Tanya Aggarwal Web Editor

Solee Lee Staff Writer

Mars’ Hill

From

TH E E D ITO R its ideas, reminding us that understanding ourselves also means listening to perspectives that complicate our own. But there is a difference between being an individual and living entirely for ourselves. Friendships and families require us to show up, make sacrifices and care even when it is inconvenient. Sarah MacIntosh’s piece on the art of paying attention tells us that even looking up from our phones and genuinely listening can show someone that they matter.

Walk through the IKEA showroom and you will find a version of almost every life. Thousands of people will walk through the same isles, take home the same furniture and try to make it their own. Yet, while we may own the same things, the lives we build around them are entirely different. This idea inspired Mars’ Hill, which is how we ended up with students Luca Gibbons and Sophia Thomas dressed in suits standing in the middle of an IKEA showroom. Surrounded by mass-produced furniture, they remind us that individuality is not about owning something nobody else has or creating an image nobody else could imitate. Instead, it only begins when we stop looking around for permission to be ourselves.

Our Chief Copy Editor, Anika Idreou, also steps away from the editing side of the magazine to contribute a wonderful piece of her own, Set Apart, Not Set Above— since following Christ should spiritually move our souls without making us believe we are better than others. The question is no longer whether we should stand out or fit in, but what we do with the people we are becoming. We can celebrate what makes us different without making ourselves the center of everything. We can share what we love, listen to those who see the world differently and show up for the people around us. After all, our purpose is to build lives that are genuinely our own while remembering that we are never meant to live them alone.

In Who are you when nobody is watching?, we explore this through conversations with students Ben Kim, Tory Wang and François Denkema. Shaurya Dewani responded to the feature with a poem that challenges

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declassifieds This is the campus geese captain. We are inbound. Watch your step.

hi pretty <3

Dave Rutitilca takes the BEST photos on campus… it’s actually nuts what the heck

I love this community

Be whimsy, show your joy. God gave it to you for a reason

Let’s be friends

You inspire me to create art!

we seriously need more places to get pads and tampons on this campus.

Women hating women is putting us further back then men being sexist

Adults can watch Bluey too!

Yeyeyeyeyeyeyeye

They made me get a mail account for TWU... fine... enjoy

RUN

Alberta tops BC

Please don’t tell anyone how I live.

Not to be sedimental but u rock!

ADAAAAAAAAAA AAAAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have sun yall

Pesto yum yum

Say his name and he appears…

Yowie wowie

You will fall in love with me

Hot take, people only performatively like matcha. Show one person who drinks matcha without posting about it.

David looks like a panda

Mars’ Hill reserves the right to edit or reject submissions based on content and/or length. A printed submission does not reflect an endorsement of any kind, nor does it reflect the opinions of Mars’ Hill or its staff, the student association, or Trinity Western University.

Too scared to ask out that hot girl from RELS class? Have a thought you’re dying to share? Did a professor say something strange or funny? Do you have some information that you want to get out to the student body? Whatever it is, the declassifieds are here for you. Submit yours at www.marshillmagazine.com

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arts &

culture

individual a curated playlist

YOU & ME

SMALLTOWN BOY

Bronski Beat

UNIQUE

P1Harmony

OUTRO

M83

DINNER DATE

NEW PERSON, SAME OLD MISTAKES

FAVOURITE

Fontaines D.C.

SCRATCHING

Dijon

SWIM

BTS

JUST LIKE HEAVEN

OUT OF TOUCH

Flume Remix by Disclousure, Eliza Doolittle and Flume

Sunrise Academy Tame Impala

The Cure Daryl Hall & John Oates

HOLD THE MOMENT, NOT THE PHONE Trinity Kirchtag The house lights are dimmed. The preshow playlist fades out, and dark silhouettes drift on stage. Excited energy fills the air, but so does a sea of phones, their screens reilluminating the dark venue. Concert filming has now gone beyond a quick snap of the opening number or a clip of your favourite song. Instead, fans record entire sets or livestream them to followers who are not even in the building. They watch the show through a sixinch screen, so the real thing, unfolding fifty feet away, becomes background to the version they are capturing. Little by little, the concert has stopped being a collective experience and instead become a postable status symbol. Artists have noticed, and many are fed up with performing to glowing rectangles. You may have attended a show where the singer politely asks everyone to put their phones down for one song. If the crowd complies, you get three minutes of something rare. No one is hunting for the perfect angle or standing still to stabilize their video. For a moment, the room is just a room full of people. Then the song ends, the screens go back up, and the problem is right back where it started. That is why a more drastic movement is taking hold: artists banning phones outright. The tool of choice is often the Yondr pouch, a soft, magnetically locked case that keeps your phone with you but

inaccessible for the duration of the show. Notably, Bruno Mars has been a pioneer, enforcing a strict no-phone policy at his 2025 Las Vegas residency. Other artists such as Jack White and Alicia Keys have followed as well.

Little by little, the concert stopped being a collective experience and instead became a postable status symbol. The success of this movement is already appearing online. My social media feed has been flooded with reviews of the opening shows of Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Tour, where the same phone ban is in place. Fans brought small sketchbooks to commemorate the night and shared their drawings of the stage afterwards, a handmade memory in place of a digital one. Most strikingly, the reviews keep returning to the same ideas: how present the crowd felt, and how much community and intimacy was still fostered inside a large arena. The conversation has not been entirely positive, though. People often ask, “What if there is an emergency?” or “What if someone needs to reach me?” To that, all I can say is that people attended concerts long before mobile phones

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existed. It has been done before, and it can be done again. The show is only 90 minutes long. Use that time to disconnect from your phone and connect to the people and music surrounding you. These measures may seem excessive, but they may be what it takes to rediscover the heart of live music. Beyond the financial incentive for the artist, concerts were once about connection. A room full of diverse and unique strangers becomes one voice for an hour and a half, singing the same lyrics to the same person on stage. Nobody is watching the moment through a screen. They are simply living it, and that is a feeling no recording can reproduce. A video can show you what a night looked like, but it cannot hold the weight of a thousand voices on the final chorus, or the stranger beside you grabbing your arm when the song you have been waiting for begins. Those moments only exist while they are happening, and they ask only that we be present for them. That is what made me fall in love with live music in the first place, and it is what I am afraid we will lose if we keep trading it for a screen. If a small magnetic pouch is what it takes to get it back, I will gladly lock my phone away.

Artist Spotlight:

BENJAMIN REISDORF Trinity Kirchtag

MH: Can you introduce yourself ? BR: My name is Benjamin Reisdorf. I’m a second year Art & Design major, with a minor in Media + Communication. MH: How did you start painting and creating digital art?

Coming from a family of artists, Benjamin Reisdorf has been creating ever since he can remember. As a kid, he filled sketchbooks with Pokémon; then he started inventing creatures of his own. Today, the second-year Art & Design major, spends nearly as much time taking things in as he does making them. Movies, fashion and art of every kind feed his work, and he never seems to run dry. The colourful markers of his childhood may have been exchanged for thick layers of paint and a Procreate-filled iPad, yet his purpose is still the same: to create at all is to glorify the original Creator.

BR: My beginning was actually with drawing. I’ve been drawing ever since I can really remember. I have a lot of old sketchbooks from when I was very small and it’s fun to look through them and see the evolution. When I got older I heard about Procreate which is when I really started drawing digitally. In terms of painting, I only started when I got to TWU. I took an art class and that’s what sparked my desire to major in Art & Design. MH: So it seems you have always had a love for art, even if you are still new to the medium of painting. BR: Totally! My mom and sister are also artists, so it runs in my family. We’ll sometimes do projects together. It’s just always been a part of my life.

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MH: Did you have any specific influences growing up? BR: As a kid I loved drawing Pokémon; then I started designing my own. I guess that creative side of me has always been present. My horizons expanded though when I started to look at more serious painters. Especially abstract artists since that’s what I’ve found I like consuming and creating the most. Seeing the work that comes from “greats” really opened my eyes to all you can do with a canvas.

BR: Even though it is still relatively new to me, I love creating and viewing paintings. The art I am looking at most of the time is physical. There is something innately special about physically holding a brush or being able to see the individual strokes on a canvas. MH: I am also curious, what is the story behind a piece you are proud of ?

BR: Yes, definitely. I get a lot of joy from being able to use the skills God has given me as a form of worship. I have not made explicitly Christian art, but I think any Christian that makes art is creating Christian art. God’s first act was creating, creating us in His image. So us being able to create is an embodiment of God, regardless of the product’s topic. You could argue the process of a non-Christian artist is still bearing the image of God. They just aren’t aware of it. At the end of the day, we are all creatives serving the original Creator.

BR: I really enjoy Cy Twombly. Admittedly he is not for everyone. Some of his paintings look like a child made them; they are quite scribbly and messy, but there’s something so captivating about that. I also obviously enjoy the classics: Van Gogh, Monet, etc. I take a lot of inspiration from their use of brush strokes for layering. MH: How do you stay inspired now? Have you ever felt like you are in a rut artistically?

MH: Digital drawing and painting are two distinctly different mediums: one is very modern, the other very traditional. Do you feel more drawn to one over the other?

BR: I guess intrigue and curiosity. Art doesn’t always make sense the first time you view it, so I would hope people take the time to intentionally investigate mine. MH: Do you think being a Christian influences your creativity and have you ever created explicitly “Christian art?”

MH: Are there any particular “greats” that inspired you?

BR: I don’t think I have ever lacked inspiration because I’m always taking in things. Whether that’s movies, fashion or art in general, I try to consume as much as I can.

MH: What do you hope someone feels or experiences when they see your work?

BR: Last year, there was a final project I did for an art class. It’s all white, but composed of crumpled up pieces of paper that I collaged. I did it over top of a previous painting I hated and it was a big lesson in starting over. I liked the idea of an almost blank canvas, but there is still this “thing” that exists behind it.

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MH: That is beautifully put. My last question for you is: if you could tell young Christian creatives one thing, what would it be? BR: Find beauty and inspiration in all that God has created. We have been given the gift of sight and interpretation, and from that we can respond by creating. There is a whole world of inspiration around us; we need to take advantage of that.

At our Camp release party, we invited readers to make their own collages. With scissors, glue and a pile of magazines, everyone got to create something a little different. We set out to pick a winner, but why let one collage have all the fun? Here are some of our top contenders!

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culture corner:

SOUTH KOREA Destination: South Korea

Language: Korean

Contributor: Solee Lee Next stop: Pakistan with Hamdan Sadiq Chaudhry

WELCOME TO KOREA: When I say I’m from Korea, one of the most common responses I get from people is how much they love Korean food, skincare, K-pop and K-dramas. Another follow-up question I get sometimes is if I am from the North or the South. Just to make it clear, I am from the South.

Have you ever had trouble finding your country in a dropdown menu? If you are from Canada, you just look under “C.” But if you’re from South Korea, it’s not so simple. This is because South Korea can be listed in several different ways: • • • •

Korea, South Korea, Republic of South Korea Republic of Korea

This means Koreans may have to check under K, S and R before they find the right one. North Korea adds to the confusion as it is called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

RANDOM QUESTIONS YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD ABOUT KOREANS: Why do so many Koreans have the same last names? Each last name gets tracked back to which region their ancestors come from. For instance, my last name is Lee. My family line comes from Jeonju—the home to the founders of the Joseon dynasty—but other Lees that trace their ancestry to Gyeongju and other regions, with Jeonju and Gyeongju being the most common. Here are different ways I have seen Koreans spell Lee (이 ee): Lee, Rhee, Yi. The one with the closest pronunciation is Yi. In North Korea, they spell it as Ri (리).

Why is Korea split up? Why do I see no one from North Korea? After the Japanese occupation in Korea, we had the Korean War, where the North and South fought over different political ideas. At first, the North took the majority of Korea, but then the South was able to push back and unite Korea. In the end, the Korean War reached a peace treaty at the 38th parallel. This is why military service in Korea is mandatory for men, as the war never ended. The Kim family has been dictating North Korea since then. The current dictator, who you have probably heard of, is Kim Jung Eun. In North Korea, it is illegal to name anyone Kim Jung Eun alongside some other names that are part of his family. In South Korea, Jung Eun is a common name that many girls have. Escaping from North Korea is a matter of life or death, which is why you rarely see anyone from there.

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news community

living

FHSS REPRESENTATIVE: SEARCHING FOR HIS VISION David Kim David Kim is your TWUSA representative for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS). Mars’ Hill is dedicated to helping you connect with your TWUSA reps. Thus, each issue will highlight a representative from one of TWU’s departments. This time, it is David Kim. Be sure to watch for your own department’s representative in upcoming issues! Imagine two professional swimmers dropped into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. One keeps swimming without worrying where they’re headed, while the other desperately searches for a nearby island. You may say, “Hold the phone. Who would simply swim aimlessly in the middle of the ocean? Of course anyone would search for land!” Fair enough—the analogy isn’t perfect. But the difference matters: one person sees no purpose or way forward and remains indifferent to survival. The other fights to find direction and stay alive. The island represents the destination, or what I call a “vision,” that the second swimmer strives for. The same principle applies to life. Someone without a clear vision avoids risks, pursues nothing or settles for temporary rewards instead of striving for something greater, and thus remains stuck in the vast Pacific. On the other hand, a person with a vision pursues a meaningful goal, even when the journey is long and fraught with risk. They look beyond what is immediately apparent and remain hopeful of reaching a destination that gives their journey meaning and purpose.

The question is, what is the true source of our vision? Does it come from a dream we create ourselves, shaped by personal ambitions and passions, or does it emerge as we seek God’s will and answer His calling? Vision, then, is not simply about creating a meaningful life by choosing an ambitious destination. It is about discovering what God desires for us and faithfully pursuing His purposes. That is where true “life” is found. To reach it, we must swim toward it, pursuing it as our only direction. Consider Abraham, who left Haran after God revealed that he would become the father of a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3). David, too, looked beyond his life as a shepherd, envisioning himself as Israel’s king and the one who would establish God’s kingdom (1 Samuel 16:13). The Apostle Peter sought to become a fisher of men (Matthew 4:18-20), particularly the lost sheep of Israel, while the Apostle Paul aimed to spread the Gospel among the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). Abraham Lincoln sought the presidency to change his country. Missionaries Hudson Taylor and Sundar Singh envisioned bringing the Gospel to China and India respectively. George Müller founded orphanages in Bristol, England. Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement. These are examples of visions pursued by those who came before us in faith. Their lives were shaped not by personal ambition, dreams or passions, but by a vision from God. Did they accomplish it overnight? Certainly not. As their biographies

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show, they took significant risks, and some endured unimaginable hardships. Nevertheless, their lives made a lasting difference in communities, nations and even the world because God sustained them as they pursued His vision. When you dedicate your actions to His vision, He secures the foundation and ensures success (Proverbs 16:9). I believe George Barna puts it quite eloquently in his book The Power of Vision: “Vision is not an exercise in promoting yourself, your dreams or your needs. It involves integrating your personal abilities and limitations within God’s plan to accomplish what needs to be done through His chosen people.” More importantly, he puts it succinctly: “Vision is from God.” Similarly, swimming across that ocean won’t always be easy. We’ll face risks, disappointments, and moments when the destination seems impossibly far away. Still, a worthwhile vision gives us a reason to keep moving forward. We need an “island”—a destination to guide our journey—and a vision to propel us toward it. As mentioned, that vision comes from God. So then, do you truly want to remain a swimmer who drifts through life without direction, purpose, dreams or passion, lost on the vast ocean for the rest of your life? Where are you heading? Where is God leading you in your studies right now? Why has God led you to this school? What does He want you to pursue? What is His vision for you?

PAYING ATTENTION

IS A SACRED ACT Sarah MacIntosh We are navigating a world that constantly competes for our attention. Our phones, our schedules, our worries and our endless “to-do” lists can leave us in a blur without the ability to even see what’s in front of us. Paying attention is a sacred act. When we slow down enough to notice—to really listen, to see, to be present—we make room. Room for learning to take place! Scripture repeatedly invites us to listen, to be still, to watch and to consider. God is present in the ordinary moments we might otherwise rush past. Think about that! He created the universe down to the smallest detail and has given us a lifetime to grasp something about it. Proverbs 25:2 says that, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”

How might this play out in day-to-day life? Attention to your professors says, “You matter. I am here to learn from you.” Attention to other students acknowledges the reality that you are in this together and opens the possibility of collaboration–-and there’s no telling where that could lead! Paying attention to your own heart can help you recognize what God is inviting you into. Perhaps holiness is less about doing something noteworthy and more about being fully open to the extraordinary God who is present in your ordinary life. So, this semester, slow down. Pay attention. Listen. Render your attention as an offering to the Lord and a gift to yourself ! Who knows? You just might learn something.

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FAST FASHION AROUND

THE WORLD 1

United Kingdom

The UK fast fashion market is changing as Shein has overtaken Asos in sales. Shein reported UK revenue of $3.41 billion, and said its growth was supported by music festival partnerships, an Oxford Street pop-up shop and local Christmas gift events. Rather than staying only an online brand, the company is building its presence through events and physical spaces.

Japan

Japan’s fast fashion sector is showing strong results. Fast Retailing: the owner of Uniqlo reported a 32% rise in annual profit, beating expectations. It was the company’s fifth year in a row of record profit and results were strong in all of its regions. Uniqlo’s business is different from ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein, which have faced pressure from higher duties and costs. Its results show that fast fashion is not one single model and that different parts of the industry are performing very differently at the same time. This gives a clear contrast within the same industry.

France

France is regulating ultra-fast fashion directly through law. Its environmental penalty on ultra-fast fashion is now in effect, and the law also bans advertising by these companies, including influencer promotion. Platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress are widely seen as the main targets. China has argued that the law discriminates against Chinese companies, while supporters say it addresses disposable clothing that is worn only for a short time. The law shows a different approach from other countries, because it focuses directly on the fast fashion business model rather than only on trade rules or tariffs.

This is important because Asos was one of Britain’s best known online fashion retailers, so the change shows how quickly the market can move. It also shows that ultra fast fashion is now competing directly with established UK retailers for the same customers.

Gnana Damarla

United States

In the United States, the latest fast fashion news is about waste and trade. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree introduced a textile waste bill described as the first of its kind, aiming to reduce waste, improve data collection and support circularity across the country. This follows pressure on ultra-fast fashion from trade changes, as the US ended its duty-free rule for small parcels from China and Shein’s US revenue has fallen as a result. Together, these developments show the US looking at both how clothing is imported and what happens to it after it is thrown away.

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China (Hong Kong)

In China, the main fast fashion story is Shein’s financial pressure after its Hong Kong listing. Shein listed at a market value of about $26.5 billion, roughly a quarter of its value in 2022. The news agency Reuters then reported that its quarterly profit fell 67% as freight costs rose and import duties changed, with sales in Europe slowing. Shein is now reported to be planning higher priced brands. This shows how a company built on very low prices is having to adjust as trade rules and shipping costs change around the world.

WHAT YOU WANT ALR Sebastian Roque From a place where many donate and many find good deals, to now a popular outlet for the Gen Z population. Thrift stores have increasingly become a popular way to shop, especially among younger generations. Gen Z has been a major driver of the growth in thrifting. According to Capital One, they have stated that the “thrift store foot traffic increased 39.5% between 2019 and 2025.” This is coming from US statistics of thrift store visits alone. While statistics are cool, I want to direct the gaze onto our campus’ state of fashion. Thrift culture has grown over the past few years, and while some students are wearing their Spartan merch and others wear their TNA sweatsuit for the fifth time that week, more people are turning to second-hand shopping. The influence of social media on our student body has led many to be interested in expanding their style.

It is a work in progress; the fashion culture is moving away from sweatsuits and sambas to thrifted and vintage goods.

Fast fashion mimics what already existed and yet still doesn’t live up to the standard. Our students are moving away from uniformity to discovering what already existed before our time. This begs the question: how do you know if there is fashion progression on campus? Well, let’s do a rundown. From the past few years, people have slowly changed the way they have presented themselves, and especially this year alone, more have been wearing outfits that have character.

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READY EXISTED How does this relate to campus fashion? The common question is, “where did you get that jacket or that shirt?” The common response, “Thanks, I thrifted it!” This is becoming a way of gatekeeping but this is the beauty of thrifting. The idea of having a “1 of 1” is what makes thrifting fun. There is also the rising vintage market making its way onto campus, especially through side hustle culture and with many students coming up with side hustles on campus, this further expands the second-hand market. Capital One states, “Second-hand apparel is expected to have accounted for 10% of the global apparel market in 2025.” While it may not be a small number, according to World Metric, “Thrifting reduces the demand for fast fashion by 12%” and “58% of Gen Z considers thrifting a way to express personal style.”

The point is this: thrifting is on the rise. We are slowly leaving fast fashion behind and are now searching for the real goods. Vintage and second-hand markets are growing and our campus is a part of it. World Metric also states that, “Gen Z is driving a 30% year-over-year growth in thrift store visits.” Thrifting is here to stay, the pieces you want already existed before you were born and they will continue to outlive fast fashion. Fast fashion mimics what already existed and yet still doesn’t live up to the standard. Go thrift that dream closet, go through your grandparent’s attic. Save money and wear it for a lifetime.

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feature

WHO ARE YOU WHEN NOBODY IS WATCHING? Emma Helgason There are people you notice before you know why you notice them. Maybe they dress differently, carry themselves differently, or have a way of talking that makes you look twice. Other times, it is much harder to explain. They are not always the loudest people in the room, and they often do not try to draw attention to themselves at all. There is simply something about the way they move through the world that feels distinctly their own. At Trinity Western University (TWU), it is easy to become aware of yourself through other people. We are constantly surrounded by classmates, roommates, friends, professors and strangers we recognize but have never actually met. We learn what people around us wear, what they study, where they spend their time and what they seem to care about. Without realizing it, we begin to measure our-

selves against them. There is a question underneath this comparison: How am I being perceived? Maybe that is why certain people are so interesting to watch. They do not have everything figured out, yet they are comfortable enough with themselves to make decisions without checking whether someone else would make the same one. To better understand what this kind of individuality looks like, Mars’ Hill spoke with three students who embody it in different ways: Ben Kim, Tory Wang and François Denkema.

Ben Kim: When you stop giving so much attention to things that do not need it

ly disagrees with the perspective that she is confident. She is someone who has stopped spending so much energy worrying about what people think about her. “I’m so tired of caring,” she said. “At some point, I just kind of decided to stop.” Ben does not present this perspective as some dramatic turning point in her life. If anything, it sounds like a gradual decision to stop carrying something that had become too heavy. For instance, Ben describes a time when she was sitting with a friend who had stopped talking. The two ended up in an unspoken contest over who would speak first. The other person waited for Ben to break the silence. Ben never did. For Ben, there was no urgent need to fill the space. She could sit there and simply let the silence remain.

Ben Kim does not describe herself as outwardly confident. Rather, she entire-

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Mars’ Hill appreciates that Ben does not always need to fill the silence or make herself known. Ben does not seem to know exactly why, stating, “I just kind of exist.” And maybe that is part of it. She describes growing up around more conservative expectations of how people should behave and dress. Over time, the patterns became familiar enough that they stopped being interesting to Ben. “People bore me sometimes,” she said. “And I think, hey, other people are boring. Maybe I should be the one that’s like, not that boring.” There is humour in the way Ben talks about herself, but there is also something more deliberate that lies beneath it. Ben is not dressing strangely because she has decided that being strange is her identity. Ben likes what she likes, and she happens to like things that are not always ordinary.

Tory Wang: When you let yourself change If Ben’s instinct is to stop worrying so much about other people’s opinions, Tory’s is to remain open to the possibility that even her own opinion might change. Tory is specific about what she likes and dislikes; she knows when something is not for her. That has shaped some of the decisions she has made at university, as she originally was an Education student, but has now switched majors to Mathematics. Rather than forcing herself to stay with an identity she had already begun, she changed course. There was no feeling that changing her mind meant that she had failed to know herself. In fact, Tory found that it was part of knowing herself that much more.

It helps that Tory has spent some time reflecting on the word “individualistic”. She comes from a culture where individualism can carry a negative association; thus, she does not understand individuality as putting yourself first. Tory understands the term as being more complex: being yourself does not mean that everyone else has to become less important. After all, it is all too often that individuality becomes confused with self-importance. Tory does not seem interested in building a personality that everyone else has to understand, since she knows what she likes, she knows what she does not like and she is willing to let those things develop over time. Tory goes onto describing a period when she wore colours that never matched simply because she liked the colours. “I like what I like, and I want to show it,” she notes. This mindset is freeing, especially when so much of what we do can feel like a declaration of who we are. Tory does not need every interest to become part of a permanent identity. She can change her mind without needing to explain why the person she was before was wrong. Individuality is not about creating one perfectly consistent version of yourself. Instead Mars’ Hill presents the idea that individuality means allowing yourself enough room to grow that you do not have to remain exactly who you were when people first met you.

François Denkema: When you decide to just do it François’ approach is more direct. He knows what he wants, and he is willing to work towards it. He is studying biolo-

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gy with the hope of becoming a surgeon. The path ahead is long, competitive and academically demanding. But medicine is not the only thing that occupies his time, as he is also involved in the Homelessness Outreach at TWU. “Over time, I grew to really enjoy the work,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to connect with people who are often overlooked.” There is a consistency between that and the future he imagines for himself, as he hopes to create something of

What do you love wh understand why?

What would you try if y not chang

What would you wear i whether it looked good?

What would you pursue life did not have to his own. He describes a medical missions organization that could bring surgical care to places affected by natural disasters. It is an ambitious idea, but when asked where he finds the willpower, his answer is quite uncomplicated: “You just do it,” he said. “I just want to.”

Considering he is looking at a decade or more of education, that kind of answer could sound almost overly simple. But François does not claim that the path will be easy. He knows how much work is ahead of him. His point seems to be that wanting something does not become less meaningful simply because the process of getting there is difficult.

Being afraid to try a career, being afraid to talk to someone, being afraid to take the next step are all examples that we face. In François’s point of view, remembering that life is short really changes the weight of those fears. If there is something worth pursuing, he would rather pursue it than spend his limited time being afraid of what might happen.

three TWU students are not interesting because they have mastered the art of standing apart. They are interesting because they seem to have found ways of standing comfortably within themselves.

When uncertainty does enter the picture, he turns somewhere else. “I just have to pray, and hope, and trust.”

That does not mean he believes everything will work out exactly as planned. His faith gives him another place to put the things he cannot control. His understanding of his own direction is connected to God, service and the people he hopes his future work will help.

What do you love when nobody else has to understand why?

hen nobody else has to

you knew failure would ge how anyone saw you?

if nobody could tell you ?

e if you trusted that your look like everyone else’s? François’s perspective on what holds people back For François, the things that hold people back often comes down to perspective. Everyone, he pointed out, has a finite a mount of time. In a hundred years, every person alive today will be gone. From that perspective, the things that can feel enormous in the moment can begin to look a little different.

At TWU, this matters as the Christian faith is woven into the university’s understanding of leadership. TWU describes leadership as using one’s abilities not simply for oneself, but for the benefit of others. François’s idea of becoming a surgeon is personal, but it is not self-centered. The future he imagines for himself is built around what he might be able to give away. His individuality is not about separating himself from everyone else. Instead, it is about knowing what he has been given to do and being willing to follow it.

The question is no longer how to become more individual. Rather, it is about who you are when nobody is watching.

What would you try if you knew failure would not change how anyone saw you? What would you wear if nobody could tell you whether it looked good? What would you pursue if you trusted that your life did not have to look like everyone else’s? Your answers will change, and as a university student that is part of it. Being an individual is not about finding one permanent version of yourself and protecting it from change. It is about paying attention to the person you are becoming and having enough courage to let that person exist.

So who are you when nobody is watching? There is a temptation, when talking about individuality, to turn it i nto another thing we are supposed to achieve. For example, quotes from Pinterest will tell you to be different, stand out, find your thing, build a personality or to become someone people remember. However, that would miss what these three people actually showed us. These

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creative

writing

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

(Prayer for Peace) Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Everyone at TWU is part of community, whether it is as a resident or commuter, international or domestic student, Spartan or not, or many other areas that I have failed to include. As we start off this year, let us join together, committed to not only maintaining peace in the areas we represent but establishing peace around campus as a whole. Let us not only pray for unity on campus and expect others to do the work but invite the Holy Spirit to direct us in how we can be ‘Instruments of Peace’. Let us engage in relationship with others, inviting residents into the commuter lounges, sharing a dish that can be enjoyed with a dormmate that just happens to walk into the kitchen, or praying for and cheering on our lovely Spartans. Let us seek to understand our neighbour, love those we seem to have nothing in common with and ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ (Eph. 4:3) Your Trinity Western Prayer Team.

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AM I MYSELF, OR AM I YOU? 24

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Shaurya Dewani Am I myself or am I you? Cause I’d try to follow your steps, For that to me is the truth. Not being me, but someone else’s shadow. Forgetting those deep, late night talks, Where I promised myself, That I wanted to grow. Yet I see what you’re doing, and do the same, As if my entire personality is a flaw. And slowly the mirror talks to me, Says to me that I’m forgetting myself.

In that conversation I realized that I really did lose myself.

That I rot in my own body,

Lost myself enough,

Like some dusty old book, among others in a bookshelf. Yet instead of answering, I turn my back.

To not even answer back. Lost myself enough,

That when I look at myself, I look at a mirror full of cracks.

Knowing all the mirror said was the truth.

Cracks waiting to be filled.

But that’s the way we live life I guess?

Cracks full of goals and uniqueness,

We choose to live in a way that makes it safe.

That I willingly killed,

Cause who’d rather want to be an outlaw?

That I let go for someone I’m not.

Who has time to answer their questions?

My hobbies, my opinions, my qualities,

Energy to explain it’s not a flaw–-it’s me.

That I slowly forgot.

Even though I don’t have to, I’d avoid the stare.

And I don’t know why.

I’d rather not be an individualist,

Why did I let go of the freedom given at birth?

Than be a person who dared.

Why did I choose to admire a stranger, At the risk of my own self worth? Why did I bury creativity with my own hands? Why did I let my happiness depend On something the world doesn’t even demand? God give me strength to close that door. God give me the courage To never let that happen anymore.

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THE STATE OF A STATE Veronica Whiteson This is a poem about a nation That cheats and lies without hesitation. A group of people just in it for the money, Then they abuse it all. Isn’t that funny? A nation that silences, One that controls the press. They keep you quiet With blackmail and stress. They shut you up and shut you down, Then force you to keep smiling. They blame you and make you drown, Then lose you in the filing. They’ll taint your name, Make you sound insane. The lies they never stop, And the crimes they soon forgot. They’ll get you fired, Then have their friends hired. Year after year after year, They reign on a throne of fear. This is a poem about your nation Built on pain, fear, manipulation. This is a poem about a nation. I’m sorry, I meant association.

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opinions

THE QUIET DEATH OF SHARED CULTURE Gnana Damarla

Culture does not always disappear through force or oppression. Sometimes, it fades quietly, one small decision at a time. Today, we are increasingly choosing convenience over the traditions that once held us together and I believe we are losing something vital in the process. Look around at our daily lives, and the pattern becomes obvious. Take food, for example: families used to gather around a single table, sharing recipes passed down through generations. Today, family members eat different meals at different times, each staring at their own separate screen. A recipe is not lost because it is difficult to learn, but because fewer people are willing to sit still long enough to be taught. Language tells the same story. Millions of children from immigrant households understand their parents perfectly but respond only in English. Nobody forced them to abandon their native language–English simply feels easier and convenience often wins. A generation later, lullabies once sung from memory become songs searched for on YouTube. What vanishes is not just words or ingredients, but the living bridge between generations. Our wardrobes reveal the exact same pattern. Traditional dress once expressed where people came from and what their communities valued. Today, it is often reserved for weddings, festivals or for social media before being returned to the closet. Now, wardrobes across the world

look increasingly alike with identical jeans, hoodies and sneakers. Fast fashion accelerates this shift by making trends cheap, accessible and constantly replaceable. Clothes are purchased, worn briefly and discarded in favor of the next trend. In the process, traditional craftsmanship and clothing lose their place in everyday life. We label this self-expression, yet when millions follow the exact same trends–promoted by the same brands and algorithms–are these choices truly individually unique? What seems like a personal choice slowly becomes something everyone follows.

Culture does not vanish because the world changes; it dies when we grow too lazy to carry it forward. The deeper problem is that we have confused individualism with authenticity. We hear “Be yourself ” until the person we become is shaped entirely by whatever is trending online. But identity was never meant to be built in isolation. It grows through families, neighbours, elders, shared rituals and responsibilities that sometimes require us to put others before ourselves. Of course cultures should change and adapt–I am not advocating that we freeze time. But adapting means honoring our traditions while helping them evolve. Abandonment means let-

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ting them die simply because keeping them alive takes effort. People may claim they are too busy to learn a family recipe or practice their mother tongue, yet they easily spend hours scrolling through social media. The problem is rarely a lack of time; it is a choice of priority. When personal convenience eclipses collective responsibility, traditions gradually become optional, then unfamiliar and finally forgotten. I refuse to believe we must choose between modern progress and our cultural roots. The solution is not to reject modern life, but to realize that true individuality does not mean erasing where we came from. Culture lives in our ordinary choices: cooking a family recipe on a weeknight, speaking our mother tongue even when we stumble or honoring our heritage on a regular day rather than saving it for special occasions. Yet in the pursuit of hyper-individualism, far too many people sever their roots and confuse isolation with freedom. But true individuality is not built in a room full of mirrors. Culture does not vanish because the world changes; it dies when we grow too lazy to carry it forward. Leaving the next generation culturally bankrupt is not progress, it’s a tragedy. When we trade our heritage for quick convenience, we erase our past and destroy the very depth of our individuality..

A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE BYSTANDER EFFECT

If you have stayed connected on social media over the last month, the Cornell 7 are having a moment, and not a good one. To summarize, a student reported an allegation of sexualized violence crime that allegedly occurred over the course of a night at a fraternity house connected to the university. One of the details that stands out to me is the allegation that Snapchat messages were sent to dozens of male students about what was happening and seemingly invited others to participate.

What if the real issue is belonging?

Andrew deGroot

Now, I am not an attorney, prosecutor, defence lawyer or politician, so I do not want to debate what happened or whether every allegation is true. The legal system and Cornell University have a responsibility to figure that out. What I want us to consider is this: if the allegations are true, what does this say about the cultural moment we are living in? In this particular article, I want to look beyond the crime for a moment and focus on those surrounding the crime and what it speaks to about the cultural moment we are in.

A Christian community such as our own should have a higher standard. Although the Bible does not say explicitly say in the commandments, “Thou shalt ask for consent,” or “Thou shalt not commit sexual assault,” if you ask me, it really should not need to; these concepts are implied throughout. Christians should be appalled by actions that exploit, harm or dehumanize another person. The basic principles of avoiding sexual immorality, standing up for the oppressed, defending the vulnerable and loving our neighbour all apply.

Has our society become too individualistic? Too focused on what happens to “me” rather than looking out for another person?

More than that, I think Christians should be especially concerned about the silence of those who do nothing.

What does it mean if dozens of people are invited into a situation that appears harmful, some participate, others celebrate it and nobody steps in early enough to stop it?

The story of the Good Samaritan is not simply about helping someone in need. It is about being willing to step in when others choose not to. The Samaritan risked inconvenience, criticism, and social status to help someone who was vulnerable.

I believe this has in part to do with what psychologists call the bystander effect. Simply put, people are less likely to intervene when they are part of a group because responsibility becomes shared. Everyone assumes someone else will do something. But I wonder if there is more going on than that.

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Maybe some people remained silent because they did not want to lose their place in the group. Maybe speaking up felt riskier than staying quiet. Maybe challenging the behaviour would have meant losing friendships, status or acceptance. If that’s true, it raises an uncomfortable question: what are we willing to sacrifice to do the right thing?

As Christians, we should be willing to do the same. We should be willing to risk losing our sense of belonging, our comfort, or even our friendships if that is what it takes to protect another person. My encouragement to our community is simple: be Good Samaritans. Don’t stay silent. Speak up. Step in. Be people of action when others need you most.

SET APART, NOT SET ABOVE Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong somewhere? Imagine travelling to a French-speaking country. Everyone speaks French fluently while you only know the bits that you remember from high school (Bonjour and je m’appelle will only get you so far). You try to speak to the natives in English, but your words seem to fall on deaf ears. Following Christ can sometimes feel like living in a foreign country: your values will not always match the world around you, and you can feel out of place. It is important, however, that feelings of difference do not morph into attitudes of superiority; the fact that the locals do not speak your language does not make them your inferiors. Being set apart by Christ means being shaped by His love—not believing that we as Christians stand above anyone else. The phrase “set apart” can sound like a call to separate ourselves from everyone who thinks differently. But it actually begins somewhere deeper: with belonging to Christ and allowing that belonging to change us. In Romans 12:2, Paul says, “[d]o not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 ESV). That transformation is not a badge we pin to our clothes so others will notice how faithful we are–it is a quiet, ongoing work in the heart. It might look like choosing honesty when a lie would be easier, refusing to join in when someone is being mocked or offering kindness when resentment feels more natural. These choices may make us different, but difference is not the goal in itself. The goal is to become more

like Jesus—in the way we speak, the way we treat people and the way we respond when nobody is applauding. Still, “set apart” can be misunderstood. Sometimes people hear it and imagine Christians looking down on those outside the faith, as if following Jesus makes us more valuable or more deserving of love. The gospel leaves little room for that kind of pride. We do not come to Christ because we have already made ourselves good; we come because we need His grace.

To be set apart is to belong to Him, to be transformed by Him and to love others in a way that points back to Him. Jesus did not use holiness as an excuse to avoid people. He drew near to them. He met people with truth, but also with compassion, patience and mercy. If our faith makes us eager to point out everyone else’s failures but unwilling to examine our own, we have missed something important. Being set apart should not make us colder toward the world. It should teach us to love the world without letting it guide us. We can hold convictions without treating people as projects or opponents. Of course, living this way is not always easy. It can be uncomfortable to hold a different conviction when everyone around us seems to agree. It can be tempting to make our faith visible in ways that earn approval, or to assume

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Anika Idreou

that doing the right thing means we have the right to feel superior. Even sincere Christians can slip into this mindset; pride makes it easy to focus on what faith should look like from the outside while neglecting the work God is doing within ourselves and others. The answer is not to pretend we never get it wrong. It is to return to Christ honestly. We can confess our pride, ask for forgiveness and begin again. “[W]hat does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV). Humility is not an optional extra to holiness; it belongs at its centre. We are still learning, still being corrected, and still dependent on His grace. Sometimes, following Jesus will feel like living in a foreign country where everyone else speaks a different language. There will be moments when we feel out of place, and times when we have to choose which voice to follow. We should not, however, conflate that difference with distance or superiority. Christ calls us to live differently so that His character becomes more visible. To be set apart is to belong to Him, to be transformed by Him and to love others in a way that points back to Him. We are not set apart because we are above anyone. We are set apart because we have been invited to walk with Jesus—and to follow Him with humility.

sports

Spartan Spotlight: MCLAREN PAULSEN Hamdan Sadiq Chaudhry

MH: Could you introduce yourself by sharing your name, position, year of study and major? MP: My name is McLaren Paulsen, I’m in my second year. I am on the men’s hockey team. I am a forward and my major is business with my concentration being accounting. MH: What first sparked your passion for hockey, and how did your involvement with the sport begin? MP: From a young age, growing up in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, it was a very tight-knit hockey community. Every kid, every parent played hockey, and it was just kind of a way of life. For me, I got my first pair of skates around three years old, and I never looked back. My dad would build me an outdoor rink in the backyard every winter to skate on with my brother. All my friends and I would play hockey and go to school together. It was just our way of life, and how things went in our small town. MH: What was the journey like to becoming a Spartan? MP: After my time in Humboldt was over, I played academy hockey in Caronport, Saskatchewan, at Prairie Hockey Academy. After a year there, I played two years of U18 hockey in Regina for the Regina Pat Canadians, followed by three years of junior hockey in Ontario for the Dryden Ice Dogs. Developing on and off the ice throughout that experience ultimately brought me into contact with Ben, our head coach. Through conversations with him about what it meant to be a Spartan, the school itself and the strength of the business program, I realized what a great fit it was. It was also a newer hockey program starting just four or five years ago that was trying to make a name for itself, rise up and compete. I thought it was a really enticing opportunity to be part of that foundation, come in for four years, give it my all and hopefully leave the program better than when I arrived. Ultimately, that’s the goal for all of us, whether we’re freshmen, second years, or third years: when we become se-

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niors, we want to look back and know we left this team better than we found it. I think we’ve done a really good job of that so far, but there’s still a long way to go. The nice part is that the journey never ends: you just have to keep showing up every day to be a Spartan and be successful. MH: What would you say is the most memorable moment of your hockey career so far? MP: For me, two stand out. One was winning league MVP during my last season in junior hockey. I faced a lot of adversity early in my junior career, so to have that final season go almost perfectly and put all those challenges behind me was really special. Even better than that, though, was my first game as a Spartan playing against UVic. All the guys were talking about how wild UVic’s rink is, how it’s sold out and their student section goes crazy. I’ve played in sold-out games before, but there’s nothing quite like your first university game at such a high level. Being in a rink with 3,000 people yelling at you was just an incredible experience. MH: What does the future hold for you in hockey? Are you hoping to keep playing after your university career, or do you plan to take a different path? MP: Right now, I’m open to whatever opportunities come up after hockey. Given how my body feels and the toll the game takes on you, continuing to play would likely be in a limited capacity. Playing senior hockey back home in Saskatchewan is something I’d consider. It’s not too heavy of a schedule, it’s more informal, and it’s a nice way to play with friends and maybe make a bit of money on the side. My focus is on hockey, but also on earning my degree and becoming an accountant. That’s something I’m really passionate about: getting my professional career started, building a future and eventually starting a family. The game doesn’t last forever, and one day you play your last game. If I can go out on a high note, have some fun playing recreationally, and have a solid career and family life to transition into, that’s where my focus will be.

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Contributors David Kim Sarah MacIntosh Veronica Whiteson Shaurya Dewani Andrew deGroot Saida Campbell Adalia Thiessen Sophie Bouchard Photographers @shotbydrumedia @kinleymedia

Models Luca Gibbons Sophia Thomas Jadon Lebold Rowan Keunen Darien Reitsma Miakay Scott Atley Friesen Sophie Thomas

Mars’ Hill Mars’ Hill is a student publication of Trinity Western University located on the traditional ancestral territory of the Stó:lō people. Floated with funds raised by the Student Association, Mars’ Hill seeks to be a professional and relevant student publication, reflecting and challenging the TWU community, while intentionally addressing local, national and international issues.

Mission to Mars The mission of Mars’ Hill, as the official student magazine of Trinity Western University, is to inform and entertain its readers, cultivate awareness of issues concerning the TWU community and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members in accordance with the Community Covenant, Statement of Faith and Core Values of the university.

Editorial Policy Mars’ Hill encourages submissions and Letters to the Editor. Mars’ Hill reserves the right to edit submissions for style, brevity, and compatibility with the Mission, the Statement of Faith, the Student Handbook and the Core Values of the University. Anonymous authorship of any material may be granted at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. Opinions expressed in Mars’ Hill belong to the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, Trinity Western University, its officials or its Student Association.

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