It seems like every month there is a new trend circulating around and this time it is the mannequin challenge; a challenge that just requires humans to stand idle mimicking a mannequin set to the song “Black Beetles” by Rae Sremmurds. Seems like something you do every day? That’s what I thought, but this is gaining quite some popularity; major sporting teams and athletes such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Milwaukee bucks, and Steph Curry have taken on the challenge. The Cleveland Cavaliers took on the challenge as well with Michelle Obama during their visit at the White House,making the challenge that much more popular because of the athletes' popularity. A challenge that seems like an easy enough task, has become a worldwide challenge that isn’t as easy as it seems because of our fast pace lives now a days. People are always moving; weather we are rushing from one place to another or scrolling through our phones, our culture has become a custom to being in constant movement. That’s why this is such a rare challenge that does challenge one; it would be a no brainer if our generation today knew how to stand still. We can't stand still though, we are constantly engaged in something. Once we finish one thing we have this necessity to move on to the very next thing. Perhaps the mannequin challenge is more than simply just a fun way to past time, but rather a lifestyle change that our country desperately needs. This mannequin challenge is telling us, no rather it is shouting at us to slow down and take the time to freeze for just a second. One second as a mannequin can really make a difference for a society obsessed with sticking to a schedule that has us constantly moving 24/7. You may think that I’m looking into a simple challenge created for fun and entertainment a bit too much, but honestly the parallel is there no matter what angle you look at it from. The mannequin challenge was created as a way for high school students to be creative and have fun, but the challenge has really gained tons of popularity and gives everyone the chance to just breathe. The world around them hasn’t stopped, but they have allowed themselves time to just be frozen in space. Although I have not personally participated in the challenge I can see some real benefits of a challenge that shows people that the world will not crumple if they take a second or two to freeze and just be. I take that back I did participate in the mannequin challenge over the weekend while on Manresa 31 and it was that much more meaningful for me participating days after reflecting on it in this article. It was an amazing moment being frozen in space, but it was much more than that, it challenged my patience, my cooperation, and my balance all at once. This challenge is really fun, but also something that everyone can benefit from young or old because there is no experience necessary; just the use of an underrated basic human quality.I think that this mannequin challenge is something that our country is in desperate need of considering the results of our presidential election, we need to stop everything we are doing and just freeze. So no matter what you have on your calendar or the notifications that clutter your lock screen, take a moment and just freeze; take on the mannequin challenge.
