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"I finally realized that I must do my schoolwork to keep from being
ignorant, to get on in life, to become a journalist, because that's what I want! I know I can write ..., but it remains to be seen whether I really have talent ...
And if I don't have the talent to write books or newspaper articles, I can always write for myself. But I want to achieve more than that. I can't imagine living like Mother, Mrs. van Daan and all the women who go about their work and are then forgotten. I need to have something besides a husband and children to devote myself to!...
I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death! And that's
why I'm so grateful to God for having given me this gift, which I can use to develop myself and to express all that's inside me!
When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that's a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a
writer?"
— Anne Frank
This inspirational note was written by Anne Frank, a fifteen year-old girl who aspired to be a journalist, but unfortunately that dream never came true as she was killed in one of the Nazi Concentration Camps in 1945.
On one lazy afternoon in 2012, I was going through some history books in the school library and it so happened that I stumbled upon WW2 and the Holocaust literature. As I was reading I felt a lump in my throat, a lump of sadness and anger. A lot of questions were on my mind--why did such atrocities happen in the first place? Why do bad things happen to good people?
I didn't get any answers out of the several questions on my mind.
In 2015, however, it got me thinking: human beings have not fully evolved for humility, acceptance, love, peace and happiness among other things. We have evolved primarily for the survival of the fittest. That is why our human nature is innately evil, selfish, greedy, combative, self-destructive, vile and hateful. It is only through establishing our meaning in life that we learn to suppress the negative traits while developing the good ones.
The world is filled with pain and suffering. Horrors that no words can describe. ISIS terrorists beheading innocent people, raping women and children, the bombing of entire villages, racism, homophobia, Antisemitism, disregard of human life and many bad things people do. However, many people haven't lost hope in humanity--the fundamental goodness of humanity. Throughout history we have suffered greatly. All the oppression, all the exploitation and all the humiliation was a direct result of the imperfections in our world. But there seems to be a
dissatisfaction with the current state of the world. It came to a point where we got tired of it. In man's heart there's a strong desire for FREEDOM.
The apartheid system or white supremacy in South Africa has a story to tell us about freedom. It is not voluntarily given. We have to work for. Privileged white classes didn't give up their privileges without a fight. Black people had to fight for freedom until their oppressors gave them the important basic human right. In 1994, the Rainbow nation came into being with Nelson Mandela, as the first democratically elected president in South Africa's history.
After all the pain and the struggles my people had gone through. They were free at last! Free at last!
In closing, our world is both technologically, ethically and medically advanced, we have a lot of opportunities that the previous generation never had. In fact, leaders are those who empower others.
Creating opportunities for a open and free world should be a priority for everyone. If we wait for that opportunity to work out itself, it will never come to pass. We have to stand up and confront the thugs that make our streets unsafe, we have to stand up against mistreatment of women and children, we have to stand up against the lack religious and personal freedom in Islamic countries, we have to stand up against terrorism, we have to stand up against racism, we have to stand up against global hunger and extreme poverty, we have to stand up against political leaders that loot state resources at the expense of the poor, we have to stand up against human rights abuses, we have to stand up against religious leaders who use religion as a tool for discrimination and degradation of fellow human beings and we have to stand up against our own selfish, destructive behaviours that will prevent us from taking a stand.
Using non-violent practices, we can break free from the oppression with minimum amount of casualties. The goal is not to fight with bitterness ,violence and hatred in our hearts. But always fight with love and justice. My friends, we should stand as Brothers and Sisters. Because of that, this world would be a better place.
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