BE THE SAME
Once you step out of the womb, where you so comfortably lived in for a while, you come headfirst into our world – a beautiful world, full of color, sweet smells, love, landscapes, and freedom. But sadly that “you” is not all of you. It is just some of you. Why?
I don’t know, not precisely, because in my head everybody should have the same opportunities, rights, and the same duties. But the world is not fair, is it? We say this all the time. Have you stopped to wonder that perhaps you are the one who is making this amazing world such a horrific and unfair place? No, no you haven’t, I haven’t, none of us have truly done that. We read about this every day, we watch the news with our own eyes, and sometimes even feel it on our own skin, and we just stand by, as watchers from the outside, staring and feeling sorry for something that we could solve with our bare hands. And I could stand here and read to you all 30 human rights set up in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Would that change anything? Are you not tired of reading about the same thing? I don’t blame you, because I fit in the exact same box, and believe me, I feel stupid writing this and not feeling empowered enough to take matters in my own hands, but I just wonder, what more can I do, how can I help, who am I in this world, what’s the purpose of all this? Of one thing I am sure, we have been doing the same repeatedly, and I don’t feel any closer to the end of the line. Something should have already changed, don’t you think? Some method, some strategy, something…
Let me put this straight. The other day I overheard a conversation in which someone mentioned “As long as I and the ones I know are ok, for me everything is just fine”. The feeling is valid, but now imagine that you and the ones you know are at war, and you live in poverty, you have nowhere to run to. Would you not appreciate it if someone gave you a helping hand? I’m not even sure if our society should be called that way. Listen closely, a society represents a group of related individuals that work together to preserve common objectives, shared by all, such as well-being. Is that us? We can not even relate inside this classroom, how would you want to change the world like this, how could you state that? Nowadays we are all just friendly, but we are not empathic, we miss the capability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. AND WE DON’T HEAR. We don’t hear. I’m sure that 50% of you are looking at me and are more worried about the pimple that grew on my forehead last night or how bad these clothes look on me, than exactly about the importance of the things I have to say.
Get out of your little bubble and understand that your belly button is just fine. Others have belly buttons too. If you have no idea of what you can do, I have some ideas I think you should at least consider.
- Speak up for what you care about: besides doing this, sharing your opinion to this small public, you have social media, and you are not afraid to post pictures of you, your animals, the food you eat, the places you go to, so why not start sharing what is on your mind? Speak up, and let the world know what you think. Maybe you will drag someone into the wave, and who knows? You can cause a Tsunami.
- Volunteer: I always say, do for others what you would like someone to do for you. Start small, then try to grow. And you will see how complete, helping others will make you feel, it’s a win-win situation.
- Listen: listen to the stories people have to tell, and learn the red flags, so that you can prevent them from harming anyone else.
- Stay connected with social movements: this refers not only to strikes, and petitions, but there is something so obvious you can do. Join EYP or Understanding Europe. Become The involved citizen you should be. Learn from them, they can teach you more than you imagine and they are spread worldwide, they help you open doors to solve problems if that is truly what you desire.
- Stand up for discrimination: This is quite obvious, but don’t become the passive aggressor. We have all been there at least once. But don’t fear, you are right and you can change the world by saying NO.
I’m not saying this is easy to put into practice, or that you will always be perfect. But from the moment you take your first breath till the moment you succumb to your last one, you are me and I am you because in the end we are all built the same. And we all deserve to be the same. So, be the same!
