This I Believe

I am going to change the world. For as naïve and pretentious as that sounds, I have the passion and the determination of Raphael Lemkin. I refuse to sit idly by and watch corrupt, egocentric governments do nothing. I will change the world, because I believe our world is in dire need of a change. In the past fifty years, our society has become increasingly materialistic and narcissistic. Gone are the days of the compassionate American spirit. Gone are the days of selfless benefaction. People have become so intensely focused on their own personal advancement, that the terrific plight of so many is cast away without so much as a sympathetic “oh well.” The concept “over there” that was a symbol of American generosity and compassion in the 1940s has taken on a completely new meaning. “Over there” is where people are starving. “Over there” is where violence occurs. Slavery, human trafficking, extreme poverty and genocide only occur “over there.” And because of this mental conception of distance, all of these problems have become easy to ignore and forget. Aside from sporadic mission trips and intermittent donations, our society has become shamefully ignorant and indifferent to the rest of the world. Senator William Proxmire once called indifference and ignorance “the most lethal pair of foes for human rights everywhere in the world” and that statement holds true. We’ve lost sight of the fact that we’re all human beings with wants and desires, dreams and aspirations, talents and abilities. I believe that we as human beings have an innate responsibility to protect and serve our fellow human beings, regardless of ethnicity, spirituality, sexual orientation or geographical location. I believe that it is crucial that the world’s view of humanity and the worth of human life be restored to this most basic truth. I may not be entirely capable of single-handedly accomplishing this feat, but if I can change the views of one person, then, by definition, I will have changed the world.

“The morning news is yours to alter.” –Samantha Power