There is a Hope

When you open the Youtube page, the first things you see are the videos of self-improvement and titles like "Believe in yourself", "How to be a successful person" etc. When you go to school for the first time, your father says to you: "you have to get the highest degree!!", and your mother tells you: "you have to get marks more than your nephew!!" to not put her in a bad position! Your grandmother always says that your sheep for Aid is bigger than the neighbor sheep. Your sister in every party wants a new dress because her friends have seen the oldest ones. Your mother always keeps saying to your dad that he has to get a new car like his brother.

Those statements and many others are a part of our daily life, are part of our thinking and how we see things. We grew up with that mentality of competition like we are living in racetrack and everyone wants to win. Every single person is thinking about himself and what he can have to seem perfect and better than others. But who are those others?! Others are always the enemy, are the ones how should be offended. You have to get a higher degree, wear the best clothes, have the big sheep and the nice car by whatever means to let others feel that they are less than you.

How you can count yourself a member of this society if there isn't space for words like "community." For words like "us" and "we." There is only space for "I" and "me." Because if "us" and "we" really existed, if there are real people out there trying to be humanitarian, then the world would've been rescued by now. Humanity is not about holding slogans or banners, it is about our daily life actions.

Every single day people are complaining about the situation we are leaving in, the corruption, the useless policy approved by our officials. Also the world situation like what is happening in Palestine, Syria, the starvation in South Africa, global warming, etc. But what do we do to change it? Why we are talking about those issues if we think that it is none of our business? Because if we are interested we can do things to change what is happening around us, it is up to us. Change is possible, but we are not ready to sacrifice. Everything is fine as long as we are fine. Selfishness is an essential part of our everyday personalities.

Even though you knew that you can help your classmates in the exam preparations, but you do not because you are busy; you are afraid that maybe they can get a degree more than you. Even though you knew that throwing trash in the see harms ocean's creatures you still doing it. Even though you knew that using cars have bad effects on nature and what is happening in the atmosphere, you still using your car in unnecessary cases. Even though you believe that Israel has no right to be a country in this world in the ruins of Palestine, you still supporting Israel's economy by drinking Coca-Cola and going to McDonald’s. Even though you knew that there is corruption in this country, but when there is a demonstration or strike you do not participate because you are afraid of being beaten or arrested.

We have to be ashamed. We are servent of our self-interest, and we are blinded from seeing other troubles except what is concerning us. But we shouldn't be like this because deep inside that voice keeps telling us that those people how are in pain, how can be better by our small sacrifices, are part of ourselves. And we are not living alone in this world. We are not aliens, we belong to all humanity's problems.

Changing the world is not an impossible dream. By our small actions and sacrifices, by a connection, support, strength, and warmth you give to others; by seeing yourself as an individual, as a part of something larger; this world can be a good place to live in. Just be ready to take reasks and give big sacrifices. Your life is not about being safe. Why there are reasks if we are not going to live them? Why we are humans if we are not going to be humanitarian?

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Chahrazad Bouragba