seeing the world through these eyes...

In the midst of all the pain, suffering, injustices, inequalities, poverty, greed, and selfishness in the world, there is still a glimpse of hope and of humanity....

...such fragile beauty.

- - -

I have been thinking...about how privileged I am to have been born and raised in Canada. It's easy to think that we're lucky to live in a democratic country that respects human rights. Over breakfast the other day, my friend and I were talking about how we've never had to see a dead body, or run away from dropping bombs, or live in fear for what would happen from one moment to the next. We never had to fight for our rights, or our freedom. We never heard any gun shots, and we've never experienced a natural disaster. I guess you can say that comparatively, we're one of the few people in the world who have grown up and lived in peace all our lives.

In light of what has happened in Egypt, all the protest and violence that has taken place to fight for democracy, we can consider ourselves lucky. We sit back and watch the news about what's happening - we hear about the violence, the cries for freedom...yet we have never had to go through anything like that. Although many in my Chinese family still remember and mourn the loss of all those soldiers who were killed in Tiannamen, the year I was born, I have never had to experience something like this first-hand. What does it feel like to believe in something so much, that you would fight for it, rally for it, and risk your life for it?

But even though I live in Canada - can I say that I live in complete freedom? My country is consumed in capitalism and commercialism...those who govern the country - though democratic - tip the scale with their decisions on social, economic, and political issues. We have prescribed societal norms and roles to fill - and we are expected to fit into these molds.

We are expected to grow up in functional families, attend school, graduate from university (maybe earn a post-grad degree), find a job, get married, raise a family..... in any world where acquiring the basic necessities are an everyday struggle - this prescribed role, this society, this country - seems more than ideal.

...But what if I don't want to fit into this mold?...


We're in the 21st century now...we can fly to space, we can connect with people halfway across the world in an instant, we can buy all the food we ever need in a store down the road, we can fly anywhere in the world within a day. We pretty much live like the Jetson's Family...we have clothes, food, a home, toiletries, electronics - all the basic necessities, conveniences, and luxuries we could ever dream of....Yet there are people in the world TODAY being discriminated for their race, religion, and sex. Millions of people still live without proper flushing toilets in their homes. Many countries are still fighting for freedom of expression, fighting for their rights....How did this disparity come to be?

We have come so far and have used our intellectual abilities and resources like never before. But how can we still be lacking in the fundamental principles of humanity? How come we still have to learn how to share? How to be loving? Kind? Generous? Compassionate? and Self-less?

...

xx
SC.