Are We Healing Or Hurting?
By Muse Daniel
This essay was a Runner Up in the Global Changemakers Essay Competition 2020
2 pm in the afternoon. We walked downtown, pushing our way through the ever-busy streets. For thirty minutes now, we had been enjoying our exploration of the city panoramas. Suddenly, the scenes started changing and we found ourselves in a completely new environment.
50 meters from where we stood, there was a group of about thirty people who appeared to have taken the entire highway into a siege. This highway seemed to be clear, except for a few individuals like us, who were now observing from some distance. As I continued examining our new scene, different images kept peeping into my sight.
In the middle of the highway, there was an enormous fire that was now consuming a heap of tires, thus sending a cloud of grayish smoke into the atmosphere. From this crowd, I could also see various banners flying into the air with different inscriptions. Some of them read: CHANGE NOW!”, “YOUTHS FOR CHANGE!”, “WE STAND FOR JUSTICE!”, “END CORRUPTION NOW!”, “STOP SEXUAL HARASSMENT TO OUR MOTHERS AND SISTERS!”, and “THE GOVERNMENT MUST STOP EATING ITS OWN PEOPLE!”
As I stared at them, trying to extract the exact words from their chants, I felt a touch on my shoulder. I turned quickly and looked confusedly at my friend who appeared to have been calling me for some moments now. At that point, he moved closer as if he wanted to hug me then whispered a question into my right ear: “Do you think they’re healing or hurting?”
To me, this question just summarized all the activities I had noted from this experience. The first question that would come to my psyche in an attempt to solve the bigger concern would be, were they healing? Of course, they were. But then, another question would be, how were they healing?
In what appeared to be a demonstration, there were about 30 youths who were tired of the rampant socio-political injustices and had chosen to speak their minds. Based on the inscriptions depicted by the banners, these youths had noted a very unique character from their own government. The government, in this case, was “eating its own people!” As the change-makers, the youths had felt their obligation to say “NO!” to a poor system of governance. Of course, this was an indication of a sober-minded group of the youthful generation. Their step to call for change in such a political setting proved their awareness of leadership as a major pillar that holds the wellbeing of any community.
They had also realized the social injustices that appeared to have established deep roots in their ailing society. In what could be termed as a fight against unjust practices, the youths were now at the forefront in calling for change. In particular, they needed a society free from corruption and human rights violations. From this angle of thought, it was very clear that these youths had made the right choice of failing to tolerate an impoverished society.
On the contrary, the youths, in this case, were hurting! They were hurting their own planet by scorching tires that produced carbon monoxide hence polluting their own world. In doing this, they would expose their ‘home' to global warming which would further result in climate change. What if during such activities, there had been some damages to properties? What if lives had been lost? Wouldn’t they have hurt the very world they now sought to heal?
The question of whether we are healing or hurting remains a critical concern to everyone in the 21st Century. This is because all the activities we engage in broadly belong to one of the two categories. Some are healing the world while others are hurting. By healing, it means that mankind’s actions contribute to making this world a better place. On the contrary, those that hurt contribute to making life in this world even more unbearable.
It’s true that the youths of this universe are the most significant category of people in changing the world. However, some of the activities they engage in may ultimately contribute to unwanted results either to themselves or the entire society. Some activities may hurt the environment, others may cause direct havoc to human life while others often contribute to avoidable tragedies.
In light of this, can we have a mind-set correction among the youths? Can we have a new generation of youths with the ability to consciously evaluate all their actions? Of course, I strongly believe that would be the greatest step towards change. Before doing anything, let us pause and ask ourselves the bigger question, “Are we healing or hurting?”
Global Changemakers has an unshakeable mission of supporting youth to create positive change in their communities. A global pioneer in supporting youth-led development, they have trained youth from over 180 countries and provided grants to over 360 youth-led projects, which have had a combined impact on over 6,2 million people. www.global-changemakers.net
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article belong to the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or Global Changemakers.
