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12 Things to Consider in Your 20s
Part 3: Thinking of peace and cruelty
(This is a continuation of the Mennonite identity series) I think often about the incredible lives my grandparents had to live. I can see my features in my moms. I have a sense that faith will not leave me, even if I am the only one left. If there's one thing I would share, it's that you can be a mixture of a lot of people. My mom and I certainly are. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a pile of the broken parts, the shards of whole people. But it doesn't mean you left them. Or that they left you. Mixed paint is incredibly beautiful. That's what my mom showed me. Also I would say that Mennonitism...
When life gives you lemons...
“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade, but don’t drink it all by yourself.” How many people like to take a walk on the beach on a hot summer’s day? I am a person that likes to do just this. If at any given moment I am blessed with an instant of free time, I like to accompany my family to walk along the shore and dip our toes in the Pacific to cool off. Undoubtedly, we are not the only people that like to do this when the weather gets a bit warmer than what is comfortable; even at our nearest beach to home there are hundreds of others doing the exact same thing. My entire life I have been a...
Take action! Do it now!
You have to decide it now. After 10 years from now what do you want tell yourself? Either you dream it, work for it, do it or it is just a fairy tale! If you do it, you will be proud in the crowd! Yes you will be. You will have the courage to stand against all those naysayers, all those negative preachers and the people who didn’t want you to do something big in your life. You will be bold, bold enough to shout loudly in a crowd "I did it!" It was your dream and you worked for it and you did it. On the other side, alas! If you won’t do it... If you won’t do the work now you will fail tomorrow...
Voice of the Voiceless
It is not about being louder, it is about being bolder. We all wished to change the world when we were younger. We screamed it loud in our heads. We wanted to change poverty, we wanted to change violence and inequalities. However, very few committed to the voice inside their heads and pledged a change boldly. “When I was 6 years old, everybody wanted to treat me like a little princess, showering me with love and tenderness. Meanwhile, my brother was being prepared to be tough, to handle life and to lead,” sounds like every girl’s words. I hear this all the day, all the times. My life was a...
The thing about yourself
Have you ever read “The Thing about Jellyfish” by Ali Benjamin? If not let me enlighten you. It is about a young girl, Suzy, proving that a jellyfish is the reason why her best friend passed on. But, in reality it is about grief, guilt and moving on. I truly recommend this book because of its message and themes that, I believe everyone is experiencing or will experience in their lives. It takes one moment to change or break us. One moment everything we had may disappear right before our eyes. It’s hard to take everything on by yourself. But the thing is you’re not by yourself. Always remember...
"He for She" from Syria
“I have a younger sister. It would be ridiculous if I don’t support her and other women to reach their full potentials” Eyad Al-Khayat a Syrian “He for She” example and a young - 22-year-old - entrepreneur aspiring to make a notable impact in his community. For Eyad, like many other guys in Syria, his options were limited as the Syrian crisis emerged in 2011. He finished his high school and aspired a bright future. Things didn’t go as perfectly as he imagined them to go. Eyad said that his childhood was not different from the childhood of other kids. However, he had to determine his future...
Strive to unite all nations!
Globalization makes it easier to travel and live in different places around the world. People with differing traditions and customs living with each other may raise some issues. However, here is where I believe the government should take action in ensuring peace and the common good. This starts with the government implementing rules to maintain equal benefits of its citizens. If people in a particular place feel belongingness and equality, people will be happier, satisfied and will live harmoniously with others. We have heard about many life stories of discrimination and racial distinctions...
Religion, women and gender-based violence in Nigeria
I attended a women's summit recently and the topic of gender-based violence was being discussed by a panel. A panelist was asked “What will you do if a case was reported to you?” She started by saying “Uhm! I’m not ready, so bear with me but first, we’ll pray about it and find a peaceful way to resolve it.” Before I move on with this blog post let me add that she was a representative of a religious organization and it was amazing to watch some people in the audience nod in agreement to her response. I just think this shows the mentality of most women and young girls in Nigeria. I believe...
5 Lessons I Learned in My First Entrepreneurial Year
Entrepreneur - I remember the first time I heard this word I hoped that being one is not as hard as pronouncing it. When we are little angels (kids), all we dream of is growing up to be distinguished doctors, creative engineers, innovative teachers or even inspiring artists. But how many of us ever aspired to be an entrepreneur? My guess is, not many. Perhaps the reason is that we, as Arabs and especially Syrians who are residing in the Arab shell, still lack role models of successful Syrian entrepreneurs. A lack of mentors and hardship in accessing information are other reasons to build a...
So much more than this
Everyday many girls and women struggle with the thought of not being good enough. The standards that society holds up for us are so unrealistic and extremely damaging. The battle of body image starts very early on and it seems to be never ending. We need to change this. For our own sanity. For the generations to come. We need to learn to be more accepting of ourselves and more aware of what is beyond the skin.
A Week In Busan
Sunday, 10th of July, 2016 a new shift in my life has started; A journey where I was heading to reunite with a family that I have never met yet. They are my global citizenship family members from all over the world. I arrived in Busan, Korea after almost 36 hours. It was a very sunny and dry hot day when I left my country, Syria, heading to the other side of the world. The journey kicked off non-traditionally at Busan University of Foreign Studies. At such conferences, what you expect to see is an old man, white hair and a suit. Our conference in Busan for young people opened with an exciting...
Lets use social media responsibly for self-development
I am a part of the 'iGeneration' and one of the few that have grown up in a technology-centered world - we are commonly known as the digital natives. Internet games dominated when I was 5 years old, Facebook was created when I was 3 years old, and smart phones replaced flip phones when I was just 11 years old. Being a millennial is not easy as some might think, the pressure that comes with living in the fast-changing world where you must catch up with everything is too much a task to constantly battle with daily. Growing up in this world where technology has always been readily available has...
A pink and blue world of boys and girls
TEDxYouth In Syria
Syria is home to over 4 million young people who don’t just represent its present but also act as dynamic agents for the future. Those young Syrians when asked about their passion, many challenges showed on the horizon. In a survey - conducted by TEDxYouth@Jahez organizers - which 90 young people filled in, 74 persons of which 65.9% were between the ages of 16 and 22 answered that they think they have ideas worth spreading. Obstacles faced by youth were divers, including lack of tools and knowledge, lack of mentorship, hardships of reaching out to target groups, financial barriers and many...
Learning To Love My Own Skin
I was born in India, but I was raised in a relatively large county in the South of England. Not quite the hustle and bustle of London, but also not comparable to the quiet of endless country fields. The town itself was a beautiful blend of peace, and excitement, and without a doubt the only place I would ever want to grow up. From cobbled highstreets, friendly locals, and beautiful English greenery, I have to admit my upbringing was gentle and reserved. So, when I began to feel lost, I didn’t understand why. Yet as I grew into my formative teenage years, I couldn’t shake the feeling that...
18 Lessons I've Learned in 18 Years
1. Patience is key. 2. There is so much value in individuality. 3. Everything will be ok. 4. Forgiveness is not easy, but it is important. 5. Be kind to everyone. 6. Everyone is beautiful in their own unique way. 7. There is a reason for everything. 8. It's okay to be alone. 9. All emotions are valid -- the good and the bad. 10. Only do things that make you happy. 11. Do not feed into negativity. 12. Protect your mental well-being. 13. Spend more time with family and friends. 14. Find value in the smallest aspects of life. 15. Set time aside for you passions. 16. Don't be afraid to embrace who...
How I stopped being ashamed
I guess I should apologize first: Using the past tense in the title could be considered a lie. Obviously, one can’t stop the shame entirely since that’s a natural urge. To tell the truth, I’m not the kind of person who gets ashamed easily. But there are a few things I felt uncomfortable with, even though I should be proud about them. That was a problem I struggled with for quite long time, so I’d like to tell you how I overcame it. To give a few examples: I felt insecure about being a feminist, and I felt insecure about being a LGTBQ-Supporter, even though I knew that both things were right...
Why are the teenagers so angry?
Gen Z, our generation, is said to be one changing the world. And we are: Fridays For Future, Black Lives Matter – we care more about the world than any other generation before us. But we also are pressured. The world expects us to save it, society tells us to stand in a row. We are growing up on a dying planet. We are constantly losing hope. We are worried about our future. This generation is open-minded and has the desire to learn. We protect differences and celebrate self-love, we fight against social issues like homophobia, we are marching to save the planet. And yet, the other generations...