Type
Topic
Country
You have a voice, use it for good
I believe living in the United States is the greatest privilege. I have been so blessed to be able to claim the many constitutional rights of an American. I honestly believe that the first amendment is the most significant right given to Americans. Having the right to express myself makes me excited. The fact that I can speak my mind on any topic is also frightening. I need to be careful that I do not speak before thinking. ‘With great power comes great responsibilities’. Solely because I am able to say anything does not mean that I should. There are things I think that should not be said. As...
Every day is a chance… to be selfish
Being selfish to make a change. I have lately worked at a summer leadership academy for international students aged 11 to 16. On the last day we wanted the students to write a “letter to self” as part of their reflections. Joining in on the activity and rereading the letter before slipping it into the envelope, I suddenly had a terrible awakening: I am living a very unhealthy lifestyle – and I would argue that many other young active people are doing just the same. My days are tightly packed: university, night shifts in the hospital, tutoring, teaching at the institute for anatomy, sports, my...
Call for peace and love
Youth of all nations, fuel of revolution and power of countries. Put peace in your souls and share it among people. Make life a better place for the weak and poor. Make our today a song for tomorrow's youth to sing. Never give up to the voice of the devil and light the fire in your homes. Remembering the youth who died in wars, is not a reason to fill your soul with violence, but to try to spread the peace. Don't listen to the call of devils who persuade you by violence and wars under words of religion or building new better countries. Don't be a word or letter in someone's agenda. Don't waste...
The individuality epidemic
At the beginning of 2019, I fell in love with myself. To who do I give the credit? Social media (and myself, of course). Social media has been viewed by many as a double-edged sword, the source of downfalls and plenty of problems, and while it is, if used correctly, it doesn’t have to be. This is my story of how I found light in the darkness. I like to call it “the individuality epidemic” or the 9 millionth social revolution and it is one that holds the story of a 17-year-old from South Africa. Hi, I am the 17-year-old from South Africa. I have been blessed enough to be part of a group of...
Preoccupied
Preoccupied with our futures Preoccupied with the idea of doing “something” Preoccupied with the fear of doing nothing Preoccupied with absolutely nothing but thoughts. Thoughts that have proven to be quite deceitful. Thoughts that have made life seem so busy in the midst of virtually nothing. Stressing over the future, in a world where there is consequently no present. No time to live, to do as we please, not solely because we have work to do, but rather because of the stress children are under. Stress from the hope of doing something, being someone. Stress that is diminishing one’s ability...
Somewhere over the rainbow
Do you know the song Somewhere over the Rainbow? I think it’s one of the most hopeful songs that is ever sung in this world. This song came back to me when I met the people of the Rainbow Tree Foundation. The Rainbow Tree Foundation, a Foundation in the Netherlands, was created more than 25 years ago, based on a story told by a little girl of five years old. Her name was Holly. The Rainbow Tree Foundation One night she fell asleep and she dreamt about a forest full of rainbows. There were elfs, leprechauns and many animals. She was dancing there in her red shoes. At the same moment the nurse...
My body- No mould for plastic
Black is the color painted on my skin I can't starve anymore to look thin Efforts by Fair & Lovely are all in vain My self esteem continues to wane Photoshop too refuses to embrace me Disgusted me, wants to flee Pimples being the cherry on my cake Plastic surgeries make me look so fake Haunting me are the colossal numbers on my weighing scale Shouting out aloud narrating my ugly tale Stretch marks adorn my body Being obese is the only notion I embody Then came my Prince Charming To lead me to the path of right Keeping my flaws out of sight Thereafter, reflections cast by my mirror seemed...
Cast your FEARS away
Often times we see ourselves under our blankets, afraid and terrified of doing some other things aside from the things we used to do. We let our fears manipulate our deepest desires and entreaties, in this sense, we let it drive us. There are a lot of explanations about fear; some people would say it is an innate behavior which occurs usually when we don’t want to do something. Others would say it is our reflex action when we encounter something we do not expect to. But whatever explanation they will employ, for me, it doesn’t matter. We are made exceptionally with wits, cleverness and even...
Do we need nuclear weapons?
As the world comes together to tackle global challenges such as climate change, food security and civil and interstate wars it is sad when some countries are left behind. Acquisition of nuclear weapon technology has left some countries isolated. The world leaders are fearing that nuclear weapons may enter the hands of terrorists and separatists if these countries happen to possess them. In fact, these countries cannot out rule that possibility if at the time being, they are involved in supporting different armed groups waging wars in different countries. Sadly, enough in their efforts to...
Love yourself anyways.
When the sky is all gray And you can't find joy out of your favourite sundae When the heaviness of the winds leave you pale And you can't mold ease out of clay Just remember to close your eyes and exhale everything away And find gratitude in how you've handled it all day And even if you can't Just love yourself anyways.
Well it should be a yes, right?
What if your mother tried very hard to stick to a very packed schedule, yet couldn't do so? Now she's tired like never before. She thinks she's a failure. What would you tell her? You'd hug her, tell her that you love her and that it's okay. Right? What if your father couldn't buy you your favourite toy when you were younger. Now, he can't buy you your favourite car? He thinks he's a failure. What would you tell him? You'd hug him, tell him that you love him and that it's okay. Right? What if your sibling messed up a really important performance because of their stage fright. They think they...
Developing a kinder society to make the world better
When I see news about terrorism, I feel sad. Why do people blame each other's religion? When I see so much racism around, I feel confused. Why should people be selective of other people, if we are same? Sometimes, I think...is it too hard to be respectful, tolerant and good? When terrorism is everywhere and it stands in the name of Islam, it's pretty scary. People start to judge Muslim's and say that we are terrorists. I'm Muslim and it hurts to know that your religion is being mistreated like that, almost everywhere. One day, my friend had to move abroad due to her parents' work. She told me...
Scream
So often, I dream of climbing the highest of mountains, where I can feel the sky’s soft skin with the very tip of my fingers. I can just picture it: standing on that mountaintop, the world so small underneath, the loud grasping wind awakening my soul as it blows violently against my face. I can just imagine the air cutting through my lungs and tearing them open, the taste of salty blood caressing my throat. Oh but mostly, I can hear myself. I can hear myself scream. I would scream as loud as my lungs can possibly bare, right until my voice turns into just a whisper. I would scream to fill the...
The smiling me
Smile and the world smiles with you Isn't that what they all say? But why then, do we live in doom and gloom, Night and day, Where does the reason lay? Smile and the world smiles with you Unwavering, I stand by this But when I worry, When I fret, My oath, into oblivion, fades. Smile and the world smiles with you So why don't we do it all day? Stress and strain Can be kept at bay, It's just a smile away! The smiling me.
From scratch
This is my first and my last blog post on the new VOY website. Why? Because I’ve changed. A lot of things happened in my life this year, good and bad. Countless disappointments. Successes and failures. Loneliness. Loss of the most beloved person... And in between all of these, I forced myself to be happy and to be honest, I felt guilty sometimes for actually being able to feel such a way. So, yes, I suppose I've changed. Change is good, change is crucial. That’s why I feel as if I need to take a little bit of time to process what I had discovered. And I had discovered something most wonderful...
Ways to finish
After weeks of self-absorption I was able to understand the value of finishing something like a project, a job, a love relationship, a friendship. With time, we went through a series of vicissitudes in life, between blows to the heart and blows of joy that define our well-being. For the same reason, we can be at the top or bottom of our emotional state, the difference is at what time and in what way the end of that something arrives. When we are to whom others say « goodbye », « this is over », « see you never » and other more shocking and unexpected things. That's when the moment of our mood...
World War Vs World Love
I would like to ask 5 questions from you. Let's answer these questions from the bottom of your heart. In the meantime, I will answer them. 1) We all will die one day from natural reasons. Do you want to die from wars, terrorism or violence? No, I don't 2) Many countries(including my motherland) have their own military. So, what is the main purpose of each countries' military system? To protect their motherland from violence, terrorism, and wars. 3) What's the reason for violence, terrorism, and wars? The lack of loving yourself and to the world. 4) We can have different religious beliefs, skin...
For every female hero, a loving and courageous father
First Day of School Jitters? Let's Unite to #ENDViolence
Summer is almost over, teachers are preparing lesson plans, and classrooms are being tidied up. For millions of lucky schoolchildren around the world, this means one thing: it's time to go back to school! Yet for many these returning schoolchildren, the school environment is not a safe space to study and grow. Some children are naturally shy, others are bullied, and some are even threatened by the potential of a violent attack. #ENDViolence is UNICEF's campaign to address school safety, bullying, and inclusion. The campaign began when UNICEF asked young people around the world with their...