I seldom write about current affairs, not because I'm not interested in them, but because I don't feel much about it. But since I started staying in France, and having friends from Argentina, Russia, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico... I have since taken a deep interest in foreign and current affairs. Especially when I came across the fresh publications of International New York Times at IFP School every morning.
Nowadays, whenever I read in the newspapers, I actually read it with more feelings and I am easily affected by it too. When I hear how the drop in rubble has caused millions of Russians to convert their cash into assets, it leads me to think about my Russian friends who are desperate to leave their homes momentarily. When I read about the war in Iraq, I think about my Iraqi colleague who was forced to leave his home country about the war. When I read about the drop in oil prices, I think of all my course-mates who are fresh graduates and urgently seeking for jobs.
I am becoming more humanized these days, filled with much more empathy and emotions compared to before. I didn't realize this until I heard and read about the murder or asassination of Charlie Hebdo and his cartoonist colleagues. As I read and found out the reason that they were shot because of what they drew, I cried. I didn't just shed a few tears, but I cried heaps! Like the day I mourned my departure from Paris! I
I cried because I thought with the death of Charlie and his friends, liberty might have been taken away along with them to their death beds too! Frankly, I have never truly understood the definition and the true meaning of freedom and liberty until I came to France. What would happen if even France - the country with one of the largest rooms for liberty, starts to tighten its bands of freedom?
I soon found out that I had no reason to cry, Soon after the manslaughter, many people stood out to defend Charlie in his death. Writing is not a crime. Neither is drawing. Since when did words became more powerful than the physical sword itself? Indeed, more often than not, the former breathes life into us, while the other steals it away from us forcefully. In fact, a number of publications re-published the cartoons that he drew as a form of retaliation, to unite together and stand against those who would attempt to attack every fiber of freedom that France stood for.
In France, the struggle to protect and maintain the people's freedom and liberty is a highly valued responsibility. This is understandable, as many were sacrificed during the French Revolution to attain the status and symbol France stands for today: Liberty, Brotherhood and Equality. While we cannot say that these values are absolute, but they stand on a relatively higher ground than most countries put together.
I was relieved that the French took a strong stand against that.
What does it mean to be free? Does the fact that you're able to roam around wherever you please means you're free? Does the fact that you can do whatever you want within certain boundaries means you're free? Sometimes, it's not.
It's what you're not told that will keep you confined, either in your thoughts, your mind, your values and your philosophy. Truly, truly, "The truth will set you free"!
So, seek out all you want and seek something that your heart desires desperately. Don't let ignorance bind your mind. Don't let naivety tie your hands from the back. Don't restrict your own capabilities just because you've been trained to. You can stop this vicious cycle.
Nothing handicaps a generation more than the chains of the mind.
Open your minds today and unleash your potential!
