VOF Week 4: (My Vision is a Global Revolution)

I think my personality can be summed up in two sentences by the ever-eloquent E.B. White: \"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.\" I spend most of my existence migrating between these two extremes, fretting over the actions of humanity and awestruck by all the beauty that the world has to offer. My view of the world is guided by this tenuous equilibrium; chaos is an absolute.

At heart, I am an optimist. I’ve been accused of hopeless idealism more times than I could possibly count. But I am also a problem-solver. I look at the world’s tragedies and not only see hope, but also opportunity. A chance for people to right the wrongs of the past, to realize that acting in the interest of others is in our collective interest, to make meaning in every moment. And though this optimism occasionally lends itself to madness, I believe Robert F. Kennedy was right: optimism is the only way to live.

In my darkest moments I am shaken by the indifference of others. How can people stand idly by while the world collapses around them? Where is the sense of responsibility? Where is the action? I would willingly sign a petition to make apathy a war crime. But in these moments, I return to the deep-rooted belief that it only takes one person to change the world. I focus on my role in this chaotic scheme, put ideas into action, and hope that the butterfly effect takes flight.

My vision for the world is change. We are in desperate need of a global revolution—a revolution of the heart, spirit, and soul—to change the course of humanity. It is no longer acceptable for over 983 million people in the world to go hungry, not because of lack of food, but because of lack of access to food; it is no longer acceptable for half the world’s population to live on less than $2.50 a day; it is no longer acceptable for gender inequality to plague every woman in every country in the world; it is no longer acceptable that millions of people die annually from preventable diseases; and it is no longer acceptable for the citizens of the world to stand by while genocide and ethnic cleansing continue to smolder.

I want to be a Global Correspondent because I have a stake in this global revolution. I am a woman who has dedicated my life to this fight, a woman who wakes up in the middle of the night worried about the state of the world. As an individual with the means necessary to speak out, I feel a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to be a voice. To convey the sense of urgency that will inspire others to act. Being a Global Correspondent would be just part of the journey for me; a piece of the puzzle; an opportunity to reach out to other individuals so that this movement gains momentum. There is power in numbers, after all, and what better way to start a revolution than by reaching out to a community of women interested in equality and social justice? The possibilities are endless. Perhaps these same women will become the next leaders of the 21st century.

Oh what a century that would be…