I Have A Dream
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Modern civilization has become so complex and the lives of civilized men so interwoven with the lives of other men in other countries as to make it impossible to be in this world and not of it.” The world’s political ambiance has been changing drastically following immense disparities among countries. While some political leaders are calling for walls and borders, many still believe that a globalized community is the way forward. Today, we face immense global challenges. The solution for these challenges lies in collaborative work and compromise on a common ground of interest. Equality, Global citizenship, international and intercultural understanding are crucial when it comes to confronting intricate problems that impede humanity’s growth and progress. These virtues allow responsible individuals around the world to effectively grapple with these issues. The complexity of these global issues calls for collective action. Being committed to intercultural understanding is an opportunity that can avail in contributing to the resolution of conflicts and world issues. Additionally, intercultural understanding means putting aside our differences and celebrating our common humanity.
The values of global awareness, intercultural understanding, equality, compassion, and service propel the realization of the noble pursuit of a peaceful world in which everyone lives in harmony. Furthermore, global citizenship is a force against rising tribalism, nationalism, and populist beliefs. It instills a conviction in togetherness, instead of separation and disconnection, and further helps to bring that awareness of belonging to common humanity. It is an obvious fact that Unity comes from understanding and not merely by agreement, Clearly, global citizenship helps to bring that awareness of belonging to a common humanity, sharing values and responsibilities, developing attitudes of empathy and respect for differences and diversity. Personally I refer to Nationalism as the conscious decision of only putting one’s identified race, socioeconomic class, gender and country above all else. The conscious decision of only putting one’s identified race, socioeconomic class, gender and country above all else, gives room for discrimination, and discrimination provokes hatred. We should all strive to propagate the essentiality of intercultural understanding, which could help greatly in achieving a society free from Nationalism- as H.G Wells once said “Our true nationality is mankind.”
My strong belief and commitment to a sustainable peaceable future stem from the personal experiences of a gruesome rebel civil-war in my country of birth Sierra Leone. I have seen and experienced first-hand the consequences of hatred among human beings. I have witnessed innocent lives be killed and be destroyed; lives filled with potential, gifts and talents that could have made a long lasting impact on earth and consequently make the world a better place, eradicated. The decade-long civil war that utterly devastated my lovely country Sierra Leone and my family, has brought about a life-changing moment in my life which has greatly influenced the person I am today. Experiences from the civil war in my country forced me to learn at an early age that beauty can come to exist and vanish in the mere blink of an eye, what I held most dearly crumbled under the civil war, changing my perception of my country from admiration to disbelief.
Paulo Freire once said, “Education is an act of Love.” Gaining a scholarship to United World Colleges (UWC) Maastricht, a place filled with young bright adults from over 110 nationalities, has been a great blessing in my life. My UWC experience has been shaped by transformational stories, insightful discussions, shared frustrations, and the desire to do something positive. The relentless optimism shown by students in the face of point-blank reality is awe-inspiring. The UWC community gave me the golden opportunity to meet people of over 110 nationalities, an experience that is overwhelming but priceless. During my time at UWC Maastricht, I met diverse people from different countries. With distinct and unique personalities, these experiences bring to realization the idealism of unity among people despite the differences. As once said by Maya Angelou ‘‘In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.’’ During my time in UWC, I learned a valuable lesson that though there are differences among us as human beings, astonishingly we have more similarities than differences. Such similarities emphasize the point that though we might have differences, in the end, our true nationality is humanity.
Personally, I refer to love as the most important value an individual can possess. I strongly believe that love is the answer to humanity's problems. Such a strong belief in love, unity, and a peaceful future makes me DREAM of a world where all of humanity, over seven billion of us all, will unite with the strongest cord of love. Imagine what we can achieve. We can make the world a better place; we can save the whole human race.
Nelson McEwen
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