Written by L.S.Samyuktha, III B.A. English
Photograph by Krishna J Nair, III B.A. English
Rose James, B.Sc.Psychology, 3rd year
"What if you had the power to do absolutely anything, what would you do? How would you use that power?"
There's so much that I would want to do. I would want to tackle poverty, degradation of the environment, LGBTQ+ issues; the list is endless. These are all things I truly worry about, and if I had the power to bring about a bigger change than I can right now, I would definitely choose that.
I'm the type of person who likes to cling on to hope. I believe in humanity. Although things seem bleak right now, I do believe that if we were all more active and aware, things could turn around for the better. It won't happen if we just hope and pray, it'll happen only when we 'do'.
When I have more time and resources to do something more, I definitely see myself working for the LGBTQ+ community - be it joining an NGO, or fighting for their rights, I'm ready to give it my all as it's something I'm very passionate about. I'm studying psychology right now, so I also hope to use my profession to help tackle the problems the community faces on a daily basis.
I truly think that as a community we need to understand that change begins at home. We need to understand how each one of us cause a great impact. We tend to forget that our own behaviour affects others. We're always going on about changing the society or the world at large, but in the process we turn a blind eye to our own shortcomings. Maybe it's just how we work as a community, but I often find that we care a lot more about others and what they're up to instead of holding ourselves responsible. But how can we impact others or bring about a change if we can't deal with our own selves?
The concept of how each person can make a difference is something I learnt from my mother.
While growing up I've always seen my mom doing everything in her ability for anyone she meets. Even if she doesn't have the resources, she makes sure to go above and beyond to collect said resources in order to help. She just never stops trying.
There have been multiple times where she hasn't been respected for what she does, or hasn’t been given her due. She does so much but she doesn't always get fair treatment in return. Be it work life or personal life, she has faced a lot, and yes, it does get to her now and then - but not once have I seen something stopping my mother. So the fact that one must help another - no matter what - is something that my mother had instilled in me as a child. You don't wait to get something in return; you just do your part and keep helping. It's easy to get bogged down, with so many people rooting for you to fail, but my mother powered through. She strived hard her whole life, and never hesitated to voice out the truth. She had the courage to even stand up to higher authorities; people who could cost her her career. In spite of constantly being shut out by a sexist, judgmental society that doesn't give women their due, she persevered and broke the glass ceiling. She fought for and earned what she deserved. In the process, she taught me that it's okay to be afraid, but it's also important to fight for what you want and stand up for yourself. Watching her made me feel so powerful, because I knew, if my mom could do it, so could I. So growing up I always knew I had it in me to do good and bring about a change if I tried hard enough.
The problem with our society is that people are so quick to judge. They view the world in terms of what they perceive 'right' and 'wrong' is, almost forgetting that there could be an in-between or a different perspective. They don't allow the existence of any space for new or different opinions and outlooks. They don't stop and question, or just take a minute to ask themselves why something else can't be "right", or why a different opinion can't exist. They simply don't see the other side, or maybe their conditioned minds just don't want to.
These are all things that I wish I had the power to change.
But when things don't go right; I always stop and think, yeah, this may not go my way, but that doesn't mean I stop trying. Because that's what I saw my mom do. The love and kindness she had is what gave her the power to see things through and not give up.
Today, I truly understand how much the environment, in terms of the place you live in and the people you surround yourself with, affects the way you think and act. So many people are taught and conditioned to think that anything that strays from the norm is absolutely wrong. This is why we need to understand how essential starting a dialogue is. The last three years in college especially have taught me that the power of dialogue and simply listening to multiple narratives is huge when it comes to changing perspectives and making people more open-minded and accepting.
Thankfully, right now, with initiatives like the pride march or the climate strike, the dialogue has begun. People are forced to listen, voice out their opinions, and maybe even be open to change.
In fact, even some of the movies that have been made lately help to a great extent because they result in families and friends having conversations about things that they otherwise may have never brought up. This gives me hope. Maybe we do stand a chance.
What if the world's future needn't seem so bleak anymore? What if we could actually do something about it? Well, we can. And we must.