Where Am I Going: Struggling with the State of the World

Today, I'm going to talk about things that are a little bit different from my usual posts. I feel like it's important that I get this out of my system and that I hear about your opinions. To put you in context here are a few things you should know. A few months ago, I stopped reading the news. I felt as if it was too pessimistic and wasn't showing enough of the good things happening in the world, and that was bringing me down. I know it's important to be informed about the state of the world, so I did keep a basic knowledge about what was happening, but I never looked into the different events that were happening. Since the summer arrived, I started looking at the news again thinking I'd been strong enough to face the facts, but the truth is, I don't think I am.

I'm a feminist and that's what's been keeping me in contact with worldly happenings in the last few months. There hasn't been one day where I didn't think about the inequality of the sexes. Everyday, I've been reading articles about losses and gains for women's rights all over the world. It can be very sad and frustrating to deal with all the injustice that's being done towards women. Luckily, there's also good news. And that's what's been my drive every single day of my life. Now that I started reading the news concerning all the other types of injustices around the world, I'm having a hard time following that small percentage of good things that are happening.

To start off, let's start with the fact that it seems like lately the US is telling people that it's OK to kill random teenagers, but it's not OK for a woman to have an abortion. It's doesn't make sense. First, a man kills a 17 year old and manages to leave the courtroom "not guilty". Then, there's the fact that the Texas governor tried passing an anti-abortion bill. Yes, Wendy Davis had a successful filibuster and I look up to her, but I find it outrages that she had to do one in the first place. I don't even understand the point of taking away the rights for abortion. All of this lacks humanity. I know people are reacting to these events and are fighting to have justice and equality. But why do we have to fight in the first place? It is beyond me, why there are people that don't have a sense of justice. I can't believe that we regressed to a state where racism and misogyny are as present in our world as a century ago.

Then, farther to the East, an 'Iranian swimmer's time goes unrecorded' after her bathing suit is considered to revealing. She was wearing a full body suit. How is that too revealing? It seems to me that the authoritarian men of our world are suffering of an extreme inferiority complex. I could continue on and on about these kinds of stuff, but it would drive me nuts.

On the bright side though, Malala Yousafzai gave her first speech about the right for education for children at the UN. She is truly amazing. She made me feel like there's hope in the world, but I still struggle to accept the fact that there is so much suffering in this world. Malala is a hero, a peace maker. She was strong enough to dissipate the anger she could of had for the Taliban who shot her. That is genuinely amazing. I admire her strength and determination. She will change the world. Actually, she's already doing it.

In her speech, Yousafzai says that she stands before the world in the name of every kid that doesn't have a voice. This is where my next struggle comes in. She managed to find a voice after she almost died. This attack gave her the courage to speak up about what happened. I would also like to speak up and make a change is this world. I would like to live in a world of equality and fight for my rights like Wendy Davis, Simone de Beauvoir, Edith Margaret Garrud and Tavi Gevinson, but I don't know where to start and that makes me feel like terrible. I know I'm a smart girl but this is simply beyond me.

Mississipi Goddam - Nina Simone

(From top to bottom: Egen Schiele painting, Senator Davis collage from Unknow source, Edith Margaret Garrud caricature, Tavi Gevinson, Keaton Henson "Lying To You" music video)