By Raul Kolk
This article first appeared in the December 2015 edition of the IHEYO Youth Speak newsletter.
Do you ever think about how diverse the world still is? After all these wonderful technological advances, pushes for greater morality, ethics, major globalization, we still have no lack of madness and chaos. As if no matter how much work we put into it, the world would never find perfect tranquility.
It has been three sad weeks now since the attack in Paris, Baghdad, and Beirut. People around the world have showed astounding support for all the victims of the attack with heartfelt letters, songs and events. The entire world is mourning the deaths of the innocent people.
Coping with death can be a difficult experience. On a personal level it’s such an inexplicably huge loss, it’s difficult to zoom-out, and wrap your brain around it. Often thinking of dying makes people shiver and fill their minds with endless philosophical conundrums to which follows a sudden realization: we’re human. As if life itself just stops for a second only to allow us to see our own mortality.
While it’s impossible to judge the value of a life, it is easy to judge the cost of a death. With each death the world loses invaluable talent, love and knowledge. The spectacular work and love teachers and parents have put into their child so that they could have a better life than they ever did, is all destroyed in an instant.
It’s rather easy to look at future generations to hope and dream for better results, but I beg you: stop violence. No matter if the violence means gunning down youngsters at a concert, speeding on a tight road or yelling at a student. Take a moment to see how amazing and precious life is. Just for once believe that even the smallest of good deeds can change life itself for the better and give you peace.
Raul Kolk is a Humanist from Estonia, and currently works as a software developer.