Let´s take time to reflect...

    

    Days ago I watched in the news that one of the last Nobel prizewinner for Peace was an Indian man. I felt ignorant for not knowing about him then I searched for him and felt glad for him and this prize as recognition for his great social work. This man is an electronic engineer called Kaidash Satyarthi who at the age of 26 decided to dedicate his life to help the millions of children in India who are forced into slavery by powerful and corrupt business. It was then that he started mounting raids on factories where children and often entire families were held captive as bonded workers. After successfully freeing and rehabilitating thousands of children, he went on to build up a global movement against child labor. Today Kailash heads up the Global March Against Child Labor. (Meet the New Heroes, 2005). The truth is that this activist has done an admiring and marvelous job and he did not give up in spite of the attacks he suffered.

    Not until I became acquainted with his campaign  could I find out about figures and facts I ignored. For example, that according to the 2001 census, there are 12.6 million child workers in India and many of them work in hazardous industries like mining or manufacturing fireworks. Others sew garments and sportswear, often to overseas or working in kitchens and tearooms. (El Nobel de la Paz indio donará el dinero a los niños, 2014). So today thousands of Indian children wake up, put on their clothes and their boots, and climb down a ladder into a deep, dark pit and begin their day digging coal. Many of these children go underground, but never return due to the unsafe and hazardous conditions of these mines. It is so sad and many of us think that it is almost impossible to happen nowadays but it does.

    My point sharing with you this information is to reflect about important matters. First of all, I would like you to follow this man as an example. He has been a brave man who has fought for what he believed and has contributed to make of this world a fairer place. Let´s follow his example. Look around you and help those in need. You can make the difference.

Secondly, after reading about this campaign I realized that usually, throughout our lives we take some things for granted. For example, in my case, when I was a child I believed many other kids went to school, they spent their days playing or chose what toy they wanted for their next birthday. So things like education, the right to play when you are a kid among others were taken for granted to me but I never thought about how lucky I was to be educated, to spend my childhood playing, as it has to be, instead of working or thinking what  I am going to do to get my bread today.

    

    I think we should begin to appreciate things around us more. As I see more and more the world out there, I realize all the things I´d been given are not rights but privileges. I realized there is a lot of war, violence and injustice in the world. I am lucky to have had a nice childhood, a family, a good health. Sometimes it’s easy to feel bad because you’re going through a tough time in life. However, remember that no matter how bad your situation may seem, there are tens of thousands of things to be grateful for in life.

In the world today, we encounter a lot of negativity, pain, stress and wake up with far too much to do, far too much to think about, far too many concerns, and far too many problems.

So I propose you something, take a moment to reflect on all the things in your life to be grateful for.  Instead of complaining, I suggest getting in the habit of giving gratitude on a daily basis and appreciating your loved ones and the simple things of life.

       No matter our struggles, there is always someone out there in the world who is struggling harder. Sometimes we should simply be thankful for the everyday things that we may take for granted.

      Finally I ask you, have you already paused to appreciate what you have in life?

Reference list:

Meet the New Heroes (2005).The new heroes. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/satyarthi.html

El Nobel de la Paz indio donará el dinero a los niños. (2014) Clarin. Retrieved from: http://www.clarin.com/mundo/prmio-Nobel-paz-indio-Kailash-Satyarthi-dona-dinero-chicos_0_1227477628.html