Equality

Equality:

The Ideal that Destroys or Unites

My family has taught me that people are always equal, regardless of who they are. They can be poor, look different, and/or have little to no education, but still they are equal, they are human. Equality: the idea that all are equal, not in appearance but in rights, opportunities, etc. It doesn’t matter what you look like and how you live on the outside, what does matter is who the person is on the inside and thanks to my parents I believe that this is true.

An instance where my parents’ ideals helped me become more accepting of others is when I was in Africa at a small school. I was nervous when I went in. I had never met these people before, what would they think of me, would they believe I was “better” because of where I come from? My thoughts scattered in all directions, and my mind was racing. My family and I were the only white people in the school, but as soon I went into the first building all my nerves settled down, there were smiling faces all around. Our guide looked like he knew everyone there, he would pat the children on the head (which is a custom in Tanzania), and said hi to all the teachers. I realized that there was no point in being nervous, we are all the same, and they were happy and so was I. At that point, not even the lions scared me, for no one could stop the happiness emanating from the rooms. The teacher introduced us and we played Tiny Wings, a mobile app, for the rest of class. I can still remember the looks on their faces when the iPad turned on, and they saw me playing the game. They were infatuated with the fact that a sheet of glass could project a bird going over hills, for me this was a regular sight, I played Tiny Wings all the time. It was almost humorous, to see all the broad smiles filled with joy, the eyes widened with curiosity, from the look of them the iPad might have been a Lamborghini. I have always tried to look at everyone as equals and tried to bring happiness to people, but from that day forward I was inspired to do so.

Even though the things around me make me do things that I would consider to be kind acts of equality, my voice is one of billions. It doesn’t change the minds of all the others, but to those of you that read this, I have a challenge for you. Try to look at issues with an equal mind every day, try to help those that are oppressed because they are considered “lesser." One act can change the interactions between millions.We have many issues regarding equality on a global scale. They seem to be the worst of the worst, but I believe that with time we as a human race can solve these issues.



www.flagofplanetearth.com

The Museum of Tolerance

As I walked in I could see the statue of a man. He was upside down in a position that can only be described as painful. The Star of David behind him showing that no matter the cost, his faith would live on. As we kept walking we saw the stories of the thousands of children whose lives were taken by evil. The writing made me writhe in pain as most of the children were lost to history, only stories on a sheet of paper. We walked into the gas chamber and heard the stories of thousands men, women, and children whose lives were taken because they were not of the race that was "pure". Aryans they called them, the "pure" ones, blond hair, blue eyes, and white skin. They were wrong, everybody is unique whether you are European, American, African, Asian, it doesn't matter. At the end we heard of the riots in America that were about freedom, equality, and rights. Those were truly horrible times. After we traveled through the several exhibits in the Museum of Tolerance we listened to the story of a Holocaust survivor. He was truly an incredible man, with three books and an incredible life story. He told us about Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, where he heard thousands of windows being broken by those that supported the mass eradication of thousands of innocents. Scapegoat: a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, specially for reasons of expediency. This definition describes to a tee what the Jewish people were during the second World War. Finally we exited the museum and I felt as though I had a responsibility to make sure our world is that of equality.


Equality: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. This is what I know I have to uphold after traveling though the Museum of Tolerance. After seeing millions of people being oppressed for different reasons, skin color, religion, etc. I believe that we as a human race have the responsibility to uphold our rights as human beings. Seeing the faces of the people who were killed because of what they believed in truly was inspiring for me. I'd say the thing that made me think about equality most was definitely when Walter, our tour guide, talked about the evil Dr. Mengele who experimented on twins because he thoughts they could regenerate parts of their flesh if it was from their twin. It was truly the worst thing I've ever heard of, the fact that a man thought human experimentation by cutting off flesh was ok. It was revolting beyond belief.





 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_David

R.A.F.T. - Civil War by Augustus Sabino

Dear Martha,

We are fighting for our freedom and winning. We have trudged through the blood, sweat, and tears of our kin and died. I have seen things I would never wish upon any man. They are paying us less for doing more. At Fort Wagner our brothers died in our arms as we bounded to our own deaths. On the good side we have our own regiments, we can now serve our country, our rights, our freedom. We are now recognized as people in a free nation, who can fight for their country and die for their country. I hope you receive this letter before it's to late.
       Your husband,
        Davis


https://www.britannica.com/topic/buffalo-soldiers