September 18, 2020
by: Zette Saquian
Have you ever felt like your life is always at risk? The feeling that any time of the day something might happen not because it was meant to be nor because it’s what you wanted, but because selfish and conceited people exist to ruin your beautiful life, that beautiful gift given to you. Have you ever felt like you have to prove your rights to exist in this complicated world before they end up putting you down? Our lives should not be based on societal expectations and norms because we have the right to live the way we want, the right to live without fear and doubts in our hearts and minds. For generations, our rights to live have always been judged and most of us have suffered because of these cruelty and unfair accusations and mindsets of people who think that they’re better than anyone else, people who only think of themselves.
“I can’t breathe”, three words an innocent man could only utter before he lost his battle to hypocrites and racists. Three words that summarized every single oppression present in our society. Igniting the fire and awakening the anger and grief of people who knew deep down that this has to stop and raising the words “Black Lives Matter” to spread awareness across the globe. Some say that “All Lives Matter” is a counterpart of this to delegitimize the fact that centuries ago, black people were oppressed and were enslaved. This might be true at some point, but if we put it in another perspective, literally all lives do matter. Humans or animals, our lives matter and no one has the right to ever take that life away from you without proper judgment.
It’s not about the color of our skin, it’s not about our religion, and it’s not just about our gender preferences. We shouldn’t categorize each one’s life just because it’s what we see fit and acceptable. Animals are not like humans who have specific outlook and ideals in life, yet these innocent creatures trying to live and survive are victims of cruelty as well. Their freedom to live peacefully in this world was taken away by selfish human beings. Yes, heinous crimes are indeed punishable by the law, but what did these innocent creatures ever do? What did those innocent people ever do to deserve such sad endings? They never did anything wrong, but for other people, it was against their beliefs and outlook. So to stop these so-called undesirable changes and perspectives in life, they chose a different way of terminating such ideas. They ended a life that wasn’t theirs to do so nor to judge.
Black, white, yellow, or brown, our lives matter. Big, small, tall, short, we deserve a life of peace and serenity. Straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, whatever you are, you have the right to live and love whoever you want to. Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, we all deserve to live and praise the God that we believe in. We all have the right to live and be free to choose whoever we want to be without hurting others, but because of toxicity floating around and brainwashing people to hate and despise certain people or animals, the peaceful life that we’ve always dreamed of may be difficult to reach. As long as no one will have the courage to stand up and fight for what’s right and stop this insanity, nothing will ever change.
The Bible said in John 13:34, “Love one another as I have loved you.” People praise and spread the word, but did they really understand what it actually meant? Hypocrisy and mediocrity are rampant these days. They say: “I love flowers”, but end up picking those flowers, letting it wilt and die. They say: “I love the rain”, but whenever it rains, they either run away or shelter under an umbrella. And some say: “I love you”, but end up hurting and leaving you. Is everything we say just a fallacy? Is speaking words all we could ever do? What’s the point of words, if there are no actions? Our words can be plausible, but painful as well. Our lives were meant to be cherished and loved by everyone else and ourselves, but because of the poison setting in every person, our lives will always be on the line. Instead of being brave and facing these cruel standards, we end up fearing for our lives, fearing that one wrong move, we might lose our lives.
Fear has already consumed us. Fear of being unaccepted and isolated. The fear of not belonging to anything. We’re like the kids from the “Losers Club” in the movie IT. Filled with fear and easily manipulated by evildoers, Pennywise. We’re so consumed by this fear that we forget what truly matters in this world. We forget the reason why we exist, and we slowly succumb to this toxic wasteland that was once a wonderful place to live in. We were born to protect and love all the creations present in this world, but what have we done? We let this poison take control and drown us. How long should we cower in fear and let these villains manipulate our minds? How long must we remain deaf from the agonizing cries of our fellow beings? How long must we stay silent? All of our lives matter, and for us to truly experience what life really means, we should stand up and fight for what’s right. Don’t let this fear take control and manipulate you to do something so inhumane. Don’t let anyone tell you who you’re not. You matter, everyone matters. Learn to love and accept each other no matter what flaws they have, every life matters.
Don’t let our differences tell you who to hate because no matter what we are, we are all the same creation. Just because people do horrible things don’t mean that you have to do it as well. Be the change the world needs. Be the change that our future needs. Let love and honesty guide you on the right path. Look into your soul and realize the most important thing in this world is the life given to us. No matter where you might be in this world in the future, remember to stand up and be brave. Fight for the lives of every person and never hide in fear for He will guide you. Have faith and always put in your heart that all lives matter. How big or small that might be all lives matter.
“I know enough of life to know that you can never judge any case on its outside merits.”
– Agatha Christie