Read the comments after watching the video. Amazing.
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We are all actors.
An Article from the inside, written by a member of the youth and for the youth, with the simple purpose of creating social conscience, specifically in the hearts and minds of the few lucky ones who have the opportunity to receive an wonderful and privileged education. You are the future of our country, you must stop acting... We are all actors and we don’t even realize it. We can’t even see the line between our performance and the reality we choose to ignore every single day. Our Stage? Honduras. Home of the Murder Capital of the world. An average of 20 deaths daily. 60% of the population living under 2 dollars a day. A kleptocracy. A country being shattered by the repercussions of the social inequality that has augmented each passing year due to corruption. In a few words, a disastrous wild jungle. Name of the play: The Good, the Bad and the Blind. We didn’t choose to be actors in this play, we didn’t even audition, but the social pressure in our community is so strong that we are forced to become part of it. Forced by the pressure of a society with evident lack of values, where several adults set a negative example, an example of dishonesty and immorality . In this performance, we play the role of the blind where we choose not to see. We all know this is not the part we want to perform in this play, we don’t want to be blind, yet we continue acting for the sake of the performance. We act with conformity and mistakenly think: it’s just the way it is. The big question is why can’t we quit acting? And the simple answer is corruption. Corruption lives amongst us. Corruption resides in our Hospitals, Police Departments, Educational Institutions, our Media, Religious Institutions, Public and Private Companies, in the Government, and worst of all, in our own homes. We know it, we live it, yet we ignore it. Power goes hand in hand with corruption. In this catastrophic jungle that we live in, power is like a wild animal feeding off the weak creatures. These creatures are the hardworking people of the country, the labor force. These creatures are unfairly crushed. Crushed by those with power, who resist giving up their advantages and privileges to help find justice and balance. As a consequence a huge social gap is created, which impedes self- improvement, increases poverty, generates a social resentment, and as a result promotes violence. The origin of this violence we see every day, which devastates our much-loved Honduras, comes from corruption. You might think that corruption does not affect you personally, but in reality you don’t have to travel to remarkably remote villages to feel the effects of corruption. In fact, all of us have had to grow up and experience these devastating consequences of corruption firsthand. The actions of some who are so close to us and seem so familiar have affected us to unbelievable extents, from the kidnapping of our own acquaintances to living with fear of leaving our homes at night. We know it, we live it, yet continue to ignore it. As part of the cast in this repulsive play and as a privileged student of a bilingual school I accept my part of the blame, because I too, have been part of this performance for a very long time, but something happened that opened my eyes to the sad reality. I always knew Honduras had corruption, poverty, and violence, but what happened made me not only know it, but also feel it. I felt the repercussions of corruption and finally acknowledged the reality of Honduras I had been blind to for so long… After a long night’s rest I woke up a Saturday Morning. I took a bath with nice warm water, I ate a delicious breakfast, and then my driver drove me to school. As a high school senior I am required to do Social Work in order to graduate so this was my typical Saturday routine. This day we commenced giving classes to illiterate and underprivileged adults who never received the opportunity of a decent education. In the lunch break I got the opportunity to talk to a lovely old lady, Hipolita. This lady carried what seemed like a heavy straw basket and walked around leaning on a cane. I could see that she was having a tough time walking and carrying so much stuff, so I approached her and offered her help. As we headed to the cafeteria we started having a conversation in which we quickly connected and she mentioned something that caught my attention. This lady had been suffering for a long time with a severe pain while walking. She pulled up her skirt to show me her knee. I was speechless. Stomach-turning sight. Her knee was swollen and purplish in a way I can’t describe. She told me that she had repeatedly visited a public hospital and requested treatment but she never received anything, not even acetaminophen for the pain. She also told me that she was not the only one, that there were hundreds like her who suffered every day and didn’t receive the public health assistance they desperately needed. This conversation with this lady got me thinking. Why do we continue to ignore the fact that this scenario is true for so many? Where does all the money that government receives from taxes go? Why are hospitals deprived of medicine? Who is responsible for this terrible injustice? Yes, I know what you might be thinking. “One swallow does not make a summer” , but if you think about it, you will probably realize that at one point or another you have also questioned the ethics of our society or have felt standing corruption right next to you. They say ignorance is bliss but in reality if we allow the corrupt to continue destroying our country, we are just as guilty as they are. This is not a case of pointing fingers, rather an opportunity for self-conscience, a chance to acknowledge and analyze the facts. It is time to stop ignoring the truth and stop acting like nothing is wrong, for this to happen we must accept that corruption is living all around us and we must stop perceiving it as “the way it is” or as an inevitable outcome of power. What we see today must serve as an example for what we don’t want to see as part of our country’s future. We are the hope of the country, the future leaders, and it is in our hands to change it for the good. So my question is, in this imminent future who do you want to be? The Good? The Bad? Or the Blind? Andrea Lama |