Rand Kamaran Khalid (Iraq) on Bridging Cultures

August 27, 2012

Some people are lucky in life. Others are not. However, are we not all equals? Shouldn’t we all enjoy life and not be discriminated against according to our gender, race, or the country we were born in? The answer for these two questions is very simple, as it is we are equals and we should all enjoy life. Yet, no matter how much we try to make Earth the perfect utopia in terms of equality, we come short in reaching our goal.
The Olympic Games revolve around certain values and principles, such as respect, excellence, and friendship. Unfortunately, though, many people forget about these values once they leave the stadium after the curtains are drawn on the Olympic Games. They forget the true meanings of respect, excellence, and friendship. Therefore, our goal should be to raise children—the future generation—around these values.

Our aim should be to spread equality. Every kid around the world must know the meanings of the Olympic values. One way we can do that is through more cultural carnivals that are made seasonally to cover all the countries of the world. That way, we can define the true meaning of globalization. Living in a third world country, Iraq, I can sense how people here in general—and youth specifically—feel left out of international recognition. Many young people do not know what the Olympic Games or their values are.

If these cultural gatherings are integrated with education for those kids and people in general who are not so lucky to be born in a developed country, borders between countries would be broken and bridges between cultures would be built instead. We will learn to respect each other not according to our backgrounds, but because we are equals. People will make friends around the world. Small competitions can take place. Incentives should be given to kids to strive for their best—strive for excellence. That way kids will grow up revolving around the values of respect, excellence, and friendship.

Just because the country they are living in is deemed as a danger zone does not mean that these people cannot enjoy life the way people in first world and second world countries do. And at last, these labels of ‘first world’ and ‘third world’ would not be used anymore. We are all citizens of the Earth. Politics or economy or a gold medal should not separate us. Respect unites us. Excellence ties us together. Friendship makes us stronger. We are all one.
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