Utopia in My Palms – by Ioana Câdă, student at National College, Bacau
Humans. Silent creatures moving back and forth with no purpose. Wishes that draw their strength from a fragile quench of will . Secret peeks in brittle layers of glass. Oscillations between latent states of submission, conformation and laziness. Sketches…The power of a start and the determination of continuing the story.
We are all artists searching the perfect idea for a new bestseller. We have the computer opened and the license of the newest Microsoft Office Word version. We set up a goal: “Tomorrow at 9 a.m. I will start the first chapter.”. But 10 a.m. has already passed and we find ourselves reading the newspaper. We blame it on the ones that say the time keeps compressing, but finally we accept to give it a try. We venture in conquering the solitary ideas in the immeasurable sea of our mind. And the words, phrases, paragraphs and chapters flow rebellious one after another into what we call happiness. We are all artists even if we cannot be called famous authors. A writer disposes of a computer and the newest writing software, whereas we have a gigantic machine-the world itself and a much more complex tool-volunteering. No tangible manual however, just one that writes its pages differently.
Everyday we trip over shiny, golden ammo others did not fear to use to destroy innocent dreams and people. Sequences of a war begin unravelling like in an antique film noir. We see the ruins of buildings and homes all covered in dust and hatred that lifts 10 metres from the ground. We see premature decrepitude and fear, children desperately looking for a smile. We hear trees falling down under the power of immense chainsaws. We lose ourselves in a merry-go-round of agony, for having to observe the details of this world in its raw form. We can stop the twirl with the healing power of a start. Therefore, let`s start volunteering !
We can put put our entire energy in planting a tree that might change everything. At the end of the day we will be exhausted, yet satisfied we replaced the easy gain we are usually looking for with something that really matters. The next day we can take part in a fund-raising campaign for starving children in Africa. We can teach them how to read the bedtime storied they have never heard. We can replace our bias towards material profit with responsibility and will of re-building, re-shaping, defending. Instead of wrapping our arms around a computer we can be volunteers in a “Free Hugs” campaign. Volunteering rises in our hearts and makes us aware of the poverty and discrimination beyond the perfect walls of our home.
When we have given up the idea of wealth and gain, we can join the other “utopians”. We can stop saying “I wish…” and start saying “I will!” by becoming the volunteers in sketching perfect, flawless happiness…
Acest eseu este castigatorul premiului special in cadrul 2011 Shakespeare School Essay Competition, grupa de varsta 15-19 ani, avand ca tema rolul si importanta voluntariatului. Premiul a constat intr-un cadou surpriza din partea librariei Carturesti, o carte in limba engleza din seria penguin, de la Fischer International, voucher de reducere 25% la un curs de vara de limba engleza la Shakespeare School, discount card oferit de Puma, cadou din partea Reprezentantei Comisiei Europene in Romania. Dorim sa o felicitam pe Ioana pentru faptul ca s-a evidentiat din peste 5100 de eseuri trimise la concursul national de creatie in limba engleza organizat de Shakespeare School si ii uram mult succes in continuare!
