On a rainy day in October, when I happened to be watching CNN from one of Gregory Gym's elliptical machines, I learned about the inspiring and tragic story of Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old girl from Pakistan. She was shot in the back by the Taliban on October ninth, simply because of her activism for the education of Pakistani girls and her outspokenness against the Taliban. CNN showed clips of one American reporter's interview with the teenager that had taken place only a little while before shooting. The reporter asked her really tough questions, and each time she answered thoughtfully, with dignity and grace.
Hearing what she had to say and knowing the outcome of the situation was both horrifying and humbling. To think that there are young girls out there like Malala who can fearlessly stand up for what they believe in, even if it means becoming a target for violence, is absolutely amazing to me. She risked her life to obtain the right for all women to receive an education. Fortunately, Malala survived the bullet wound and is now permanently living in Britain.
The sad thing is, she should be celebrated everywhere as a hero for her bravery, but if it wasn't for my elliptical workout at Gregory Gym, I probably wouldn't recognize her name today. I'd also be willing to bet that none of my friends or family (besides perhaps my father, because he's an avid news watcher) would know who she is or what she did. But of course, we all know that Kate Middleton is pregnant and that Rihanna is back together with Chris Brown. Obviously, we've got our priorities are straight.
No comments:
Post a Comment