It was Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, who once said, “Before you heal someone, ask him if he’s willing to give up the things that make him sick.”
We battle thousands of problems every single day, both as individuals and as a society. Some problems are smaller, while others are quite large, extending all the way back to the beginning of humanity itself.
In this constant battle against social ills and struggle for a better future, the only thing that keeps us moving are reasons. Without a reason behind why we would like to achieve a goal, its very pursuit becomes meaningless. However, there is one thing that is more destructive than a goal without a reason. That is disorder without a cause.
As we continue to place cosmic amounts of time, energy and other resources to remedy issues that were born out of our inability to co-exist, are there moments when we stop to consider whether there is a single reason behind it all? Is there one great purpose that we are yet to discover for all the chaos around us? Or is there perhaps one great flaw that took place in the past which has led to all the things that we suffer from in today’s world.
Is our world sick? More importantly, are we willing to sacrifice all the things that have made us sick?
As young people, we are called to make a change in the world. We are taught that making a difference is important. Sometimes these questions make it difficult for us to believe that our efforts can change anything. Sometimes we may even wonder if we should be trying to change the world in the first place.
Have you ever observed the flame of a candle? It is warm and beautiful, but extremely fragile. If placed in a windy room, it can be extinguished. If we were to tip a glass over it to protect the flame, it would become starved of oxygen and yet again, be extinguished. However, if we were to place it in such a condition that allowed it to be fuelled with oxygen, without being affected by the wind, it would burn brightly and consistently.
The world in which we live is a stubborn one. It may seem unwilling to change, and the efforts we make to cause a difference can at times seem insignificant. However, no matter how it may seem, the world always needs to change. Without change, we would not be able to accommodate the enormity of humanity and all that it is capable of.
This is why we need to protect our optimism and our ambition as if it were the flame of a candle. While we cannot let the darkness that we will inevitably discover engulf us and extinguish us, we must also ensure that we are not completely shut off from reality. Or else, we may forget why our perseverance is important in the first place.
Young people are the owners of the most valuable resource in the universe – time. We have the time to shape our people and our countries so that their true potential becomes visible. With such a great gift resting right within the palms of our hands, there is no room for further doubt about whether or not this world needs us to heal it.
