A Fatal Disease Called "Humanity"

Humanity comes with several advantages; the ability to think for ourselves, having two thumbs and the knowledge we’ve been given access to. We also have the side effects, the sicknesses and the imperfections. In William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies he stated that “the boys are suffering from the terrible disease of being human.” Humanity is far from perfect, and it’s has a great amount of disfigurements. This disease eventually began to take over the boys turning them into irrational and savage people. Despite our several flaws, we’ve become more advanced in technology and learn more every day, but the problems we faced in the past still remain with us today.

Emotions and reactions are natural habits we all posses, they shape our choices and tune our vision. Engrossed by our pride, arrogance, greed, jealousy, we forget about the simple acts of kindness that keep society intact. All these things mold us into the the greatest disease known; the Disease of Humanity. The quote about the boys suffering from this terrible disease was referring to Jack. Unlike Ralph, Jack is proud and finds a need for control, he doesn’t analyze things or think things through the way Ralph does. The savagery in their civilization is portrayed through the character of Jack Merridew, he was the first one to show a hint of his inner evil, and he’s the one who let the downfall of their society begin. Back in World War II, about the same time the story was set, a major event took place. The genocide of the Jews, more commonly known as the holocaust. This mass murder was triggered by the same issues we still face today... jealousy, greed, prejudice, judgement, irrational thinking and power lust. One man’s inner evil brought out the savagery of an entire nation resulting in a historical disaster.

Everyone makes choices, some not as rational as others. We often make decisions without rationally thinking of the consequences, we let our  impulsivity act without forcing our brains to think. Jack manipulated the boys by inviting them to a feast where he could take advantage of them and get them in his tribe. The boys’ irrational thinking and lack of control brought out too much excitement in them resulting in Simon’s murder. At first, it was a misunderstanding... the boys thought they were killing the Beast. Eventually they realized that they were killing Simon, but with their minds being in the frame of a party, the boys continued their savage behaviour and took part in slaughtering their friend.

Civilization is at risk and our inner evil is slowly beginning to shine. Our inner evil is triggered by poor qualities such as jealousy and fear. “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m a part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are?” (pg.128) Simon was speaking to the Lord of the Flies when he unveiled the truth, that the only beast on the island was the one within themselves. The beast, in this story, symbolizes their fear and vulnerability. This beast haunted the boys, especially the littluns, and brought out their inner evil causing savage reactions and slowly began to tear apart the structure of their society.

In some ways, Humanity is a gift, because there is still hope for us. By controlling our greed, the savagery in us and our pride...progression could become a possibility once again. We could stop the world from digressing and create a cure for this fatal disease. Everyday, proof of evil is witnessed, but enough of us don’t put our feet down together. Watching bad happen and letting it be is evil in it’s purest form. And so now disease of humanity has become the cancer of our world, and step by step our faults will destroy it all.

Making the Visible, Invisible

Corruption may not be an issue that takes several lifes daily, but it still impacts every citizen even if it’s just to a minor degree. In Malaysia, Police Corruption is an ongoing issue involving bribery, extortion, threats and harassment. The police are meant to be our role models, the people we all go to when we feel unsafe. If we know for a fact that often they’re corrupt, how are we supposed to trust them? And why should we continue to pay them for our mistakes knowing that the money goes straight into their pockets? It takes more than one person for corruption to occur.

Police may ask for bribes, but each of us have the right and the power to take a stand and make a change. Don’t give it to them, take it to the station, keep the money away from their pockets. It may not seem like such a big deal, giving one officer RM30 - 50. That doesn’t seem like it could make a difference at all. Then imagine if every time someone passed a traffic light, or was caught speeding they had to bribe their way out of a higher fine. Now imagine what would happen if every one of the 29,000,000 people in Malaysia were to do that. We’ve suddenly put RM1,160,000,000 into their pockets to buy them larger houses, faster cars and higher social status. If we put that much money into their pockets, it takes away the opportunity for a better use of that money, and convinces them that this is something that they’re getting away with and therefore can continue it. This impacts not only the people who have placed their dollars in an officer’s hand but the economy of the country and the ability for each individual to go ahead.

Several shocking facts came up during my researching this topic. I knew police corruption existed in Malaysia, but I had no idea that 40% of senior officers could be arrested and easily proven guilty of this crime simply by their lifestyle. Some officers have a Net Value of RM18,000,000 which is way over what they should have from their monthly salaries. There were stories of police officers who even after being paid a bribe, followed up and began harassing people and threatening them unless they paid more. Learning stories and fact about this issue are truly shocking. Most of us knew this conflict existed, but not to such a high level.

It’s upsetting to know that our role models, and the enforcers of the law are asking us to go against it and break the rules for their own benefit. This was a difficult topic to learn about, and a dangerous topic to publicly speak about, especially in a country like Malaysia. This issue is serious though, and definitely something worth putting time and effort into to find a lasting solution and find an end to all forms of corruption.

Dictators Amongst us Today

Dictators still live amongst us today ruling countries such as North Korea, Cuba and Russia... they solely rule making their own choices, destroy the possibility of everyone’s freedom and make sure nobody can change that. These dictators are turning our world into a massive, real-life dystopia headed towards rebel groups, conspiracies, anger and war. An important thing for all of us; how do we deal with this type of people and the situations they put us in?

Kim Jong-Un, the leader of North Korea has prepared nuclear weapons and missiles that could easily reach the United States (or so he claims, as nobody knows what happens in his territory). In Russia, Mr Vladimir Putin completely controls what goes on the media, doesn’t allow people to say anything even the slightest bit against him, cheats during voting procedures to give himself the power, lies to the citizens and is completely corrupt.  These dictators are harming the people of their country in ways such as keeping them segregated from the rest of the world, having children in the armies and taking away their freedom and human rights. Shakespeare wrote a play about the life of one of Rome’s greatest leaders, Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was a dictator, and was assassinated by the other senators including his best friend: Marcus Brutus. When the senators and more noble people of Rome began to feel that Caesar was abusing his power, they wanted to end that for the better of Rome. Their method of doing this was by creating a conspiracy group and assassinating the leader. Adolf Hitler, another powerful dictator from the past lost his power when an outside force (Russia) came in with their powerful weapons and military force, won the war and then America literally removed him from his position turning Germany into a fair and equal democracy. Today, we face an issue in North Korea because of the possibility of World War III beginning on a nuclear level which could completely destroy entire countries and eventually our entire planet. The first steps have already been taken; an embargo on North Korea. The UN decided to stop any trade with North Korea to prevent them from getting hold of any more weapons foreign goods forcing them to live off whatever they can grow and make in their own country.

There are several ways to deal with dictators; assassination, embargo, fighting a war, talking and reasoning, starting union or conspiracy groups and much more. When dictators are malevolently and unjustly abusing their power and the rights of the people, steps have to be taken to save the country from bursting into chaos and keeping the over seven billion people of the world at peace.

6,000 Gone: Asia's Missing Girls

Chaeli Mycroft - A Fight for Hope

Chaeli Mycroft was born with Cerebral Palsy, a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions, such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking which disabled her legs and arms from movement and bounding her to a wheelchair for life. Chaeli raised money for her motorized wheelchair to give her more freedom and then decided to help other disabled children to receive the same opportunity because she saw that she could make a difference. Chaeli Mycroft was awarded the International Peace Prize because she fought to help those children be accepted by others, be treated the same as others and have just as much hope and belief in themselves as other abled people do.

Chaeli is fighting for disabled children and trying to help people realize that disabled people are still people and should be accepted and treated the same. She started a professional organization called the Chaeli Campaign that fights for the rights and acceptance of over 3,000 disabled children in South Africa. This project has become a professional organization that annually helps more than 3000 children with disabilities in South Africa with equipment, physical therapy and which defends the rights and acceptance of disabled children. Chaeli inspires other children to start projects and for that she has developed an ambassadors program.. Chaeli is disabled herself and she knows what it feels like which is why she wanted to help as many people as possible. At the age of 9, Chaeli and her friends and sister started a project to raise money for a motorized wheelchair for Chaeli. In just seven weeks they raised more than enough money, so Chaeli decided to help more disabled children.

Chaeli also fought to inspire hope and belief in the disabled children of South Africa.  Through the Chaeli Campaign, Chaeli Mycroft inspired other disabled children in South Africa to start projects to raise money which would make living with their disability easier. Chaeli was born with Cerebral Palsy, through which the function of her arms and legs is limited. But where others see limitations, she sees possibilities; with her positive attitude, she is an inspiration to many. Chaeli found a way to have hope for herself and that helps her get through life with her disability, she wanted help other disabled children and encourage them to have hope for themselves. Hope is what keeps us going, Chaeli said in her speech. “It’s what keeps us striving for the lives we deserve. I have hope for myself, but I also have hope for all other children with disabilities. I hope that my actions as an ability activist will leave the world more accepting and more accommodating for all people and not just people with disabilities, because we are all different and we all have the need to be accepted regardless of having a disability or not.”

Chaeli Mycroft, recipient of the International Peace price fought for the rights and acceptance of disabled children in South Africa and helped them live with the physical disability they have. Chaeli didn’t see her disability as a disadvantage, instead she thought of it as a gift. Her actions inspired disabled children not only in South Africa but all over the world to fight for their own rights and encouraged them to believe in themselves.


"Cerebral palsy - PubMed Health." 2010. 24 Oct. 2012 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001734/>

"Childrenspeaceprize: Childrenspeaceprize powered by KidsRights." 2006. 18 Oct. 2012 <http://childrenspeaceprize.org/>

"2011 Chaeli Mycroft." 2011. 17 Oct. 2012 <http://childrenspeaceprize.org/childrens-peace-price/2011-chaeli-mycroft/>

Vonnegut's Message - Harrison Bergeron

This story about Harrison Bergeron sends a message to us saying that there is no way to make everybody equal and there is no such thing as a utopia. The world will always have some amount of chaos and problems no matter what. Even though in many countries people have equal rights, they aren’t actually treated equally and some people have disadvantages because of the way they were born. In the story of Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut, the citizens were assigned handicaps so that nobody is better than anyone else. This does make everyone equal, but not in a good way because their freedom is taken away from them and they are completely controlled by the government. In this story, people probably didn’t realize what a dystopian world they lived in because thanks to the handicaps they were given, they couldn’t think about much at all before they forgot. This is slightly ironic because the government wants everyone to be equal but there are still a few people who have an advantage and all the power and control. These handicaps also do the reverse of what they’re meant to; instead of making everyone equal, they make the stronger people even stronger because it builds up muscle to carry the handicaps with them. Everyone slowly works their way around the handicaps they’ve been assigned and gets on with their lives. Even though in a way they are regressing because as a society they aren’t moving forward and advancing, they are actually progressing by becoming more adaptable to the flaws they’ve been given. The government tried creating a utopia, their idea of a perfect world where everyone is equal but instead they made a dystopia where everyone lives with handicaps and disabilities, nobody has the freedom to make their own choices and live by their own rules. The world will never be a utopia because there will always be those bad people in the world, oppressive rulers and tyrants who only want power for themselves.

Where I Come From

I am from a balance beam from the chunky dell computers from the smell of a freshly cleaned hospital. I come from several flights of stairs long dark hallways windows with heavy curtains and grills. I am from the extra bit of chocolate milk I drank for a year from the cosy fireplace in the corner of the living room I am from giant glass windows and the bright orange rope I used to swing across my pool. Riding my bike in the pouring rain uphill sitting in a hot Jacuzzi tub that’s where I come from too I come from the not-too-busy beach outside our house in Brazil the beach where my mum and I went nearly every day. I come from “Simon Says” From and Pictionary and Hide n Seek and Little Bear that would come on TV from Monday to Wednesday I am from the barbie dolls that I played with, painted and destroyed. from falling on my butt while skiing and falling on my butt off a horse and falling on my butt just casually walking I come from “break a leg!” and it literally happens and “do something useful with your life!” I am from curling up in blankets during a thunderstorm passing notes under the table and snow cones on hot days I come from screaming on the Great Wall of China And from walking on squeaky floorboards. I even come from the disgusting puke yellow armchair I am from the blue box locked in my cupboard full of all of these memories that I come from I am from the contents of that locked blue box. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This is a poem of my identity and I think anybody's identity is worth fighting for. Nobody should be ashamed of who they are and everyone has the right to their identity. Identities are worth fighting for because it's one of the only things that you will always have and your identity defines who you are. Stereotypes and Traditions often threaten people's identity by setting a different expectation from who they actually are. These types of things challenge them and ask people to become someone they aren't. This is where we have to fight for our identities.