In Life.......

You've got to make new friends. Why? There are numerous benefits in finding new acquaitances that one can attain. There is a wise saying "
Show me your friends and I'll show your future", the meaning behind this saying is the people who are close to you represents your personality. Thus, one should carefully choose who you are close with. Yet it does not mean you should turn your face away from individuals who you think are bad, the nature of human being is to be good so if a person is rotten, it does not mean that the person cannot change. If you think you are strong-willed and you are willing to help the person out, you are more than welcome to befriend that person.
As you grow up, friends will influence your mentality and personality development, this will play a part in shaping who you are.

Life would undoubtedly be lonely if one goes through it alone. Human beings need companions so they can share the ups and downs together. Having friends can uplift the mood instantly and we are able to share the enjoyable moment together. The times cherished with your friends will always be remembered and makes your life more meaningful. A good friend is always supportive yet at the same time he or she have the courage to admonish you in a polite wRay so you do not stray from the path of obtaining a succesful life.

Furthermore, from numerous friends we can gain uncountable experiences. Being friends who are from various cultural background is a lot of fun and useful too. Through my experience, I had lots of friends from various cultural backgrounds(Indian, Pakistani, Somalian, European, etc ) so I had the opportunity to learn more about their culture, food, religions and more.

Having friends of different beginnings makes me realise that the world is prodigious and there are lots for me to explore. Friends also make your life colourful and you learn to appreciate for who they are. Plus, I have learnt to be more grateful for what I have and with diversity, effective development can be acheived.

This friendship quote is really beautiful and it holds a significant meaning to me:

"Your heart will never at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."

Racism

      In diversity, there is strength and there is beauty. But, there was a time when people saw diversity as an unnatural state, they prefer to stay with their “kind” of people only and thought that mixing with other people of different cultural backgrounds will bring harm to them; these people were prejudiced, Frankly, even in this modern era of the world, we still prejudge each other. Prejudice is a universal trait and it’s a part of our survival instinct. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t judge someone based on minimal information. We can’t assume somebody’s personality solely based on their skin colour and appearance. Prejudice leads to racism, an immense setback which occurred in the past and is still present today. Even though it is not such of a big problem nowadays, it still happens. Racism is a type of oppression. It is a belief that human beings of different race have distinctive characteristics which determine their respective cultures. It fuels the idea of that one’s own race is superior and has the right to dominate others. Some people conjecture that individuals of other races have less value so they can do whatever they want towards these minorities.

        Overcoming racism in our society is difficult to do but it is not impossible, it takes time providing that there are consistent efforts. We can evidently see it in the movie “Remember The Titans” which is based on the true story of an African American football coach, Herman Boone, hired by a Virginia high school in 1971. Released in 2000, this movie was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. Remember The Titans was set in the early 1970s, where two schools in Alexandria, Virginia integrate forming T.C. Williams High School. Herman Boone was hired to coach the school’s football team, taking over coach Bill Yoast position as Head Coach. As a token of respect, Boone offered Yoast an assistant coordinator coaching position. Tensions arise when players of different races are forced together on the same football team called Titans. Many of these tensions are eased during the two-week training camp in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Black and white football team members frequently clash in the beginning of their football camp but during rigorous training, they learn that the only way to escape misery is to work together and eventually achieved racial harmony. When the team returns to Alexandria united, they found that the city was in turmoil due to the forced desegregation of the high school. In the midst of battling racial prejudices, the Titans go through the season games undefeated and gradually gains the support of the community.

Remember The Titans gave me an emotional roller coaster ride; the touching moments made me cried and the inspiring moments fuelled my passion to fight harder against racism. The precious friendship and teamwork portrayed between the football team players show that you shouldn’t put skin colour or race as an excuse to segregate other people. Furthermore, the movie depicts the nature of racism within people’s lives very well and shows how common loves for different things can attract people together so that simple and wrong beliefs are forgotten. One of the memorable lines, which was said by Coach Yoast, taken from the movie is

“…I hope you boys have learned as much from me this year as I've learned from you. You've taught this city how to trust the soul of a man rather than the look of him. And I guess it's about time I joined the club”.

It is amazing to think that this movie was based on a true story. In my opinion, the message that the movie sends out is really powerful and effective. From the movie, you really know that in diversity, there is strength and beauty. The world should open their eyes and see the harmony resulted from the unity of multi-cultural individuals. Everybody deserves to be treated equally and rightfully. If only closed minds came with closed mouths, racism would not exist. 

Confucius — 'Don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you.'