May Peace Prevail on Earth

Conflicts have been there as long as there has been life. Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest meant that there will be inevitable conflicts and only the best would survive. With the evolution of societies, intellect and world order, hope was that these conflicts will reduce, and peace will prevail. However, in today’s world, plethora of conflicts remain, and it is more important than ever to spread peace and harmony.

Peace is a state of non-suffering and celebration of life. It is the desire of every beating heart. Peace is the hope of every nation, the promise of every politician, the pulse of every religious tradition, and the goal of every prayer. It is a crucial part for a functioning society. An absence of peace leads to war, which can possibly lead to the downfall of a civilization. Essentially, where there is compassion, there is peace; where there is peace, there is stability; and where there is stability, there is progress.

We all must be in peace with each other, respect different beliefs, traditions, and appearances and resolve conflicts without violence. We need to take care of our environment and respect plants and animals. Inner peace is also equally important, as one need to be happy and calm from within before being in peace with your surroundings. As author, poet, and teacher, Stephen Levine, once said, “Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.”

In 1981, September 21st was established as the International Day of Peace and is now observed as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The United Nations invites all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities during the day, and to otherwise commemorate the day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace. To that end, several organizations such as Flame of Peace, Pathways to Peace, and Living Peace, strive to promote public awareness and world peace.

Every year, United Nations works with a global peace organization for an art competition, where youth around the world are invited to showcase their artwork. This year, they have partnered with Living Peace International for the art competition aptly themed as “Living Peace.”

To me, living in harmony with diverse people, respecting various religions and cultures, helping each other and taking care of environment is living in peace. Keeping myself cool and composed and in peace with my inner-self is living in peace. There will always be conflicts but managing those disagreements is peace to me. 

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”

Compassion is my Passion

Everyone has their own moment of realization, which defines their purpose in life. Mine was in elementary school, when I went on a field trip to watch the movie, The Lorax. It was about saving the environment and the Lorax stood up for the trees. Thereafter, I began to ponder, “What do I stand up for?” Growing up, my family encouraged me to help the needy by donating to the 2nd Harvest Food Bank, One Warm Coat and other such causes. All this made me realize that my aim should be to speak for the unspoken and channel my time and energy to help society.

Since the age of 7, I have been participating in Bollywood dance, and as I grew older, I got an opportunity to teach dance routines to mentally and physically disabled children. This helps them integrate better with society, and improve their motor, memory, and social skills. When I first started working with handicapped kids, I was a little hesitant, and judgmental, as I never interacted with them before. After I started to get to know them better, I realized that they are human, just like everyone else. From then onward, I made a promise that no matter how different someone looked or acted, I would treat them with respect. I am also a Youth

Board member of Make-A-Wish, I’m raising awareness, and fundraising to fulfill wishes of critically ill children. Both of these community service activities have changed my outlook on life drastically. I am helping those who are unable to live a typical life, however, none of these kids have given up. Despite being handicapped, or ill, they find something that makes them happy and will get them through the day – whether that be dancing, singing, or looking forward to their wish getting fulfilled. I have realized that no one should take things for granted, even simple things like walking or talking. With this lesson in mind, I have started to be more optimistic with everything I do, because I now understand, that not everyone has the opportunity to live their life on their own. Such experiences have made me more compassionate, humble, and thankful for every opportunity I have in life. As author Yasmin Mogahed said, “Compassion is to look beyond your own pain, to see the pain of others,” and that is exactly what I have learned to do, because I know that our problems are very minor compared to the ones of disadvantaged kids.

I am a regular volunteer at the Helping Hands event hosted by the 2nd Harvest Food Bank and Applied Materials, where we pack boxes of food to distribute to the needy. Shockingly, I learned that 1 in 10 people are hungry in Santa Clara county, which is one of the richest places in the world! Consequently, I am extremely thankful for the food I receive, and strive to waste less food because I know that there are starving people in my own community. It also brings me hope to see that there are big corporations, like Applied Materials, who donate millions of dollars to help end hunger.

As a member of the Campbell Youth Commission, I learned that no matter how young

someone is, they can still make a difference. Our youth commission proposed a social host ordinance to reduce underaged drinking and drug abuse. We also raised over $450 for Campbell’s Youth Scholarship Program this year. I am a big proponent of youth leadership, and was even invited to the capital, Sacramento, to testify in favor of Assembly member Evan Low’s bill, ACA 10, to lower the voting age to 17. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s future. We bring fresh, new ideas to the table.

These service activities shape who I am today, and have taught me to be compassionate, thankful for what I have, to be kind to everyone and treat people with respect. Volunteering gives me contentment and satisfaction because seeing a smile on someone’s face is priceless, it makes me realize that the time and effort I put in has a much greater impact – happiness. Service has helped me find myself and answer the question, “What do I stand up for?”. Like the great man Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

My Roots of Optimism

My Roots of Optimism

The year was 1947. Location: India. India was on the cusp of independence from over 100 years of British rule but was scarred by partition into India and Pakistan. People were being ruthlessly dragged out of their own homes and getting their heads chopped off with a dagger. An innocent baby was trapped in all of this. Her neighbors and family friends were brutally slaughtered. The baby’s mom had already been warned that the same fate would occur to them. Like 40 million other people, the family left their home with fear in their eyes, and hope of reaching India, someday. The streets where kids used to play were now drenched in blood. They longed for helping hands, but their pleas went unheard. The family somehow managed to reach the Indian city of Amritsar and lived in a cramped refugee camp for many months. The time of a life that was supposed to be filled with laughter, happiness, and joy for the baby was replaced by the sounds of grief and depression. That baby was my grandmother.

Like a rose amongst the thorns, nonviolence advocate, Mahatma Gandhi, was doing his best to curb the violence and spread a message of peace and optimism. Whether it was Indian values, culture, upbringing, or Mahatma Gandhi's message, it made my grandparents more humble, tolerant, compassionate, and most importantly, optimistic.

Even after losing everything, and living a harsh refugee life, my grandma’s family always stayed positive, and looked on the brighter side of things. Instead of being disappointed, they felt happy to be alive and looked forward to a successful life. My grandma and her siblings worked hard, never looked back, and became well-educated and prosperous.

Life has not been very favorable to her. My grandma lost her husband early, however she stayed strong and single-handedly raised her children. Thereafter, she moved to the U.S., and is now taking care of us. Through these setbacks, my grandma stayed strong and never lost hope.

These values of compassion, hope, and strength were passed onto my parents and are now my roots of optimism. I am glad to note that even in modern times, optimism is as thriving as ever, and it brings me hope to see so many organizations working to bring a positive change in our community.

I am a board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and fund-raise to fulfill wishes of critically ill children. This brings them happiness and hope for their recovery. I also teach dance routines to mentally and physically challenged kids through a nonprofit organization called Jeena. This helps them integrate better with society, and it improves their motor, memory, and social skills.

Through these activities I am bringing optimism to those who are unable to live a typical life but none of these kids have given up. Despite being handicapped, or ill, they find something that makes them happy and gets them through the day – be it dancing, singing, or looking forward to their wish getting fulfilled.

By virtue of Indian values and grandmother’s influence, my roots of optimism run deep and strong, and positive experiences continue to nurture them. I want to spread optimism and bring a positive change to my community. And while I can't solve all of the problems in the world, if I can be the reason a handicapped kid feels welcomed in society, I am doing my part. If I can be the reason that a severely ill child regains hope for their recovery, I am doing my part. If I can be the reason that someone smiles and laughs and passes it on, I am doing my part. If everyone did their own part, optimism will continue to thrive.

Can Society Function Without Respect?

An ideal society is a community where its citizens work together for the benefit of everyone. Over the years, many societies have flourished, while others have collapsed because they lacked respect - whether that is for different genders, cultures, authority, or the environment. I firmly believe that respect is the foundation for a successful society, and an absence of respect ensures failure.

As per the Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu had several incarnations, from early aquatic life to humans, and his latest incarnation, Lord Krishna, was part of a society that was intended to be Utopian. However, this society collapsed for not respecting women. During a gambling game between the two contenders of the throne, the Pandavas and Kauravas, the Pandavas put their wife at stake, and eventually lost her to the Kauravas. Disrespecting their wife by putting her up for gamble and sexually assaulting her were huge mistakes by the Pandavas and the Kauravas respectively. This led to an epic war, known as the Mahabharata, in which, it is claimed that all of mankind was wiped out, and what was believed to be a Utopian society crumbled due to the lack of respect. A more recent example is the Taliban, who disrespected women in Afghanistan and deprived them of education. This led youth activist, Malala Yousafazai, to start a global movement that toppled Afghanistan’s Taliban government, proving that a society without respect is not sustainable.

During the 1900’s, in Europe, different cultures and ideas were not respected and the anti-Semitic leader of the Nazis, Adolf Hitler, strongly believed that Germans were superior, especially to Jews. Hitler wanted an “Aryanization” of Europe, which meant that he wanted to exterminate any group who was not Aryan, or “pure.” Due to this belief, the Nazis tortured Jews and violated their rights. As a primary target, approximately 6 million Jews were brutally slaughtered along with others including the Polish, Gypsies, handicapped, and homosexuals, who Hitler deemed inferior to the Aryans. This disdain of other cultures and violation of basic rights happened under the cover of World War II. In the end, the society that Hitler persisted on creating collapsed because it was a community where different thoughts, beliefs, and cultures were scorned.

An important aspect of a well-functioning society is respect for its institutions and authority. A government is necessary to maintain law and order, however if not everyone abide by the rules, and respect authority, the society could quickly plunge into chaos. Our world is dotted with examples of various terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Ku Klux Klan (KKK), ISIS, and Boko Haram that have forcefully taken over territories, disrespecting and disregarding the government and its constituents. Instead of following the rules and participating in the electoral process, they chose to go against the government, violate human rights, and spread terror. Many areas that have been invaded by such terrorist groups are now in chaos, and on the path to become failed states. In contrast, the biggest and oldest democracies in the world, India and the United States, both have thriving societies because they respect the institution.

Environment is considered an insignificant factor of society, and people tend not to take care of it. However, the outcome of disrespecting nature is evident. People pollute the environment by indiscriminately burning fossil fuels and emitting harmful gases from manufacturing activities. Air pollution has a direct impact on human life, as it is a leading cause of asthma and kills one person every 2 minutes. Continued disrespect of nature is causing global warming, rising sea levels, acid rains, and more frequent and intense hurricanes, which all is putting a lot of stress on society.

As society continues to evolve, it is imperative that we have respect for everyone and everything. In the past, advocates such a Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and others have insisted on showing respect for all sections of the society, and have positively contributed towards it. Nowadays, there are supporters of campaigns such as #MeToo, and #BlackLivesMatter that are standing up against injustice, and demanding the respect they deserve. Females who have been sexually assaulted are telling their stories and condemning society for not respecting them. A similar cause is behind the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, where supporters are striving to not only raise awareness about police brutality against people of color, but to also demand respect for black people in general.

Clearly, respect is an absolute for a functioning society. As Albert Einstein once said, “Any society that does not insist upon respect for all life must necessarily decay.”

ACA10: Vote Early; Vote Often

As years pass by, things change very fast - from people, to technology, and beyond. However, we do not crack under the pressure of our progressive world. Our brains adapt to these changes, and comprehend new ideas. For example, when I was born, there was nothing even close to a smartphone, but now, only a few years later, everyone has one, and has learned their ins and outs as well. Moreover, many people, including the youth, are even developing apps. I, myself, created a prototype app called Allergy Proof, which alerts consumers about allergens that could be found in their food. Because of this, I was featured in a Google campaign, known as #InspireGirls.

My inspiration is Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teen activist and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, who stood up for women’s education. I feel that standing up for what you believe in is indeed very important. At such a young age, Malala got involved in politics, and even spoke at the United Nations. This is why I felt just like a mini Malala when I testified in favor of the Assembly Constitutional Amendment 10 (ACA10) bill at the Capitol in Sacramento.

ACA10 bill is authored by Assembly Member Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley), and is a proposition to lower California’s voting age to 17. It has already passed the Assembly Elections Committee with a four to one margin, and the Assembly Appropriations, and is now on its way to the full Assembly floor.

Research by the California’s secretary of state’s office shows that only 8.2% of Californians age 18-24 actually voted in 2014 general elections. This is often because many 18 year olds are usually in a time of transition – graduating from high school, going to college, or getting a job. Lowering the voting age to 17 will catch youth at a time when they are still connected to their school, their home, and their community. Research has shown that the earlier in life one votes, the more likely they are to form a lifelong habit of voting. As a result, there has been a nationwide movement to engage youth earlier in the electoral process. 

“We need bold ideas to reinvigorate participation in the democratic process,” says Assembly Member Low. “Lowering the voting age will help ensure the next generation is engaged and empowered to hold their representatives accountable.” Additionally, he states that the majority of 17 year olds have some sort of job, and they pay income tax; so it is unreasonable, to exclude a law-abiding, tax paying citizen from voting. Mr. Low likes to call this “taxation without representation.”

I was ecstatic when I was invited to testify for the bill in early spring. I along with another Bay Area teen, Maya Bodnick, presented our views on why the voting age should be lowered, in front of the Committee. It was a very memorable experience to see activism up close, and speak about a topic that I recently started learning more about. Personally, I agree with all of Mr. Low’s arguments. 18 year olds are in a state in transition and have so much more to worry about while entering college, so voting becomes their last priority. If we want more voters, we must catch them while they are still connected to their communities, which means when they are 17. Also, they are definitely mature enough to make informed political decisions. I am part of my school's environmental club, the Greenkeepers. This club was started in 2012, when a group of middle schoolers successfully saved three 50–year old trees that were scheduled to be cut down by writing letters, and attending and speaking at numerous School Board meetings. We were even featured in the San Jose Mercury News article titled Activists Get Lesson in Democracy. Now, we are 50 students strong team and regularly engage in environmental community services. I am the youngest member of the Campbell Youth Commission, where we introduced a Social Host Ordinance to crack down on underage drinking and drug abuse. Last summer, I attended a Model United Nations camp where we learned about immigration reforms, and even had a mock parliamentary debate. And, I’m not the only one; there were almost 500 students that attended the Model UN camp and we have 15 Campbell Youth commissioners and as many, if not more, in other cities. Recently, youth commissioners from Campbell, Cupertino, and Saratoga cities organized Pizza and Politics event where we discussed topics like gun control, higher education, LGBT, and creepy clown menace with city mayors and district 15 candidates. If my peers and I can debate on such important topics, and ordinances, then we can definitely make a mature decision when it comes to voting, because in the end, it affects our own future.

I do understand that there is some resistance to lower the voting age because some feel that 17-year-olds lack civic sense. However, instead of just shunning the idea, we should empower teens. That is why Mr. Low also proposed bill AB189, which adds a service learning component to high school curriculum to prepare teens for voting. Just like when new technology (smart devices, social media, etc.) came out, no one knew how to use them. But instead of just getting rid of them, we embraced them. In fact, other Campbell Youth Commissioners and I hosted "Teens Teach Tech" event where we taught the elderly how to use technology. Quoting Confucius, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” If we want to enhance teens' civic engagement, we need to take the next step. 17 year olds hear about the elections, some see it, but they won’t understand it until they actually participate in the process. So, the main point is to embrace the change, get ready for it, and be part of the process.

In my view, it is extremely important to have the voting age lowered to 17. At this age, we pay taxes, we are mature, can make informed decisions, will be able to contribute to the society and shape our own future. I would definitely like to vote when I’m 17!

If...

If  we did not put our soldiers’ lives at stake,

They would be safe, and our hearts would not ache.

If we would have used words instead of guns,

We could have saved our country’s sons.

If now we understand that war is not the key,

We can start our call for humanity.

If  we understood that keeping animals in captivity is bad,

We would not have to see them miserable and sad.

If we hadn’t just closed our eyes,

We would realize that captive animals painfully die.

If now we all can be true animal lovers,

We can do something so animals won’t suffer.

If  we could understand that domestic violence leaves much more than bruises,

We could stop people from being so abusive.

If we would have dialed 911 in time,

We could have stopped a heinous crime.

If now we all take a stand,

We can stop domestic violence from plaguing our land.

If  we realize that drugs are not a solution to depression,

We can stop them from becoming an obsession.

If we can stand-up to the peer pressure for smoking weed,

We can stop drugs from being a need.

If now we can become the support system for everyone,

We can stop drugs from killing us one-by-one.

If  stereotypes weren’t perpetuated by society,

Everyone could have their own personality.

If we didn’t have certain expectations,

Everyone could have different aspirations.

If now we don’t judge or categorize,

Stereotypes will diminish, and we won’t have to live by lies.

If  there were no radicals to begin with,

Then terrorism would just be a myth.

If we would have sorted things out orally,

We could all live morally.

If now we forgive and forget,

We can live without a threat.

If  we are all together to end this disgrace,

We can, and will make the world a better place,

For birds, animals and the entire human race.

Be Strong, Be Courageous, Be Pink

As I always say, “There is no such thing as too much pink.”

I have a pink room, pink clothes, pink supplies, pink everything, and this is the way it has been since the beginning of time, and it fits right in with my personality.

Pink, as I’m sure you’re aware, is a combination of red and white. It contains the action and energy of the color red, while also having the purity and maturity of the color white. It is a perfect blend between both colors, and represents me as a human being very well. When I am more proactive, a darker shade of pink would portray me better, and when I am calm, a lighter shade would describe me.

Pink is a delicate color that represents sweetness and femininity. Pink denotes friendship, harmony, and approach-ability. This represents me well, because often my friends find me easy to talk to when seeking comfort, and will almost never find me tangled up in drama.  Pink is also the color of universal love of oneself and of others. People who like pink are sensitive to the needs of others, along with being accepted and loved as their own greatest need. This might explain why I enjoy seeing people happy, especially when I am the reason for it; and also equally like when I’m showered with love.

Color pink takes its name from the flower Dianthus, which is commonly known as carnation, or pink. Even though pink got its name from “the pink” flower, it is often associated with other pink flowers like pink roses, lily, pink tulips and the Japanese cherry blossom. Whichever the flower is, they all spread fragrance and makes this world a beautiful place.

Pink is often used to stereotype girls as being soft and feminine. Yes, I am caring; I am sweet; I am sassy; I am lively; I am confident; I represent beauty and grace with inner strength and power, and I am every bit proud of being a girl.

Quoting Miley Cyrus, “Pink is not a color, it’s an attitude!”