The opprtunity of a lifetime: pick whatever- and whoever you want to take with you, and create a continent of your own. You dont have to pay any attention of the old laws and rules.
In the new society I created, everyone's equal, no matter where you're from, what your ethnic background is. Water and air is clean. School is optional and learning happens by creating and innovating. Theres no money as a payment; instead we exchange food, clothes, books and other items. We grow our own food and can marry (IF it even excists a instituion of marriage) who ever we want. Only ones actions towards others have a meaning in defining wether you are a good person or not.
Well, as you may allready have quessed, this is a hypotethical scene. Actually, it is a method out of a workshop that had refuge and human rights as a subject.
The idea behind it is to better understand, what goes on in peoples minds when they have to leave their homes and homecountries.
It is, in fact, something that we western people have a hard time imgeining at all. And on the other hand, that's just what we should be able to do in order to help others in need.
During this method excercise, we had the opportunity to choose the ten most important things we want to take with us. And that we did: we chose Coke and Hamburgers instead of democracy, warm clothes instead socialworkers. In a real situation, those we chose are not even options.
We are so used to comfortability, stability, peace and equality that I'm afraid we've lost a big part of our empathy scills. How can we see the violations of human rights if all we have here is opporunities?
We, in the western countries are NOT responsible of other peoples crimes and violations, but we ARE responsible to take care of eachother. In fact i think that the right to solidarity and being helped when your in need, should be added to the UN convention human rights.
We talk a lot of marginalisation here in Finland allso. By opening our eyes first here in our own country, we could allso create a new kind of inner caring ability and willingnes.
Then maybe, just maybe, we did'nt have to create a whole new continent, but instead make this world a better one for all of us with small steps. Starting from You.
So why wait until tomorrow? Open your eyes today, and see that the grass seems no greener on the other side if you take care of your own.
With solidarity and optimism, Ninnu
