It is absolutely remarkable to think of what a difference the color of a person's skin, or their geographic location on this giant rock we live on, can make in how we compare ourselves to one another. This concept really hit me in the diary entries from the students about a girl named Zlata. She was fifteen years old when she wrote a diary that eventually got published. She lived a life much like Anne Frank, hiding from those who wanted to kill her, not because of who she was, but because of the group that she represented. The students in Ms. Gruwell's class were so inspired by Zlata's bravery and strength, that they wrote her letters telling her how her story changed their lives and fundraised enough money to fly Zlata, her parents, and her best friend to America to meet the students and answer their questions about her incredible tale. When the students finally met their role model, they were shocked to discover how similar she was to them. One student wrote about how her and Zlata were wearing the exact same pair of shoes! She realized that they listened to the same music and that they actually had a lot in common. All of the students came to realize this rather quickly.
Zlata actually did an amazing job of putting this connection they had into words. In fact, she managed to put all of the human races's connection into words. This girl, who was only fifteen years old, was wise beyond her years. She had endured more pain and terror than anyone should ever have to, but she had come up on top. She let the hardships of her life help her grow into an incredibly insightful and motivational woman. In Diary Entry Number 47, one of the students was recalling the Question and Answer session Zlata held with these students and their parents. It's rather a long passage, but it really speaks wonders about her wisdom and the truth about the human race. She wrote that "a couple of adults asked her what ethnicity she was, Croatian? Muslim? Serbian? I was upset that instead of getting the message that she was trying to convey, they were too preoccupied with what nationality she was. Were these the same adults that preached how wrong racism and discrimination are? Were these the same people that a minute ago agreed that we shouldn't care about labels? Zlata looked around, stared at us, and simply said, ' I'm a human being.' "And there it is. There's the sad truth about the human race. Some people will never be able to see beyond race, religion, or origin to really see someone for who they are. As much as people like to tell the world that they hold no prejudices, that they could never discriminate and accept every person equally, most people still subconsciously fall to that default setting we have been taught of judging people based on their appearance or the stereotype they would fall into. Some people can't find it in themselves to really see all people equally. Some people, however, don't see those boundaries at all. Some people don't even notice a difference in appearance or a difference in backgrounds. These are the people that will someday make this world into a better place. I have faith that it is people like Zlata and the students whose lives she touched, that will transform the way people compare themselves to one another. I'm not saying that I expect every person on this planet to be able to respond the question of "what ethnicity are you" with the answer of "I'm a human being," but I do think with time, more will.
We are more similar than we let ourselves believe. Categorizing people into groups by their skin color is like categorizing them by their blood type or the length of their eyelashes. What does that have to do with who they are as a person? Where is the logic in separating people into groups by factors they have no control over? It makes no sense at all. There is only one logical group. We are human beings. Each and every one of us. We all belong in that group together. Why is this such a difficult concept? Why is it so hard for people to except this equality? What makes us feel the need to separate ourselves into a select group of individuals that are superior all others? Why can't people accept Zlata's message?
We are all human beings.
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