Haven: My Ideal World

Being an idealistic person that I am, I have always wanted to change the world. I want to make the place we live in a haven where everyone is happy, safe, and has everything he/she needs. I pray that there will be no more wars, no more disputes. Everything is at peace; everybody loves each other. I even dreamed of being the president of my country, if possible, the leader of the world so I could impose rules and laws that would diminish criminals. I also wanted to take actions to solve poverty so everyone could receive equal rights regarding money, education, and social status.

After watching Death Note which is an anime that was about a smart and young guy who wants to make a “new world” where there are no crimes and everyone is safe from the evildoers, I realized that this goal is hardly attainable. I was a little frightened by my idea of the world as a haven. Probably the world may attain peace if there are no criminals but I did not want to be selfish like him and kill people. I would not like to be compartmentalized with my idea of better place and do evil things just to remove the people who do not fit in my ideal world. I realized that a person can be blinded by his/her goals. It is saddening that people will focus so much on one thing they would like to achieve and neglect all the things behind.

Last year, I also read the novels Flawed and Perfect that was about a committee of judges that brands people as flawed when they violate a rule. These books imply that their country will be a better place if they have rules that are more specific and detailed to the point a person becomes super careful of his or her actions. Reading these books, I also thought about my ideal world. Maybe there would be fewer criminals if there is such a rule like this in real world but I don’t think I would like people to live in fear. I have also thought that there should always be exceptions in every rule. It is not fair that a person will be condemned for a single mistake that he or she has done. I believe he or she has the right to be given chance to correct it.

Now that I am thinking about my ideal world after watching Death Note and having read Flawed and Perfect, I realized that not a single person or a group of people can change the world. As it was stated by Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” I agree that in changing the world, I have to start with myself. I believe being a better citizen of my country can make a minute change in the world but at least there is a step taken. Contemplating about it, it is not more rules that our world needs but kindness and honesty; these two virtues that we possess as human beings can be the keys for us to make this world a better place for all of us. Let this meaningful quotation from Rumi sink within us, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”