By Mehreen Mushtak (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
“I live in two worlds everyday, sometimes it feels the same, and sometimes completely different. In one world and I’m super happy, and in the other one, not so much. Sometimes both the surroundings bloom into beautiful gardens, sometimes only one does and sometimes none. One of the worlds is what people see, the other one is my world, where I am me. But no one knows that I have two worlds, they all feel they know me. I love how this works, I can crawl into mine whenever I want, and show the world whatever I want. And slowly my two worlds merge, and I am no longer afraid to be me in the ‘one’ world.”
That’s the best way I could have put it down. A small narration of how you can be yourself without fearing anyone. Everyone is unique and beautiful and no one can be like YOU. It can be frightening to be open sometimes, and I don’t mean share your life to the world like an open book, but be true to yourself and do what feels right to you. Today, a major problem seen in youth is of psychological nature, which shows up in the form of stress, depression, anxiety and so many other forms. Some go too far and harm the person themselves, where they keep feeling trapped or that they cannot live. This has led to an increase in suicide.
See how beautiful our religion is, giving us remedies and guidelines to live everyday life in the simplest and most beautiful manners. Praying 5 times to thank the Ever-lasting, the Creator, reciting du’a and supplications. If all of this is done with the presence of heart and mind, you will not need anything else to make you feel light and calm.
Just imagine how satisfying it would be to see the young generation of today, grow up to be a member contributing to the success and growth of the nation. This is a dream seen by many but only stays a dream when so many are affected by bullying, hatred, and harsh comments. Looking at the vast study in psychology today, it is clear that each person an individual interacts with affects his or her experiences. This can be in a positive or negative way. So when a dream breaks, how many people are responsible?
A lot of times, people are not comfortable with sharing any trauma or abuse they are going through and keep blaming themselves, crushing down their confidence and morale in everyday life. It is the duty of each and every person to make sure that when you interact with someone, the experience and memory left behind, is a positive one. That’s only when “slowly the two worlds will merge, and fear will vanish. And when this happens, I will be free, free again, to share my ideas, voice my opinions, and raise my thoughts. I will be free again to be me.”
