Why should Americans - like you - help civil rights reformers in the Middle East?

Admission essay

America , for many , is still the land of milk and honey despite the economic recession . For many , it is still a land of opportunities , of where you can make your dreams come true , of freedom . A lot of us especially those born here , have experienced firsthand America 's bountiful harvest . It is no wonder therefore that struggling for human rights is an alien concept to us

Early on , we have been taught what our human rights are as children right to a name , to be given a nationality , to enough

rest and recreation , to have adequate food , shelter , clothing , etc . We have also been taught that we have a right to demand these rights , that keeping these rights from us is an illegal act . However , when we learn about our rights , we learn of them in a vacuum . We learn what they are , how many there is , but not for what reason or what comes after this . We learn of them without a context

Funny as it looks , but it seems as if we are alienated to these rights because we have not yet been put in a position where we have to fight tooth and nail for our rights , unlike in other countries such as those in the Middle East . We of this generation did not have to fight for women to be able to wear pants . We did not have to fight for our education . We did not fight for suffrage . These rights that are the cornerstones of democracy , we inherited these rights from our forebearers who did fight for them

This explains our apathy towards human rights , especially human rights of people living half a world from us . Even if blatant human rights violations are being recorded left and right in the Middle East , we do not even lift a finger to do something . Not only does this reflect our attitude towards our brethren in the Middle Eastern countries , it also reflects our poor understanding of human rights

Human rights are unalienable to the people 's dignity . These rights assure that we are humans , and that we treat other people as humans They reflect that each individual is unique , special and able to give something of worth to society . Therefore , these rights are not bound to one country or race only : it is for all humanity . To fight for these rights is not an extraordinary act of goodwill . Fighting for it is a sign of solidarity with the whole human race

These people are in some sense , helpless . Therefore , we must do all we can to help them . In times like these , we must take sides . As Elie Wiesel , a Holocaust survivor , said , I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation . We must take sides . Neutrality helps the oppressor , never the victim Silence encourages the tormentor , never the tormented . Sometimes we must interfere ' Even being apolitical is a stand : you stand with the status quo , you side with...