I don’t know where the past 4 years went. All I remember is that it was all just intense studying. But there’s something that jumped at me when I recently re-read my diary:

I’ve been passionate about human rights for a long time. I used to be an active advocate too. Humans shouldn’t be treated so despicably. And humans shouldn’t just stand back and watch these happen. I don’t want to be one of those people who turn a blind eye and pretend that all’s well in the world.

I don’t like feeling helpless and useless. I want to know that when I leave this world I had at least made a positive difference, however small.

When I was 16 I wrote this in my diary:

“I’ve been plagued by this question for a long time, and watching and reading issues about it didn’t help either: What can a 16 year old do to help change the world? I mean, I know I can’t really do anything big at this age. But where do I start? And how?”

You have no idea how much I am in the same position right now as I was 5 years ago. But it wasn’t always so.

No matter how busy I was I still tried to undertake at least 1 volunteer work per year. I did the Operation Christmas Child project in 2004 and 2005. I was part of a humanitarian society at uni called The CSU Social Justice Group in my first year. I was a volunteer for World Vision’s “One Life Experience” in Sydney Square in 2007. I volunteered as a graphics designer for Triumphant’s Refugee Week early last year, where I designed their poster. This list is not much: I know people who do truckloads more…

But what have I done since then? What have I done this year? Nothing, and I wonder why.

I haven’t lost interest in this at all. But have the burdens of uni work, unemployment, and family pressure forced me to be a zombie and not even care for something I used to be so passionate about?