Selfish and Ignorant

NOTE: Sorry! I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I quite literally took a shower and passed out right after. Which was about 10:30, and that's extremely weird because I'm a "night owl" (Hedwig II anyone?). Anyway, on with the blog!

I look around my school cafeteria today, and I don't think I've ever realized how separated everyone was before. All into their own little worlds containing their vain melodramatic problems, unimportant information that doesn't concern anyone but themselves, and thoughts that don't show a care in the world about anyone suffering outside of their small protect bubble.

I can only imagine what is racing through their minds at that moment: family, friends, love, sex, parties, college. For the select few that carry other burdens, I tip my imaginary hat to them. Job well done guys, you're not being superficial! Cheers! But I'm not one to judge, for I have lost my way, where my morals stand and became just a superficial (and trivial) teenage girl. With nothing other to look forward to then shopping on a Saturday afternoon or drama-filled sleepover for Friday night. At one point, I was concerned with no one other than myself, my problems and my dreams. My very own love dilemmas and melodramatic quarrels that will end in an hours time. I considered my ignorance to be blissful, I only had to just simply reach my goals; and make sure no one back-stabbed me in the process.

In the past year or so, I've found my way again. I know what my morals are, how far I can push myself and how far I'm willing to go to achieve what I want. Within the past year, I've found parts of myself. Albeit, I still haven't found my whole self; but I'm working on it. However, as I've been on a journey of epic self discovery, I'm not at all comfortable with making myself out to be like a poster-child for change and teenage self discovery.

My confessions today, I'm selfish and ignorant.

As I've been discovering myself, worrying about my "love troubles" and wanting to escape high school by graduating early; I came to a realization that I've been turning a blind eye to the world and the happenings around me. I'll be the first to admit: I, Angelia Simeti, am ashamed of myself for not opening my eyes (so to speak) and seeing the world for what its come to be. People dying, whether it be by people or epidemics. Money flying out of our hands and into the wind, people losing their homes because of that. Everyone fighting with each other over the stupidest things. The one major problem that I'm still stuck on is, someone like you or myself is being killed by another human being as I type this. That ladies and gentlemen is called genocide.

Let me say, I am not stupid by any sense of the imagination. Quite the contrary, my intellect is actually great for a person my age. I'm fully aware that everyday someone dies. At one point in everyones lives, they will die. It's a natural part of the "Circle of Life" (Lion King reference if anyone caught that!). But, I had no idea that mass genocide was still happening in the modern day world. Sure, I've heard about genocide happening from a couple of years ago and from decades ago as well; but subconsciously I thought that all those problems were solved already. I was wrong, EPIC wrongness.

With that being said, I knew very little about what happened in Rwanda (I was only two) and what is happening in Darfur right now. To say that I had an idea would be an understatement that I am not particularly proud to make. What really got me was what is happening in Northern Uganda and Congo right now. Children are being abducted from their beds and their homes and forced to become child soldiers. People my age, seventeen, have done terrible things against their will. Things that I couldn't even fathom in my wildest nightmares.

This all started Easter sunday morning, I was completely sleep deprived (I blame fanfiction and my unusual sleeping habits, given the fact that I was on Spring Break for the whole previous week). My eyes were sore from reading a long fanfiction, I decided to quickly go on the HPA "Common Room" on the ning social network before finally going to bed (c. 6am). Never thinking for one measly second, that one blog by a college girl in the UK would change my life forever.

Having recently become more heavily involved in the HPA, I naturally started friending people on the ning. I friended so many people at this point that I couldn't tell people apart who they were and what they did something around the site (that got updated minutely). This girl Lizzy posted a blog titled: "Calling Harry Potter to the Rescue". Of course having those words formed in such a way I decided: "Oh what the hell, I'll just give it a quick read, and comment on it. Then I'm off to bed." Lizzy changed my whole life, and I sincerely mean that. I read about the horrors she described in her blog post, and what is happening on April 25th, 2009. A rally to free those children that have been abducted by "abducting yourself".

Now, I won't go into details here (maybe next blog post) but after having read her blog post, I immediately went the website she provided kindly (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/). Then I continued on to read about the organization, its past projects, their mission and finally I watched the documentary the three young film-makers who run Invisible Children made. And I was pulled in willingly. I cried, I smiled and I even got so frustrated and angry that I had to put the video on pause and calm myself down. After watching the documentary and knowing enough about Invisible Children, I didn't hesitate to blog about it on the HPA ning.

Within a day or two, someone by the username of Shillelagh82 commented my blog (after Lizzy of course) and asked if she could post my blog on the site. Of course, I said yes, and for her to completely go for it, to spread the awareness of the cause! What I didn't realize was that she was posting it on the MAIN SITE. You can just guess my shell shocked demeanor when I opened up HPA to see my blog as the first headline of news. I was all smiles the rest of the day! The feed back I got from other HPA members was incredible. I expected to people to start catching on after having me bombard them with event invites, comments and discussion topics. I was floored, people are so inspirational sometimes! It's amazing!

My solution to my confession, I'm going to do pour my energies into more important and pressing matters instead of trivial things. I WILL NOT give up on these kids without a damn good fight!

I must go, I've been writing this for what seems like forever!

TTFN!