by Noura Wafeek Syam
Being different is always a challenge; however, it reflects your uniqueness and your contribution to the world and humanity. We all as human are different, different in character, attitude, culture, religion… etc. This difference enriches us and make our journey in life more interesting and challenging at the same time.
Although we know our differences and uniqueness, some people decide to own this and present it and be open about it because it simply identifies who they are and their mission in life. Others choose not to present this difference, their special power. Both decisions determine how our life will be, the level of awareness that we need to reach to really make a different and well-informed decision to face the challenges we will face, and how to reach our inner peace that will allow us make contribution in this life.
Choosing to be engaged and play role in armed conflict, post conflict state building as a mediator, a military person, humanitarian workers, it is one of these chooses. It is a tough choice because you see the humanity in its worst form because of the conflict and the atrocities. You see it as well in its utopian form when people come together to save one person’s life and to draw a smile on their faces.
In the IPSI Symposium, I interacted with several people who choose to be different, to contribute to humanity and to fulfill their mission in life on their own way. They shared their experiences and their ambition and how they think they could help to make our world a better place. This uniqueness and difference enriched my soul and my thinking. However, this interaction was not a smooth ride, unillustrated the complexity of uniqueness and differences. In other words, although people share the same interest and passion, when they come to gather to listen and to work is not easy and simple as you may think. It is a journey, in which you decide to work with your ego, culture sensitivity and your personality to be willing and to be ready and open to this experience and what will result from it.