157. Reflect on these words of Dorothy Day: "No one has the right to sit down and feel hopeless. There's too much work to do." What is "the work to be done" for your generation, and what impact does this have on your future as a leader? Write a creative, reflective, or provocative essay. (University of Notre Dame)
We call it an evening walk, but really, it is a stroll below the moon, and a single star that shines through the mist of the city pollution. My father and I walk together. He is hurrying away while I desperately try to match his pace. His steps are almost twice as big as mine.
There is a river just below the path, and I can see how much it has shrunk in the past few years. It has a famous name, Bagmati, and flows in front of the temple of Lord Shiva, Pashupati Nath, which we are crossing right now. I remember coming here, to this temple, so many times when I was little. We used to race up the steps, my sister and I, until I got older, and moved far away, and could only visit so frequently. The temple is beautiful and so was the river, but now it is drying up. There is trash lying around and city lights obstructing its beauty under the moonlight. I sigh.
My father says we should turn back around now and head home. I see a bridge just ahead and ask him if you could cross it instead and walk on the other shore. We walk across. The bridge seems weak, wobbly. But I can trust the solid metal and the hundreds of prayer flags tied to the bars are equally reassuring. They have lost their colors, the bright red, green, and yellow. But they still hold the faith and prayers of all those who tied them to the bridge.
We cross the bridge in a matter of minutes. I follow my father down the steps. Next to the bridge is a large tree, and underneath that tree, there is a small group of people. They are huddled around the fire, trying to keep their hands from freezing. No central heating, no automatic heaters. Just a fire outside in the cold, under a plastic roof. I notice a woman serving tea to these people. What a way of survival.
I want to turn back around, to the other side of the path where three and big, old, safe trees. The buildings on this side of the shore and too overwhelming right now. I ask my father if we should turn around, and he instantly agrees. We both walk back, feeling a bit, well, awkward as we pass the same people.
We continue our walk back to our house under the moon. My father points out how writers and poets describe the moonlight as such an incredible phenomena. But, he said, when we look down at our path showered with moonlight, it's just the same old light with nothing so magnificent. I think to myself that maybe that's what's different about writers and poets. They see things differently.
We near our house when I see something a bright, yellow glow. As we come closer, I realize it is fire. They are burning trash. I stand there, stare at them, and many thoughts fly through my head. What pathetic people, what foolish beings, what unfortunate animals. They are hopeless. They cannot be taught, educated. I think about the time my sister, my helper, and I tried cleaning up that place. We picked up for hours and still, there was loads of trash left, from diapers to got knows what. They came, these people, to watch us. They stood their, murmuring amongst themselves. Nobody bothered to come help. Nobody thanked us from trying. And another six months later, it is the same.
I walk into my house. I think about the many things that are wrong in this country. Poverty has not let people of Nepal get an education to learn about the consequences of their careless actions. They do not know that these things are wrong to do. And even if they do, they do not bother making a difference, changing some of the things in life to make sure our country can become better. But, maybe it is too early to give up hope. I am still young, and maybe, in the near future, I can make some difference in my country. Make a difference for the better. I know my country needs it and I know I can do it together will all those people who want to help this country. That's why, there is still so much work to be done. We can't be hopeless because I know that Nepal will become a better place than it is today.
