"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."
Every week I come across dozens of quotes and settle on one favorite quote of the week. This one was by Voltaire. I wasn't a sad child, I wasn't depressed, cutting myself, or starving myself, but that doesn't mean I'm happy or that I ever have been 100% happy. I'm not a stereotypical figure such as a satanic Goth or a permanently stoned hippy floating my way through high school. I am not "lost" or "wandering", I am inquisitive, insightful, and curious. Quotes that other students require their teachers to explain to them hit me quite easily. The way I see it, It's not always about what the author wants you to understand but what your perspective on it is. There is no wrong or right idea of what quotes mean, It's solely how it makes you feel and how it makes you think, or look at things differently because that sentence or two has shun a whole new light on life for you.
What does that quote mean to her anyways?, I'm sure you're pondering right about now. To me it means, that our society is so quick to shun anyone automatically who has committed the sin of murder. They are "monsters", "cold-hearted", and sometimes even "mentally- unstable". But to our society, killing innocent people in third world countries in order to "keep America safe", will always be okay. We have grown up in a nation where we are brainwashed into believing that everything we have done to others, not only benefits us but them too. Bombing other countries is "oh so necessary" because it is our manifest destiny to help other countries realize the benefits of having a democracy. Seems like a valid reason, but is it ever reasonable for us to hurt someone in order for them to understand where we are coming from? We may act like we care but we don't honestly give a crap.
We're living in a world where if two people die in the bombing of the Boston marathon it's a freaking cataclysm to every American but when 260 people die in Bangladesh it's insignificant to the majority of us. You can tell yourself that it's because they're so far away that we don't have to resources to find out what's happening in other places. Yet coincidentally, America has always had enough resources to kill people in those third world countries. We are so selfish and uninformed; we should be embarrassed of ourselves. As Americans, we take pride in showing no shame because it makes our prides and our lovely nation stronger. As you can see, humans depend on quotes to find reasoning with their thoughts. Reading someone else's opinions helps you to formulate and organize your own. It is only human nature to need confirmation on our thoughts and emotions.
Therefore, I am not just any other 15 year old girl whom is never afraid to make nasty statements about the country that she has been raised in all her life, but I am a 15 year old girl who is willing to realize our flaws.
