Dear Panem

District 3

Dear Panem,

Imagine if you have lived in a world where everything you have ever wanted was handed to you on a silver platter, where you didn't have to do any work. Hell, you didn't even have to get your lazy ass off of that seat! You just had to wait for thousands of people to do all the work for you so you could get the things you want. Sounds heavenly, doesn't it? Imagine if this utopia only existed if you lived in the governing areas. Those living in groups called 'districts' had to work endlessly just to survive and feed themselves and their families for a week. They were to receive no awards for all the effort they had put in to allow the rulers to live in luxury. These workers weren't even allowed to use their own resources to solve problems in the districts including hunger and poor hygiene, but this didn't matter to a group of people who are supposedly caring for the nation. Imagine if this angered the workers to the point where they felt the need to grab their guns, and their bows, and their bows and arrows, and their spears, and fight against these so-called 'governers'. Imagine if this cry for help caused a retaliation that led to the destruction of people's homes and the deaths of thousands of innocent people. Does this world still sound heavenly?

What if I told you that this 'fantasy' is an actuality? It is happening right here in Panem, at this very moment. We are marching up to the Capitol with our guns and our spears, shouting, "We've had enough!", yet they still refusing to listen. Instead, firebombs drop hospital full of pitiful citizens in dire need of help but get the complete opposite in return, and the homes of many people, who now have nowhere to be protected from the dangers of the outside world. Is this what we are truly fighting for? Do you not remember the last rebellion we had? Were our wishes granted? Unless your wishes were to see thousands people lose their lives, or for an uprising of the Hunger Games, or to see the living standards of districts drop, then I do not expect 'yes' to be an answer from anybody!

Being from District 3, I know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that a rebellion is far from a good idea. Long ago, the residents of this district were living just like those in Districts 1 and 2, claiming just under 2000 in tesserae and having everything we needed to keep us alive. The first rebellion came, and that all began to change in a matter of months. We began to see our living standards drop closer and closer to those in Districts 10 and 11. If we continue this battle, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we will be seeing the districts falling into the same trap we fell in. 

This war has only begun and we have already seen the mass destruction of District 12, as if they haven't suffered enough, and the bombing of a hospital filled with many loved ones in District 8. Do you want this to spread throughout the entirety of Panem? If you are saying 'yes' to a second rebellion, then your answer to my last question must also be 'yes' because that is all that we will get from engaging in a battle with a higher power.

It is understandable to me that the districts would be enraged at the fact we put in as much effort as we can, every minute of every day our lives, just so we can get nothing as a reward. In fact, this angers me a lot more than most people would think. However, I still believe that we need to put down our weapons and ask for a solution without utilising the act of violence. Otherwise, we might see a return of the Hunger Games, if not, something worse. I highly doubt anybody wants to see that happen again!

Kieran.