I Have a Belief

I dealt with the majority's hate my entire life. I have been bullied about everything in my life. I was not good enough because I was born a girl. My hair was too curly. My accent, my beliefs, my clothes, my look, my thoughts, my voice, my name, and so on-the list is too long. I understood that some people are always looking for a reason to hate "the different" and create enemies. It is easy to hate and fall into the bully-hatred trap, but it is bravery to resist the wave of hate without becoming one. I want to teach my kids to accept themselves and others the way they are and care less about what people think of them. Children bring back home everything they hear and see around them. Parents cannot overprotect their kids or isolate them from the outside world. Instead of teaching them to hate and become a bully, we can teach them to accept themselves and others. We can teach them that being different is not a crime. It took me massive effort throughout the years to resist such hate and turn my pain into a challenging journey. Some people think I am very confident, but it is a belief. I have a belief that no one is better than anyone despite how highly people think of their culture, religion, skin color, nationality, gender, and themselves, and I am not better than anyone.

-- Zatar زعتر