Uplifting One Another (United Nations Celebration 2018)

     Every year, we are given the privilege to celebrate United Nations (UN) to commemorate our oneness with other nations in building a better place for all of us to live in. Behind our general presumption of what UN is all about, what we do not know is the fact that there is a theme used for its annual celebration. For this year, coinciding with the celebration of the 70^th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the theme is "Coming together with those furthest behind to build an inclusive world of universal rights and dignity."

     This year's theme is rather profound than comprehensible, at first glance. We can decipher it only if we highlight the most important words included in it. First, let us point out 'universal rights'. Universal rights cover a diverse set of rights that will benefit mankind. They are inclusive of human rights where everyone is treated equally, regardless of one's social status. Second, there is 'dignity' which encompasses self-respect and self-esteem, among others.

     From these two words, we also highlight another set of terms that we should imbibe. The first one is 'equality', the real reason behind why we work with other nations to bridge the gap in everyone's lives. Through UN, we learn to reach out to our less fortunate brothers and sisters in various communities. We start from very little yet well-appreciated efforts in places where we live in. From how we affect and touch lives, we become one in spreading equality to all human beings.

     We have also understood that 'self-respect' is important in achieving the goal of this year's theme. Self-respect allows us to be the better people that we should be. When we learn to assert our rights, we dignify ourselves without putting other people down. We become the persons that we should be with our understanding and practicing of self-respect.

       Last but not the least – there is a mention of 'self-esteem'. Asserting our rights will not be possible unless we have the self-esteem to fight for it. We will not be able to further our goals in building a better world unless we start building our own selves, becoming a foundation in our own homes, and translating things further to our own communities.

    With all these said, we are now given the chance to build the bridge that will help us come together with other people in our community. We eradicate poverty, one of the causes of death in a nation's progress, by learning to value equality, self-respect, and self-esteem. Together, we must embrace all these things in the hope that one day, we can uplift not just ourselves but all others in the world that we live in.