You can choose to blame your circumstances on fate, bad luck or bad choices. Or, you can fight back.

Malala Yousafzai, a 16 year old brave heart. A hero. She chose to fight back with courage and determination. Not hatred. As she addressed the United Nations on the 12^th of July, there wasn’t a hint of detestation for the people who shot her. She talked about how she had forgiven them for they were afraid. Afraid of what was in a book, afraid of what a child could do with education. I am sure that her words filled every single person watching, with hope. Hope for a better world. As I watched her calmly delivering her speech to the hundreds of delegates seated before her, and the millions watching from their homes, I felt inspired. I knew that she was going to change the world.

Unburden yourself from the mistakes of your past, and when you do, your heart grows stronger. ”Forgiveness” amongst many other qualities is what sets Malala apart from most people. I say most people because there are a fair number of people who are simply forgiving. Let’s be real though, would you forgive someone if they shot you. Malala did. That’s not what makes her great to me. Her ability to stand up and be courageous after  a fiasco like that, and to keep fighting for the cause no matter who wanted to stop her, that’s what makes her great. We live in the 21^st century. Do we still need to be worried about racism, gender and inequality? What we should be doing is fighting for a cause….together.  Malala is a person who can change the world! Why? Because she isn’t going to let the fame cloud her mind. She isn’t going to let it fog up the path to success. She spoke for peace, also for women. She boldly pointed out our positives. No matter what happens, the women of the world are going to be great. They are going to be independent and confident.

Many people may say that Malala’s  speech was of no use. They might have said that there was no use of just saying things when rather, we should be doing them. Let me ask those people; “what have you done?” if the answer is nothing, you need to understand that we all want to make a change in the world. We want to be successful on the journey that we are about to take. We are ready to set foot on the greatest expedition we have ever taken part in. But, there’s a small part of you hesitating, A tiny part of you wondering if it should be you who should start the journey.  Malala is just the same. Only, she had the courage to take the first step.

Malala is only going to become stronger, and so are we. She changed my life and showed me how important ones education is and how necessary it deems in all kinds of situations. If she can do it, so can we. Mistakes are a part of our lives. They will come and go. But, courage is something that no one can take away from you. That’s what Malala taught me.