Op-Ed

Peace. Something everyone can agree on wanting. Ask anyone and they would agree that they would like for everyone to get along. However, this is one of, if not the, hardest things that our society will be able to achieve. And people may ask why something that sounds so simple is so hard to come by. The reason is the selfishness that all humans have to put themselves ahead of everyone else. What is being said should not be misunderstood, because it is not like everyone will outright kill each other to get what they want, but it also should not be taken lightly.

            Humans are naturally selfish and greedy, and with that comes the desire for power. Society imprints into everybody’s minds that they are supposed to come out on top, not letting anyone get in the way. Sometimes, it is good to have competition, though, like winning a race or getting that promotion that they deserve. However, there are some people who take it to the next level and totally sever themselves from their family and friends and become completely dehumanized to the point where nobody recognizes them. They will do things such as slander the opposing person or even physically hurt someone just to get what they want. This selfishness gets the better of them and can be detrimental to themselves and others in the long run, causing much unneeded conflict and hate between people.

            To a much greater extent, there are people such as Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi who will stop at absolutely nothing to get what they want. Back in the 1960’s Qaddafi was seen as a war hero to all the people of Libya for liberating their country from the monarchy that everyone wanted gone. Qaddafi became the leader from then on, with people gladly embracing this new change. However, forty years time in office can change someone and it definitely did for Qaddafi. It is apparent that the power has gotten to Qaddafi’s head and the people of Libya cannot stand his presence in office anymore, as can be clearly seen by this huge uprising of the people. There has been massive bloodshed by both parties all because they feel that this greedy, selfish person should not be in office anymore, and Qaddafi will do anything in his power to keep it that way.
            It is apparent that to keep everyone from tearing at each other’s throats, there needs to be a reasonable resolution that everyone can agree on. A good start would be for everyone to start helping out friends and family with small things then work their way to strangers that may also need help. This can even branch out to a larger scale with community service or even opening up shelters for unfortunate families. An even greater scale would be to become a prominent figure in society that can help everyone with greater means that can make a huge difference in everyone’s lives. The main thing that people need to keep in mind is to be less selfish and more giving, so everyone can get along and live in harmony together.