Manspiration 2016 by Vania Chow

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By Vania Chow, 12, Shatin College
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For Brovember, Young Post asked our readers to tell us about a man who inspires them. This could be their father, brother, uncle, teacher, or even someone they've never met, like US President Barack Obama or Canto-pop musician Eason Chan. Here is one of the entries we received, in their own words ...

By Vania Chow, 12, Shatin College |
Published: 
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As humans, we’re judged according to our genders. All over the world, men are viewed on a different level than women, and whether it’s religiously, achievement-wise, character wise, some even render them perfect, flawless, all mighty.
 
Yet in all rumours, lies, exaggerations and stories, there is truth, the slightest hint of reality embedded into them. There are 7 billion humans on Earth and over 3.5 billion of them are men, and I believe that even though their name, reputation, image is often tarnished by some’s actions, of sexism, of racism, of violence and disrespect. 

There are men worth recognising, men working 24 hours a day to make the world a better place. And these men who clean up our footprints and fix our mistakes on the world don’t nearly get enough attention, they don’t get enough recognition and praise. 

Therefore I would like to use this chance to express my gratitude, my admiration and honor these men. “I think he’s an actor!” one shouts. “He must be an astronaut!” another shouts. The room erupts into laughter. And I? I shake my head in disgust. How could they? It was despicable, they rudeness, their sarcasm, their comments.

“He was an Argentinian revolutionary physician, author, leader, diplomat and military theorist,” I shout, in one last desperate attempt to inspire them. They snicker in response. “And his name was Che Guevara.” The room finally ceases to a hushed silence. “Che Guevara loved humanity, he witnessed the suffering, the poverty, the starvation, the injustice, we all did. 

We all witnessed the darkness of humanity and what do we do? We sit here, dawdling, stalling, procrastinating , but unlike us, Che Guevara didn’t just turn a blind eye on it, he threw his life into the churning vortex of humanity, he stood up and said 'I don’t care if I fall as long as someone else picks it up and keeps on shooting.'” The room sat now in complete silence. “He was an inspiration to many, he still is. 

Che Guevara was and is a symbol, of change, of hope, of cultural revolution. But I think he deserves more than a title, more than a symbol, he deserves recognition, he deserves a special place in our hearts. You might not agree, we might not see eye to eye, but I believe he definitely deserves recognition for willing to fight for change, willing to give up stability and stereotypes for a better world, a better world for us.
 
Men are a constant inspiration to others, yet also a disgrace to some. We can’t let ourselves to be be submitted, be confined, be conformed to some of the disrespect, dishonesty, disgraces of your gender, of your type. Together we shall rise up, we shall learn from our mistakes and continue to inspire, motivate and help each other. 
 

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