Thich Quang Duc

Can one person make a difference?

I believe every difference in the world is made up of one thing...courage. It takes one of courage to be able to confidently put themselves out there and bring forth their own ideas. Striving to be in conformity with society has become the norm. It is very rare to see someone who willingly acts a certain way to be alienated from society, but because of these rare occasions many historical differences have changed the world. Someone with courage does not care about the consequences when trying to prove a point. Therefore, being courageous is essential to making a difference in the world because it is easier to give up than continue, but I believe everyone has this courage to continue and make a difference.

An example of a courageous individual would be Thich Quang Duc in 1963.

Quang Duc was a Mahayana Buddhist who burned himself alive due to the victimization of his fellow Mahayana people by the Southern Vietnam government. Though you do not by any means have to kill yourself to be courageous, Quang Duc faced many negative consequences for his idea of Buddhism equality in Vietnam which made him so courageous. Quang Duc along with many other Mahayana Buddhist were being persecuted simply because their spiritual beliefs were a more mythological view of what Buddhism was. His self-immolation caught the attention of many. American President John F. Kennedy was emotionally affected by the story of Quang Duc and caused the Vietnamese president at the time Ngo Dinh Diem to declare an end to the persecution of his people. Quang Duc’s courageous act of change put a stop to religious oppression in Vietnam. If he did not have courage Mahayana Buddhist would continue to be mistreated by the Southern government in Vietnam. Mahayana Buddhist can live peacefully now because of Thich Quang

Duc.
Amber Rose is another person who comes to mind when I think of an individual changing the world. Rose is commonly known for being a stripper and according to stereotypes strippers are dependent on men, unintelligent and sleep with a lot of men. However, Rose is the owner of her own clothing/glasses line and is a hard working single mother. Due to all the negative stereotypes being thrown at her, she has started her own “Slut Walk” campaign in order to bring awareness to all the innocent girls who have been degraded because of what they wear, how they talk or what occupation they pursue. It takes a lot of courage to advocate for this idea because it is so easy to be argued against. However, she has proved to many women that men do not have the permission to treat them badly because of how short their skirt is or how low their shirt is. She has proved to many that “slut” and “hoe” are just words and they have no meaning. Rose has helped many girls gain the respect they deserved and helped many see their own worth.
Although it may be difficult I have learned from people like Quang Duc and Amber Rose that a difference starts with you. They have helped many across the world from oppression and degradation and they have helped me realized that one person can definitely make a difference in the world.