After I graduated from high school, I had no idea what careers appealed to me. Out of my eager desire to explore foreign cultures, regimes, and international relationships, I had an intense curiosity to deepen my knowledge in the international field. I needed to be directed to the right path to use this whole accumulation of knowledge and enthusiasm wisely. Unsure of which career to pursue, I decided to get help from someone more knowledgeable about the matter at hand, a law professor who also happens to be an acquaintance of mine, since I barely knew about career prospects, employment opportunities, and so on. As far as I can remember, the first moment I decided to embark on a law career was that day with the professor, who profoundly impacted my life. He told me how there has always been a need to uphold a peaceful society and for people to know right from wrong. This need is here to stay, and there will also always be a need for legal systems, as otherwise societies will be doomed to drift into a state of chaos.
This conversation with the professor has changed my viewpoint, broadening my horizons about the universality and importance of law to maintain everyday life.
I can still remember how I was elated over the moment I learned that I was accepted into one of the most prestigious and qualified universities in law across the country. I thought that there was indeed such thing as justice and human rights, as opposed to Clarence Darrow, a famous American lawyer claiming that there is no such thing as justice - in or out of court. And I believed that I would secure justice as much as possible, assuming that I was the right person sent upon this job.
Not long after, I was rather caught off-guard by the pain of realizing the truth that neither governments nor societies could have arrived at absolute fairness throughout history. Still, all human beings are only striving to achieve the highest degree of justice, introducing various legal systems and evolving them for the better. The events I encountered every day in the college, streets, and the news I heard on TV were proof of the judicial system's failure. As political disorders and corruption happening on a daily basis were evident, sometimes people were forced to take illegal actions to be assigned to high positions. I could see in great disappointment how theoretical knowledge and practical application were the opposite of each other by witnessing all this injustice.
After mulling over this topic thoroughly, I made my decision to tread a path in international law.
I was amazed by the lack of qualified academic staff in this field in my country. I firmly believed that we should be represented on the international platform in the best manner as a developing country. Since this was a national matter, it was an honor, indeed.
As time went on, I further developed my existing passion for a variety of domains as well. Having participated in a student organization based in our school, which runs volunteering projects in numerous areas, I can say that the experiences I have had in this association have been transformative, to say the least. This community's main object was helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as people with disabilities, orphans, children dwelling in rural areas and facing poverty, etc.
After taking part in various branches of the organization, I'd like to point out that one of the most significant things which have shifted my perspective on many topics was visiting juvenile delinquents aged 10-15, who have committed minor crimes and been kept in prison for a while. Although it is called tutoring, the main goal was visiting them in their places and showing them that there is another life awaiting them to live after getting out of prison. I have visited Sincan Juvenile Prison, located one and a half hours away from the city center, and mentored these children every week for one year. My friends and I forged an incredible connection with these children by sharing their burdens and inspiring them; moreover, we received letters from some of them after our visits came to an end because of our exam period. Even if we were only supposed to tutor them in Maths and Geography, we were able to touch their souls by making them feel valued and supporting them to take heart and gain self-confidence. When some of them came and told me that they are going to study law just like me, I came to realize how inspiring and vital what we accomplished had been. Afterwards, I took charge in the other part of the same community. This time our visit was to orphan girls aged 10 to 18. These girls were abandoned, or they could never have a chance to find their families, and they already gave up on looking for them a long ago. Whenever we went there, they would give us big, tight hugs as if they'd never let us go. It was apparent that these children's only wish was to be loved, and I would be very moved to see them expecting these feelings like love and care they yearn for from such strangers. During my way back home, I would think of them sometimes by being grateful for how lucky I am and sometimes questioning if there is a solution for their problems.
All these non-academic experiences have stimulated my interest in law and given me a purpose in life. My belief in securing justice kindled once again. I came to realize that I would do anything for all these children worldwide to reintroduce them to society, help them, and instill hope.
As time goes by, the desire for showing myself in every possible area has grown. My lack of overseas experience was evident, which is necessary for doing something internationally, then my curiosity for traveling and exploring new cultures sparked again, leading me to save up some money and go abroad. To see what I could do, I began working in cafes as a waitress for a meager salary while studying at the same time. It was a big challenge for me as it was the very first time I funded my costs by myself through all my life. During this period, I became very impressed that virtually every nation in the world tried to provide the same justice using different legal systems and even religions, attributing them legal properties. I became engaged in the history of religions and went to Italy in no time; the beautiful geography where the foundations of Roman law were laid was fascinating in every sense. I searched and saw what I was curious about, and I was alone while doing that. Even though Italy's legal system is similar to that of my country, both Civil Law, I noticed how different they are overall, and this distinction stems from the countries' general values, customs, and histories. When I came back to my country, I was sure that I wanted to further examine these differences. I took recognizing these differences as a mission, applying the positive aspects to our system, and reducing the unfair practices to some extent. My relevance to the various legal systems, and therefore to international law was thus reinforced.
To represent my country in the international arena and serve humanity in the best way, I must study abroad in a country with a robust legal system. As humanity, I believe that taking significant steps to reach the best legal system by discussing and learning is the only possible way.
Your story is really interesting and inspiring as well! I also think it's essential to have a robust legal system to asure the stability of any country. I've been thinking about the importance of a solid legal systems due to all the scandals related to corruption and mismanagment that occurred in my country lately.
The pleasure is all mine as you read my article all the way up to the end.! Thank you! @MaxGerman. I believe the legal systems take an important role in maintaining the welfare in a country. I guess that unfortunately, these all corruptions in the world will not come to an end. If it does, it would be a utopia instead of the world. So, the best thing that mankind can do may not be this, since we could not secure justice like that ensured by God. But I credit the idea of making better laws for welfare societies aswell.
Exactly, I like your analysis. It's impossible to create a world completely perfect, however there are different forms to contribute to the society, for instance: participating in NGO / Humanitarian organization as you've mention in the post. These kinds of projects will lead to a postive change in the community eventually.
Yes, exactly. Hopefully, we can help the world change positively, at least a little bit , by supporting the humanitarian organizations. Thank you for your feedback! It meant a lot to me, and I hope our paths cross one day! @MaxGerman
You're welcome! I enjoy to read articles about politics and other aspects of the society. I'll check out the rest of your posts later. Well, if you travel to Argentina someday we could meet up to have a coffee and converse about these kinds of topics haha.
Hopefully, I can drop in on Argentina one day! Thank you again! @MaxGerman