If you didn’t already know, Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani
activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. She
is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her
native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan,
where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.
Yousafzai's advocacy has since grown into an international movement.
On October 9th, 2012, while headed home from
school on a bus to her home in Pakistan, her bus was overcome by members of the
Taliban and she was shot point-blank in the head in an assasination attempt. It is incredible uncommon for
anybody to survive a gunshot to the brain, but she did just that.
On July 27th, 2016, I had the opportunity to go
see her speak at the Target Center in Minneapolis. At least that’s what I thought
I was going to see. I wanted to hear her story from her as I have not read her
book, unfortunately she only spent about ten minutes on stage by herself. The
rest of the time was consumed by a horrible news anchor type lady with a
horrible plastic face, ill-timed expressions, and repetitive questions. I only
say repetitive because after the first half-hour of questioning, Malala would
begin each answer by saying, “Well, as I’ve mentioned before…” And the
Questioner, as I will now call her because I can’t find any information on the
internet about her, spoke to Malala as if she thought she were a retarded
person. You know what it sounds like when somebody is being condescending when
talking to a stupid person on a T.V. show? Well, that’s what she sounded like
to me. My cousin Hannah and I agreed later that she sounded like Dianne Simmons
from Family Guy, and I mentioned during the interview that I thought Molly
Shannon could portray her on a Saturday Night Live skit.
So I had to glean the good from this performance, and listen
to what Malala was saying, not what she was being asked. Malala was a blogger
from the age of 11, writing her views from a Taliban occupied town. One thing
in particular she said regarding this, really stuck with me. You see, I’ve been
coming up with lint lately when it comes to blogging. Other than some positive
feedback for my fictional short-story, I haven’t felt good about much that I’ve
been laying down. Quite frankly, I kind of want to give it up, and I
have for a few months now. She said that she never knew until much later in
life-- after the shooting and her Peace Prize-- how much of an impact she had on
other women and girls not just in Pakistan, but all over the world, that were
living in territories that frowned upon females becoming educated. She said it
was all worth it if it helped even just one girl find the courage to speak up,
find her voice, and know that anything is possible for her.
Obviously our subjects are not even close in substance, but
I do know that some of the things I have written have effected people in a
positive way, and It’s not something I’m proud of, it’s something I’m grateful
for. I have a unique ability to be able to share my life story through words,
and people enjoy it, and possibly learn a life lesson or two that maybe they
don’t have to learn for themselves. I speak for thousands like me that haven’t
yet found their voice and someday I hope this blog gives somebody else the
courage to face their fears and know they don’t have to be ashamed of what they’ve
done anymore.
I’ll never win a Nobel Peace Prize, I mean, if I ever go
back to drugs there’s a chance I might try to steal one. But from now on,
whenever I’m clicking away at the keyboard, I’ll be thinking about how what I’m
typing could affect the still suffering addict and alcoholic out there who may
stumble their way across this blog.
In closing, I’m glad I had a chance to see a young woman
with such a fascinating story and positive outlook, I believe she was an
inspiration to many women and girls in the audience. She was also an
inspiration to at least one 37-year old man.
