I’ve been called idealistic way too many times because I dream of a country that is not poverty-stricken, an education system that does not deprive opportunity, a government that sets aside personal gain and a world where a sense of community is undeniable. Such vision does not mean that I do not acknowledge the reality in my country -- that there are over twenty million poor people, that a young student, unable to pay tuition, committed suicide because a state university would not permit her to attend classes and that my government is considered as one of the most corrupt in the world.

In earlier years, I have been taught that the gap between the rich and the poor continue to widen by the day. Feeling young and helpless, I saw the situation as something irreparable, something that society dictated, something that I can’t do anything about. I was made to believe that the most I can do is be thankful because I don’t have to worry about how to make ends meet.

— blogs.adb.org/blog