If you have the opportunity to do something, take it
- Mike Kahkwetwew | January 31, 2015
Youth Speak this month is brought to you by Mike Kahkwetwew from Beardy's & Okemasis Willow Cree Nation. He is seventeen and currently in grade 12 at Constable Robin Cameron Education Complex, the youth rep for his Nation and a future First Nation University of Canada student. Here are his thoughts.
All the fellow young people, my relations. I've come to write a message. I really don't know what I am supposed to be writing about, but today I will be writing something rather enlightening. I want to introduce thought in my fellow young adult’s minds, assisting in keeping idealism to assume the position of being the creative natives we truly are and fighting for the balance in the different paths we all walk.
For each day, we wake up and get out of bed. Do we even acknowledge our existence of being here? Do we remember we are First Nations? Or, do we just wake up and kiss the behind of society, trying to please the fads, gossip and perfectionism of human identity? I've often asked the elders if there was such a thing as world peace. They all sat quietly and thought, eventually coming up with one short answer "yup".
So being that I've taken on the challenge to think about what they have said, ultimately finding a conclusion that it's already here. We are just blinded by the human ways, especially how we tend to escalate things that aren't really that bad.
What do I mean? Well going back to society I guess we are taught in today's age to overreact, think about the big picture and even just to simply think about horrifying stuff that can lead from the little things, which is not likely to even happen. It's time to open our eyes and find ourselves, be the strong independent people we once were.
Education is important. Because I don't think we'll ever really hunt Buffalo, live in tipis and ride horses everywhere. In a way it may be a little of a colonized thought but you don't have to go full fledged living all contemporary. But at least living to support your fellow beings and using what treaty got us. Not so much to abuse the right either.
I believe we need to meet life half ways and start living it. Collecting welfare won't live for us either. Don't get me wrong, I do understand the struggle and the difficulties of having nothing. I too grew up like that, living on the Rez.
But now today me and my family are slowly getting up out of depression and reawakening. But the reason education is so important is because not only is it going to help find a career path it can also be used to help our home communities and to be helpful in the sense to fighting injustices to our people.
I understand the fact that university schooling is not for everyone. What my uncle told me is that a degree or diploma will not define me as a human being. Meaning that I can still be successful even if I don't do such, but at least still utilizing your lifetime dedicated to something. "Be creative" he said. Write a book, write poems, do beadwork or go for a jog.
Do we really have time to feel sorry for ourselves? You know I use to be utmost lazy. Sit around watch T.V or play a video game. But today I live the way I want to live. I travel a lot. I go to Pow Wows and Round dances; I play stick games and moccasin games. But that's because it's how I like to live. And today I've noticed that me and my surroundings are all positive today.
So for each day we live, Do we give thanks? or do we simply want to kiss the behind of what doesn't truly matter? All, I'm trying to say, is if you have the opportunity to do something with yourself. then get up, Pasikoh, Ahkameyimoh, Ekwa. be the creative natives we truly are and find the enlightenment in yourselves to do what you got to do. be strong hearted Indigenous youth you are. I am a Young Nehiyaw man only seventeen years old. this is all I have to say for now, Thank you.
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