Script:
There are 7.753 billion people on this planet. That’s seven with nine zeros or just a big number. Yet, there’s only one of you. No person has come before you and no person will come after you with the same genetic make-up, physical characteristics, or personality… the list could continue. You are unique. You are perfect at being you, and that’s why I believe in the existence of a higher power.
The belief in a higher power is most rooted in religion, so when I reflect on my belief now, it’s no surprise that my belief is so firm. Much of my childhood was centered around religion. My parents were practicing Muslims, I attended private religious schools, study-abroad experiences, and Sunday schools. As a child, I couldn’t fathom the possibilities that the world boasted, but I was blessed with the comfort of knowing things just worked the way they were supposed to. When I turned on the faucet, clean water gushed out. When I looked in the fridge, there was food waiting for me, and when I reached in my secret hiding spot, there were skittles waiting to be eaten. Life was perfect.
As I grew, I was exposed to the cruel realities of the world. There were people who lived but didn’t appear to live in the same world as me. On my visit to Nigeria in 2008, I was astonished by the lack of things that seemed so commonplace in my world. There was no dependable Wi-Fi or electricity, food was a rarity to some, and many kids my age certainly did not have the luxury of a Skittle hiding spot. I was confused because to me, if there was a higher power, my world, a world I thought was perfect, would be everybody’s world. Although I didn’t know it then the exposure led me to question how it was possible for a higher power to coexist with such blatant disparities.
10 years later, the question regarding the existence of a higher power crosses my mind. However, with the 10-years of knowledge that I’m hoping I’ve developed through time, I’ve taken more of an introspective approach to the aforementioned question. I look at the blessing of something as simple as the collective human ability to sense and feel. I consider how vegetation is fertilized by the same rain, yet produces fruits of different tastes, colors, and sizes? Lastly, I return to the individuality of man.
There are 7.753 billion people on this planet. Yet, there’s only one of you. No person has come before you and no person will come after you with the same genetic make-up, physical characteristics, or personality… the list could continue. You are unique. You are perfect at being you, and that’s why I believe in the existence of a higher .