“Your life is only worth living once you find something that you would DIE for.”  -Pastor Crute

I thought my Pastor was kidding when I first heard him utter these words. Life is too precious; why would anyone risk their life for a person, an aspiration, a cause, or even religion?  But at the time, I was young. There was nothing in my life that I thought I’d die trying to achieve. Now, I’m a few years older, a little bit wiser and I’ve discovered a few causes that I might die for. Healthcare inequalities is one cause. The others are kind of vague. I am passionate about making sure that people living with HIV/AIDS are treated fairly. I become aggravated when I hear that HIV patients aren’t treated fairly in the workplace or in social settings. I am also passionate about improving the quality of life of people in developing countries because truthfully, I don’t know how individuals in developed nations sleep at night knowing there are people across the Atlantic Ocean who can barely afford shelter, clothes, or even food.

I’ve been pondering on my Pastor’s remarks lately. Do I have a cause that I would die trying to achieve? What is the cause? How can I make it apart of my life’s mission and incorporate in my everyday life?

These questions have yet to be answered.

In the meantime, I look to others for inspiration. I am currently reading “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World.” The book chronicles the life of Dr. Paul Farmer, a physician and anthropologist who has dedicated his life to providing medical treatment to the people of Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, and other countries throughout the world.  The book astonishes as me; Dr. Farmer endured some injuries and a lot of discomfort trying to give people the medical treatment they deserved.  Talk about sacrifice.

Like Dr. Farmer, people like Ms. Malala Yousafzai inspire me too. Ms. Yousafzai is a 14 year old Pakistani girl who is fighting for girls’ education in her country.  While the Taliban tries to take away girls’ education, Ms. Yousafzai is on the frontlines writing about it, talking about, advocating on her behalf of girls.  Although she has received numerous death threats for her boldness, she refuses to back down. She’s said, “Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.”  Although she is currently receiving medical treatment for her gunshot wound inflicted by the Taliban, I’m pretty sure Ms. Yousafzai isn’t finished yet.

Ms. Yousafzai and Dr. Farmer are certainly have a life worth living. Are you making sure that your life is worth living too?