Should we rebel? Or should we conform? We should create a balance but ensure that we persevere. We should be able to balance the norms and the dreams; we should ensure we’re bettering this world but also fulfilling our convictions. Omneya Makhlouf is a humanitarian worker. She is also a pianist, a singer, and a dancer. She got her music degree when she was 15 and, at the same time, started humanitarian work. She graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science at the age of 21 and began working at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She finished her Masters of Laws (LLM) in International and Comparative Law when she was 22, this last June, graduating top of her class. She also gave the graduating class address. During her final semester of her masters, she became a licensed diver. She now works at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) at the age of 23. It's an unusual combination. But these are her passions and dreams, her hobbies and life choices. She chose not to conform to societal norms; the norms that would have kept her from being able to pursue her convictions of making a difference, even in just one person’s life. But the choices she made did not contradict her morals or harm her or those around her. So she also chose not to rebel. She chose to persevere, with her morals in tact. Mistakes have been made, of course, but with the effort of bettering herself and hopefully others. Society may believe she went off course, but to her, she chose her own path. She chose a combination of things that fit her life, that made her happy, and allowed her to try to make others happy. To some, she may be contradictory. But to herself and her family, she dreamt her dream. And lived it. "We are all dreamers. Don’t be afraid to live like one." - Omneya Makhlouf This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
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