If Everyone Cared

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The first four incidents have been described verbatim from Nickelback's "If Everyone Cared"



1984. Bob Geldof, a music journalist turned punk rock front man was inspired by a news report about Famine in Africa. Geldof organized the world's first Global Charity Concert called "Live Aid". Live Aid raised $ 1.5 million.

1976. Betty Williams, a mother and housewife, witnessed three children killed in the political turmoil in Ireland. She organized a peace march with 10,00 people which was disrupted. One week later, she organized another march. This time it was 35,000 strong. She was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize for Peace.

1961. Two students raised their glasses in toast to freedom and were arrested. British lawyer Peter Benenson, shocked by this, started a movement which is today known as Amnesty International.

1920s. A boy from South Africa dreamt that equality would prevail in his country. He was charged with Political Treason and kept as prisoner on Robben Bay. In 1990, after 27 years he was released. Nelson Mandela then led South Africa to its first ever democratic presidential election. He won, ending the racist apartheid regime prevalent for 46 years.

2010. Three friends, fuelled by the love for their favorite football club met up for beer and mourned for the loss of another friend, a fellow fan who had succumbed to cancer. They sent out a flag bearing the logo of their favorite club on a journey across the world; people from four different continents and who knew Paulo Martin in his life, signed on it with their goodbye messages.

...While this last act didn't cause a blip in the world news, It was something we really loved to do. If I'm asked what was the most humane thing I did in my lifetime, it would be this. It was our way of giving something back to a dear friend, whom we never met, but knew just as well as any of those whom we meet up and hang around with.

This post was long in coming, but I had to write it myself after approaching certain football journalistic sources with the story and getting rejected. I'd sincerely urge everyone to contribute in whatever little way they can towards cancer treatment. Anything that you donate helps in giving someone a new lease on life, it helps in research for cancer treatment and ultimately in making the world a better place. Who knows, a rupee you've spent today would help you some years later in the treatment of someone you care for who has fallen to this disease.

And just like the song, this post too ends with a quote from Margaret Mead...

"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"

Esto es para ti, Paulo. RIP.

Credits:
Nickelback - If Everyone Cared
Jitesh Shahani
Ashwin Iyer
Nikhil Rane