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Nasly Roa Noriega (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling my chest pounding fast as I am overwhelmed by so many questions swirling around in my head. What am I doing with my life? I take a slow breath, get out of bed and look up at the starry horizon overlooking my bedroom and ask myself with a clear mind: Am I doing enough for this world that barely knows me?

To wake up every day is a great achievement for human existence, it is to know that you have the opportunity to take advantage of a new day, it is the greatest challenge to wake up and have a path that takes you somewhere. Whether or not you are doing something for others, knowing what you are going to leave to those who come after you should be something to which you should turn your mind.

When I was a child I thought everything was so easy and thought of the ease of a better future. That’s why I wanted to grow up fast, because I thought I could reach the sky just by closing and opening my eyes. But I grew up. I do not know from what moment everything became so difficult but, today seems so uncertain, because it is not in my hands to change the world or do enough to leave that piece of heaven to those who come after me.

And I realize that I must survive many prejudices that hinder the realization of my dreams if I want to achieve that peace of mind that allows me to go further than I could have imagined as a child, and that my existence is indispensable in this complex world.

Years have passed and I still have things to do, but time is ticking and the clock of life is running so fast that it barely gives me room to breathe. In such a complex world, the most important thing is to face the fear that can block your mind, the fear that silences your voice when you want to be heard, the fear that paralyzes you when you want to take firm steps. This is what I do day by day: face that fear that makes us weak, look at the world without fear and involve others in my decision to make a better world, where we can live without fear of making mistakes and think like children, eagerly desiring that future and learning to live with fear, but not letting it defeat us.

In this world, a large part of the population does not know that I exist, much less what I am doing for the world. I do not know what the rest of the world does to improve it, but what I do know is that I wake up every day knowing that my voice can be encouragement to others who have lost the strength to continue fighting. I wake up with the firm strength that my children will continue doing their best to take care of their world, and to guide those who have lost their way.

One day I woke up and made the wise decision to volunteer at Low Entropy, and though I had never heard of this organization, something told me that they could allow me to reach other people whom I did not know, but whom I could encourage and guide through my words to continue making the world a shared one where, despite the distances between us, we feel closer every day and there are no differences, a world where we can give a lot without expecting anything in return. Then I understood that there are no distances and no barriers keeping us from doing enough for the world in which we live, that language will not limit me to reach more people and tell them, “Here I am! I exist for you.” I understood that I could reach more voices and we could form echoes that resonate in every corner, because every wise word I contributed could encourage someone, and subtle gestures could allow me to generate smiles from people who had lost hope. Living and thinking about other people keeps the Earth spinning, and every time someone wakes up they have the same ability that I do to wake up each day and give the best of themselves.

Thanks to Low Entropy, I understood that we can join more people to change the world, helping others to believe in themselves and go far, crossing distances and remembering our motto that I repeat every day: “Change yourself, Change the world.” The world turns according to the way you turn it, the steps flow in the way you decide to move forward and your attitude is what generates positive or negative changes in your life. Accepting that we are different, but that we can make a difference, is the first step in moving forward. Knowing that many people have dreams, longings and hopes keeps the Earth breathing.

Am I doing enough for the world? I am. Are you?

—

Nasly is an economist living in Colombia, in a very nice coastal city called Santa Marta. She has been writing since she was a child, and has always thought that writing is the fastest way to speak without fear of expressing what we feel. Being a volunteer is a very rewarding job in Nasly’s life, as she believes there is nothing more important than helping without expecting anything in return.