NEXT UP! 3 166 The walls we build The UN Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that we are all equals. However, even though we are supposed to be equal and have the same rights, people have a tendency to build walls to separate us. These walls, both the physical and the emotional, work to include some people and exclude others. So, if we are all just people, why do we separate ourselves from others in this way? Throughout history, the walls we have erected have served to separate the “insiders” from the “outsiders”. For instance, the borders between countries work in this way. The people on one side have certain rights and often feel connected to others who were born within the same borders. They have a shared sense of “who we are”. In addition, we build walls to indicate what is ours. Fences around properties are an example of this. Other walls we build are abstract and invisible, such as the categories we sort people into. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Just think about it: black or white; heterosexual or homosexual; Christian, Muslim or Atheist; Arsenal or Liverpool fan. We feel safe when surrounded by people who have the same “labels” as us. However, these labels also act as barriers. They create a mentality of “us” versus “them” instead of just including everybody in “us”. Besides, these categories do not really say much about who we truly are. As a consequence, they may lead to a simplified understanding of others. Equally, it is quite natural to put up walls to protect ourselves. You might call these walls our facade. We seek to present ourselves as close to perfect as possible, both in real life and through social media. Unfortunately, because we tend to believe the perfect stories others create, we are often afraid of showing who we truly are. On social media, these polished versions of ourselves create great emptiness MODEL TEXT to state – lýsa yfir to erect – reisa within – innan to indicate – gefa til kynna a property – fasteign invisible – ósýnilegur surrounded by – umkringdur af a label – miði, merking simplified – einfaldað to tend to – hafa tilhneigingu til polished – glansandi a complex interior – allt hið margbrotna sem býr innra með þér
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