A Balance for the Better by Selena

A Balance for the Better by Selena - December 2018 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my life, I’ve made it a mission to discover the way people work. Utilizing many strategies, I’m continuously building a complex picture in my mind of the world before me. The one idea fast-tracking me towards utmost understanding is from Carl Jung. His most meaningful idea to me can be summarized in one quote: “Where wisdom reigns, there is no conflict between thinking and feeling.” I feel there’s a constant battle between the thinkers and the feelers, arguing who is correct. This unproductive battle is the direct opposite of what Carl Jung preached. There needs to be a balance of both logic and feeling for people to grow into their best self to make the most balanced decisions.
Recipients of the Nobel Prize are quintessential candidates presenting a perfect balance of logic and feeling. Their rationale is used to recognize the flaws in a system or idea and are able to identify steps to fix the flawed system. Meanwhile, their feelings are used to decide how this will benefit the world around them. Personally, the two qualities my recipient would need to possess would be a sharp and intellectual mind paired with a heart that belongs the betterment and advancement of a more beautiful and radiant world.
To illustrate a balance of an intellectual mind and thoughtful heart, Nadia Murad is a 2018 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Nadia Murad is a Yazīdī human rights activist who was kidnapped by ISIS in August of 2014 and sold into sex slavery. Using her logic, she managed to escape from one of the men holding her captive, by fleeing and finding a house belonging to a family with no connection to ISIS. Instead of stopping her progression once she reached a refugee camp, she made it a point to help other women by speaking up about her experiences to open the eyes of the rest of the world. Had she focused entirely on her feelings, she may have never healed from her traumatic experiences; therefore, no voice would be given to the women who have yet to escape ISIS. Had she focused entirely on her logic, she may not have realized the voice, or even the importance of the voice, that she could give to the unsaved women still being sold into sex slavery. Murad knew her escape was not enough for the betterment of the world and recognized how she could bring attention to the defenseless women.
Nadia Murad presents the wisdom Jung mentions every time she speaks up for the thousands of women that are still held captive by ISIS. Logic can pinpoint sources of problems and feelings can recognize the importance of the bigger picture of forming a better world. Instead of thinkers and feelers arguing about whether logic or feeling is more important, finding a balance of the two creates an unstoppable progress that is undeniably deserving of the Nobel Prize.