Global Dialogues

Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah! I grew up hearing stories of heroes, yet along the line, they are seen less as healers and more as conquerors. At what point did we begin mistaking cruelty for competence, or domination for leadership? Statements like “peace through strength” are celebrated. In an age more connected than ever, humanity seems to celebrate division and justify brute force as a means to an end, normalizing the Social Darwinist belief that only the ruthless deserve to endure. 

Now, I am at the School of Foreign Service, where I thought we were trained to speak loudly and confidently, like politicians on podiums or professors during lectures. I notice how boldly the opinions shared in class are conveyed, even though they aren't always right. On a Monday evening after my seminar class, my phone rang, signaling a notification. I couldn't check it while I was in class, but right after the lecture, I rushed to see what it was. It was a reminder email inviting students to participate in the Hiwarat conference, "Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art.” In that moment, I thought: how did they even come up with that idea? In a world where people are more connected than ever, compassion is not visible everywhere. However, I felt reassured to see how my new home uses compassion to bring people together more than any argument could. 

Yet, cruelty still slips unnoticed in hidden forms. We can see it online, where people rush to criticize, where ridicule earns likes, and Instagram has become a source of both validation and shaming. Even in policy debates, efficiency is invoked to justify the suffering of others. I then begin to wonder if our generation will begin mistaking indifference for maturity. 

The myth of “the survival of the fittest” is everywhere. From high school to university, we receive constant reminders from our surroundings that opportunities are limited and competition is the primary means of advancement. It is easy to feel the need to constantly prove oneself. However, most of my meaningful moments have never been about winning, whether it's enjoying a pool game in the student lounge, sharing food and laughter in the dining hall, knowing that an economics exam is looming, or even pulling an all-nighter to work on a group project. Those are the moments when collaboration reminds us that we are one. 

The powerful memories that shape my time as a freshman are not arguments, but the small, almost unnoticeable moments—when a professor approaches right after class to check on you and get to know you better, or when friends keep you company all night while you're working on a theology paper, so you don’t fall asleep. These are not grand shows, but they mean everything. 

If cruelty has become a spectacle that the world applauds, then compassion should become our quiet revolution. And maybe as a freshman, forging my path to leadership, that’s a lesson I came here to find.

Tony Mwambali Cirhulwire (SFS'29) is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University Qatar.