1. What, for you, is leadership?

Most people think that leadership is a privilege and responsibility that only a few people could have. And most think of the leaders as being the people on top. But I think the exact opposite. In my opinion, leadership is something that anyone could be blessed with, being the instrument which could be used to mould ideas, inspire dreamers and develop lives. It is not about the leader but about the change he wants to achieve. It is neither about the credits he’ll receive nor the praises he’ll hear. Leadership is about the difference he wants to accomplish for the betterment of the society.

Being a leader does not really call for a great deal of requirements. You don’t have to be a big time boss or a rich man to take the lead. You, your principles and your will to give leadership and guidance is enough—even more than enough actually. I once read that “Great leaders become leaders to achieve something, not to be someone.”A good leader is not measured on how much charity one could have given but is determined through the development and effects of one’s deeds.

2. What is your stand on life issues?

Try to imagine a perfect world. A world where everything is smooth. A world without problems, a world without difficulties, a world without life issues. Picture yourself living carefree, just going along with the painless flow of life. It feels good, right? Seeing yourself without worries. Seeing yourself caring less about what might happen. Seeing yourself in a fairy tale. But think about this. What kind of living do you think that world will offer you? The society? Or will it even be considered living? Life isn’t given just to be wasted in that kind of existence. Life is created for us to explore and discover the world’s wonders. Life is created for us to challenge ourselves to always be something more. It is created for us to fall down, get beaten and just lose. We live to experience and learn from those mistakes. We live to stand up and fight for what we believe in. We live to be moulded by these life issues into people we didn’t expect we can actually become.

What I’m trying to say is life issues, in my opinion, make living more exciting. I think that these issues actually draw the path that we travel on our journey and that they lead us to our destination. These are series of challenges that mould us into the best person we can be. Actually, I think that life issues and life lessons very much come together. For every life issue, for every difficulty, for every challenge, there is learning underneath. And this teaches us much more than knowledge and facts, this teaches us wisdom. It teaches us how to live.

3. What, in your opinion, is the primary role of women in society?

Spanning the history of humanities, women have played different roles in society. In fact, it is very overwhelming to know that there has been great development since the early times when women were very much mistreated. Men and their works were the only ones recognized and since then, there has been an issue of discrimination. Women from before weren’t really of great value to society. They are like slaves who serve their husbands, locked inside their houses, waiting for a miracle to happen. They were very limited. Unlike men, women weren’t given rights for themselves. They weren’t given a chance to speak up and share their thoughts. They were chained by the cruelty of culture and society. But as decades and centuries passed, women slowly started making marks in society. Some took risks to be heard, some faced threats in order to lead and some sacrificed lives to start the protest of equality and rights. Because of these certain heroines, women of today had greatly achieved a state where they are treated way better than before. I am not saying that we already live in an ideal society where women are treated equally as men; I still think that most nations live patriarchal but it amazes me that we are acknowledged and recognized by society.

Although women in the present have heavier roles than before—doing much more than house work and being a wife—I personally think that their primary role in society is being a mother. Think about it, who can play that role better than us? Being a mother is more than just being married and having children. It is more than just being good at chorea and housework. This role, I think is one of the most important roles in the society. Mothers, as they say, can do anything and I think that this represent what women are made of. Yes, women cry most times and aren’t as physically strong as men but being a mother takes a lot of courage and strength. In order to be a mother, one must be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of others.

That is why societies survive. It is because they have mothers; mothers who contribute in probably such small ways but creates a big difference.