This I Believe: Keshava Demerath-Shanti

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Keshava Demerath-Shanti, TIB award

This I Believe is a juggernaut dating back nearly seventy years. Initiated by Edward R. Murrow and revived by National Public Radio, This I Believe is now its own entity, which, according to the official website, is “an independent, not-for-profit organization that engages youth and adults from all walks of life in writing, sharing, and discussing brief essays about the core values that guide their daily lives.”

Stockbridge High School students have been participating in our local This I Believe project for well over a decade. It is a daunting task to solidify one’s beliefs by putting them down in writing, to say nothing of sharing them aloud with peers and submitting them for publication in the community newspaper. We continue to be inspired by the depth of insight and humanity articulated by our local teenagers. This month’s entry wraps up the submissions from the 2018-2019 school year. As we gear up for the new school year, we look forward to learning from a new class of students. From  Jessica Martell

 STANDING UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE IN

By Keshava Demerath-Shanti

Up until ninth grade I was home schooled. On my first day of school I remember sitting in my first block class and hearing the speakers come on and the words “please stand for the pledge of allegiance.” I decided not to stand.

When people asked me why I didn’t stand, I had a few reasons;  because of the line in the pledge “one nation under God” which I believe violates freedom of religion and separation of church and state, because I believe that having children pledge allegiance to the flag of their country everyday should be considered a form of brainwashing, and because our Pledge of Allegiance says that our country provides liberty and justice for all, however I believe that anyone who opens their eyes and looks at our country would be able to see that this is not true.

While some people were simply curious about why I did not stand, others were angry.  People said that I was disrespecting our country or military, and called me names like Muslim terrorist. One kid even threaten me. I felt frustrated and discouraged. I would try to explain to people that I did not sit during the Pledge of Allegiance out of disrespect for country or military, to no effect.

A few times I did think that it would just be easier to stand and not deal with people getting mad at me for sitting, but I could not stop standing up for what I believe in, or in this case sitting down for what I believe in. Because I believe in standing up for what I believe in regardless who disagrees or who gets mad. 

 Standing up for what I believe in is the most important thing because if I’m standing up for what I believe in then I’m truly being myself and I think that it is better to be myself then it is to fit in. Always standing up for what I believe in will be even more important later in my life when issues are even bigger, and have greater effects. 

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