Taking a glance at my HRSJ studies, I came across much striking knowledge and changed my view completely, like towards the roots of international law or exploring the long-term consequences of colonialism and going deep into social contract theory. Every assignment and reading took me to another layer of knowledge concerning human rights. An exercise that began as one of the requirements of a course has become a living, moving dialogue demonstrating in the process that human rights are not mere theories, but living, breathing things that are always subject to challenge. Also this semester, I got to know how to link these abstract concepts to the realities that activists worldwide encounter daily, which are messy. It is now clearer to me how the injustices from the past continue to shape the inequalities that are present to date. History is full of pain and quite complex, which reminded me to be mindful of where I stand and how I am accountable to the systems to which all of us belong. Thanks to that, I now pay more attention to questioning, learning, and keeping myself engaged not only in the comfort of a lecture room but also through concrete, proactive work because that is how a true change can be achieved and human dignity can be kept in the spotlight.
