Dream Seeker

Amidst the chaos in the world today, a young lady stands out to show everyone her faith in the power of peace, telling us how each of us can play a part in shaping our universe into a better place.

A bubbly and hospitable young lady whose face is constantly smiling and bursting with laughter as she jokes; it is really hard to imagine that Greta Georges, 22, a seemingly cheeky and mischievous young girl at heart, could believe in such a great cause.

Her Lebanese and Chinese roots give her the sharp features that could make her stand out in any crowd. Indubitably, her poise and elegance landed her the first job as a freelance model.

Born in the state of Singapore, Greta displayed the liveliness that is but common in most 20 odd year olds. But as the interview progressed, her seriousness and that assertive attitude exhibited the maturity she possesses.

Greta is a girl who has a mind of her own and she is one who substantiates her every stand rather firmly.

The Person Behind World Harmony Day

She proves to be not all beauty and no brains when she turned her concept of World Harmony Day into an international affair. As the violent happenings around the world affect her immensely, she felt that she needed to do something instead of taking a step back and watching the world self-destruct.

Disseminating her views on peace was no simple task.

"Peace is not something that you just shout aloud. It needs to be expressed with patience and sincerity in order to encourage others to see your standpoint and agree with you."

She tells us that many people accept her ideas with great enthusiasm while an almost equal number view her dream for world peace with much skepticism. More than often, people who do not agree with her put her down.

They ridicule her thoughts and actions that she hopes would bring about progress in the quest for world peace. But Greta believes in taking all negative comments with a positive light as she feels that "it is good that these people have their own stands."

"They [the masses] are entitled to their beliefs and they are the people who provide the reality check, allowing me to assess to see if I am biting off more than I can chew," says Greta.

Though the path to spread world peace has not been one without setbacks and disappointments, she embraces each failure with greater courage that she draws from her "two pillars of strength - her mother and brother".

Her mother, Sunflower Chong, had been fighting alongside with Greta since the very first day she embarked on this noble cause. The two women shared tears and laughter, literally crying over failures and triumphs together. When faced with rejections, they would encourage each other to keep that passion burning.

"My brother, although not actively involved with the World Harmony Day, has always been my pillar of silent strength," says Greta.

An Extraordinary Youth

Considered an extrovert by many of her close friends and acquaintances, Greta enjoys meeting people and usually takes the initiative in making new friends.

Getting to know strangers and communicating her ideas to them has become a part and parcel of life the day she decided to embark on her journey to support world peace and make a difference in the society.

"When certain people on the streets catch my eye, there's something that urges me to approach them," expresses Greta, "it is almost like a message from God."

Besides sharing her ideas with others, she wholeheartedly welcomes feedback to enable the exchange of ideas. Through this, Greta is "able to generate more substantial and fruitful proposals to bring about greater awareness on the issue of world peace and what the community can do to aid in its success."

Listening to the remarkable intentions, all I wondered was whether Greta feels shortchanged for what she has contributed to the world.

The young Lebanese Chinese expresses, "I have done everything I could when I was younger. There were drawing contests, modeling stints, partying … I do not feel that I'm missing out on anything and in fact, I feel that I am really living. I got tired of facing the typical stuff and decided that I could instead channel my energy into doing more meaningful things."

Rather impressive I say! Well, avoiding taking too much time of this young lady, I asked her if there was something specific that she thought that everyone should be aware of, of course besides the obvious and stringent pursuit of world peace.

She says, "In life, we live by a certain set of rules that defines who we are. Many a times, we do not question these standards but we must realize that these very standards are the ones that bind us from living. Thus, sometimes we must take a chance at something new and give with our hearts because if we do not, we will never know what we might accomplish or whom we can be. That what her girl friend Sacha summarize. For all we know, each time we take a chance, we might be giving someone else an opportunity to live better."

By Sasha Shahira
10 March 2003


www.gretageorges.net


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