The World I Want to Enter

I hope to enter a world that values truth and protects freedom.

In that world, people enjoy their rights, take responsibility for democracy, recognize the hidden dangers of authoritarianism, think independently, and take action to defend openness and justice in society.

The Most Powerful Learning

In our PLP 12 project “Don’t Be a Dictator.” I learned not only what political systems mean, but also about human weakness and how history tends to repeat itself.

What struck me most was Timothy Snyder’s point that authoritarianism rarely arrives suddenly, it creeps in slowly, becoming part of daily life like a frog in warming water. The idea of “anticipatory obedience” resonated with me: sometimes, people give up their freedom even before anyone forces them to.

That made me realize the first defense against tyranny doesn’t lie in parliaments or courts, it begins inside each person’s clear, independent mind.

I also started to feel uneasy. “Tyranny” isn’t just something in textbooks or novels. It’s real, it’s like a “gray rhino”, a huge, obvious danger that people ignore until it crashes right into them.

Many people think individuals can’t make any difference:

“What’s freedom got to do with me?”

“Whether I act or not doesn’t matter.”

But justice has never been a marathon for a few, it’s a relay for the many.

We speak out for fairness not because we are brave, but because we fear one day realizing that the torch we could have carried was left in our hands.

That’s why my belief is simple:

“What if the change really depends on me?”

Rethinking Freedom

This project also helped me understand freedom differently.

Freedom isn’t only “freedom from interference,” but also “freedom to act.”

I thought about a ball rolling down a slope, technically, it’s free; no one stops it. But if that freedom only leads it downward, is it truly free?

Freedom should mean the power to choose wisely, not just the right to drift.

Growth

The most important thing I gained was critical thinking, to question information, stay rational, and not be controlled by fear or anger.

I used to think “critical thinking” meant disagreeing with everyone, no matter what. But now I realize it means thinking about thinking, being rational, open to diverse perspectives, and making independent judgments.

This skill isn’t just useful for resisting authoritarianism; it helps in every complex part of life.

Strengths and Future Direction

My biggest strength is creativity and critical thinking. But what I’m most proud of is PLP 12’s agency as a class, we didn’t just study history, we responded to it. By creating our documentary, we practiced “the freedom to act.”

Going forward, I want to get better at stepping out of my comfort zone, communicating confidently and expressing my ideas more clearly to others.

Understanding Citizenship

This project changed how I see what it means to be a citizen.

Before, I thought “citizen” was just a word, something abstract and distant. But now I know: I am a citizen.

Democracy isn’t a privilege to take for granted, it’s a responsibility to protect.

Data of losing democracy, the stories of silence, and historical examples all show the danger of complacency.

A citizen isn’t just someone who votes or follows laws, they are a guardian of truth, a defender of institutions, and a watcher of fear.

We’re not smarter than the people who saw democracy collapse, our only advantage is that we can still learn from their mistakes.

As V for Vendetta says:

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

Governments exist to serve the people, not control them. We have the power, and the duty, to protect our own freedom.

Connection to My Personal Vision

This project brought me closer to my original goal: to become a responsible and active citizen.

I’ve come to realize that the greatest form of resistance isn’t shouting or rebelling loudly, but keeping an independent mind and staying constantly aware.

Challenges

My biggest challenge was my fear of speaking up in class. I often stayed quiet because I lacked confidence and cared too much about what others might think of me.

This reminded me of something the Chinese writer Wang Xiaobo once said:

“In life, people need experiences like this, completing one task after another, until they gradually gain confidence in what they do.”

That sense of steady accomplishment is what breaks fear. Many people give up when things get tough because they’ve never experienced the satisfaction of finishing something they believed in. That’s also my problem, I used to lack the motivation to fix things when they went wrong.

Through this project, I learned that the problems we avoid will eventually come back to us in another form. There’s a quote that really struck me:

“At 15, you think swimming is hard and you give up. At 18, someone you like invites you to swim, and all you can say is, ‘I can’t.’ At the age of 18, you found English difficult and gave it up. By the time you are 28 and meet a good work place that required English, you can only say, ‘I don’t know it.’”

The fear we have early on only becomes harder to fix later, and sometimes, it’s too late to fix at all.

Since following the crowd and playing it safe hasn’t brought me happiness, it’s only made me anxious and lost. I’ve decided I’d rather take risks and do the things I’ve always wanted to do but was too scared to try.

Dreaming won’t help. Waiting won’t help. Overthinking won’t help.

If I want a brighter future, I have to break out of my comfort zone and fight for it.

That’s why, from now on, I hope to take initiative in class,  to share my thoughts and express my ideas. This isn’t just an empty promise. It’s a real, concrete first step toward becoming the person I want to be.

FIN

Here is a animation I made for the documentary

Presentation 40

Then, I also wrote the script for the first paragraph of the documentary’s propaganda section.

And a storyboard was made for the entire propaganda section