Writing Feedback /
The essay about the future diplomat! I've written many personal statement, this one calls out to me. [3]
THANK YOU, NIETZSCHE!
In Indian cultures, being religious is like second nature, but when I read Fredrich Nietzsche, I was profoundly shaken. What do you mean "God is dead"? This is my unconventional journey of finding international relations as a career I want to pursue. I wanted to be an astronaut, spy agent, teacher, astrophysicist and everything to nothing at all. After my tenth grade board results which absolutely ashamed me, I still chose Biology as my major, claimed I wanted to be a doctor, but my conscience knew I didn't, truth was that I wanted to do what everyone was doing-doctoring, engineering, but I never actually considered what I wanted, thankfully it wasn't too late to transfer to humanities, I changed my stream, it was tough, yes, leaving all my friends and facing loneliness, but it was worth it, it took me to this path.
Then I read 'The Gay Science' and it left me inarticulate, I've been taught to worship God, give him credentials for my success, and this was something that had me in a turmoil, I wondered if God is dead, then who's in charge now? I devoted some time to research for an answer that would satisfy my curiosity, questions of authority and global order.
THE STRUCTURED WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.
The chaos and conflicts is negotiated through treaties, where the morality is a matter of consensus. It fascinated me that, in the absence of a divine order, nations still function, not chaotically, but through painstakingly negotiated agreements and shared interests. Treaties became, to me, the new commandments. I spent hours reading about the failures, successes and establishments of International organisations.
Reading about subnational entities that play roles in the contribution of the country in geopolitics. I was elated to see my grade twelfth political science syllabus, I had something to look forward to, during my school hours, the political science class. My interest deepened when we learned about the Cold War era, where USSR and USA weren't just nations, but also ideological forces, and how their ideologies clashed, it is fascinating for me to learn how both the powers maintained peace and through backchannel diplomacy, and nuclear deterrence, also how they negotiated influence through proxy wars and international institutions. The Cold War made me realise that global order is as psychological and philosophical as it is political. It isn't commanded, it is constantly re-negotiated.
I found a deepening interest in international law as well, if politics negotiates the game, then law structures and impose its rules. The legal framework, that can hold leaders accountable, control war crimes - it lit something in me.
While my school did not offer Model United Nations or dedicated platforms for international relations, I actively sought alternatives to engage with global issues and develop my understanding independently, I created my own simulations. I would assign myself global issues and debate them with an AI, role-playing it as a representative of another nation. I explored ethical dilemmas, like balancing sovereignty with humanitarian intervention. It was conventional but it made me think like a diplomat, anticipate counterarguments, and develop negotiating skills.
But Nietzsche's chaos helped me find my calling, ignited curiosity and eagerness to explore, it was a realisation that didn't frighten me but opened my eyes to the path of shaping the diplomatic world!
