Love Unfolds Freedom

**For thousands of years, the relationship between men and women has been a complicated one. Many misunderstandings, many crimes, many jokes. The world has changed, but the prejudices have not.**

I am Giulia and I am twenty-eight. My best friend is Valeria. She is twenty-four and we have known each other since high school. We are not lesbians or bisexuals, but this does not matter to us now. Our only aim in life is to fight against injustice, to be on the side of justice, to live in freedom, without fear.

We were born with a certain disadvantage. We were born beautiful. Not that it matters much now: our hair has been shaven off, we can barely recognize ourselves in the mirror and even if we could, we don't have a mirror anyway. The point is that when you are beautiful, you are treated differently. At school, teachers pay more attention to you because they hope some part of you will rub off on their kids; at work, you can ask for a raise because bosses want to keep you happy; men stare at you because they think you are easy targets who are waiting for them to take advantage of; other women hate you because they think you should be ashamed of yourself for being pretty; older people treat you with respect because they think you should be grateful for the fact that they remember your name; younger people follow your example because they think it will get them places in life; nobody notices your pain or your problems because in their eyes all people who look like you have everything under control and never feel sad or lonely or angry or weak...

In short: being beautiful can make your life easier if you use it well -- and we didn't want to do that. It was never our choice: it was theirs! They chose us! We felt like puppets on a string -- puppets whose "strings" were actually another person's desires and thoughts! So why did we decide to do this? Because we believed -- and still believe -- that beauty is just an accident of birth and not a quality someone should be proud of! And if beauty is not something to be proud of then what else isn't? If physical appearance doesn't make someone better than anyone else then why do so many people think it does? Why do so many people believe that some people are better than others? Someone who works hard for instance? Someone who has made sacrifices for his country? A woman who dedicates her life to science even though she cannot have children? A man who spends his time trying to help Syrian refugees cross into Europe? Someone who risks his own safety every day just by resisting oppression? A person who stands up for human rights when no one else dares to do so? Who speaks up when almost everyone else stays silent?

If beauty doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us? If happiness doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us? If intelligence doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us? If compassion doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us? If strength doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us? If freedom doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us? If love doesn't make someone better then why did they choose us?! Why is it that good qualities don't count as assets, but money does? Why does money count more than anything else? Why does money count more than love, freedom, safety, happiness, or justice?

Why is it that negative qualities don't stop someone from gaining power and influence? When was the last time someone questioned Hitler's wealth before he became Chancellor of Germany? When was the last time someone questioned Vladimir Putin's wealth before he decided to annex Crimea? How much wealth justifies someone killing hundreds of innocent civilians every day? How much wealth is enough to excuse a person who steals from ordinary citizens and uses that money on weapons for their own selfish reasons? How much wealth allows someone to establish laws based on personal interests, send others away from their homes, or implement security measures that hurt ordinary citizens?

How much wealth makes it acceptable for politicians to accept bribes, businesses to pollute the environment, companies to exploit workers, rich people to dispose of their trash in poor countries, or billionaires to pay fewer taxes than middle-class families? How much wealth makes it acceptable for corruption to persist in Europe, nepotism in Italy, racism in Sweden, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, child labor, starvation, inequality, and poor leadership decisions to happen worldwide?

Money cannot buy everything. Money cannot buy happiness, love, safety, freedom, justice, health, education, loyalty, friendship, or an understanding heart. Money can't buy the things that truly matter in life. Instead, it has the power to corrupt and destroy, turning everything it touches into something devoid of true value.