English.

What would you do if what you believed in could cause you harm? Could cause you your own demise? Could even lock you away? That is what Chris Abani experiences in the TED.com video titled "Chris Abani muses on humanity." He tells his life of horrible experiences with such a compassionate uplifting spirit. His video speaks of his home where the word for rape is the same word for marriage. Where females were treated with disrespect. Not only does he talk about being locked up for his views, but his experiences with a country ran by a dictatorship in a video that inspires and mesmerizes others on what he has been through.

Growing up Chris did not have an easy life. The Government was crooked and the one person who he could depend on was his mother. An English woman that was tough and loving. Only crying once in front of Chris she provided him with such a positive role model of a woman. Being there for him and teaching him proper manners. So many times mothers are looked down upon as being weak and fragile, when his mother is a great example of a liberated woman.

As Chris and his poor family are seen by a stranger and given a small act of kindness it sheds a whole new light on his perspective on life. By that one stranger giving them items and caring about a family she doesn't even know brings tears to his mother's eyes. So little it may seem to perform a small act of kindness, but to the receiver it may change their life and outlook on everything in life.

Would you be able to murder an innocent animal that was in front of you? What if you were forced to? As a child, Chris experienced having to end the life of an animal. Yes, you may think an animal is just an animal, but to Chris it was a life. A life that he had to end. He was stopping it's time on Earth. Cutting it's air supply short. He grew up in a society where being a man meant being able to hurt and prove your strength with brutality.

Not only has Chris been imprisoned once by the Nigerian Government, not twice, but three times for expressing his opinions by writing a book. Everyone has an opinion. Any subject matter brought upon any mind sparks a debate, an opinion. Opinions are often different than others, same as others, or even not understandable. To be put into prison for a belief that may not be the same as others, is horrendous. Being from America, it's hard to grasp the concept of a human being not being able to express themselves through their thoughts. Almost being executed for a book is unbelievable and tragic to anyone who is different in society.

Although being raised in such harsh conditions, Chris Abani shows the world that great people can come from those harsh lifestyles. With his emotional journey he shows the world of his struggles and his successes and brings emotions to people that have never even been through situations like his. He teaches that humanity is a quality that everyone should have in their life.