After adoring and respecting
Leslie Knope, a character from the iconic Television show
‘Parks and Recreation’, the only thing that came to my mind was how the entire world deserves political candidates and people like her.
If everyone became even 30% more like her, the world would immediately become a better place.
1. Leslie is Confident, Strong and Optimistic.
She isn’t afraid to admit her mistakes. When she is wrong, she doesn’t mind coming upfront and admitting to the world about the mistake she committed. We don’t need a coward running for office. She knows exactly when to be fierce. When the sky is black, Leslie will see the silver lining even if she has to make one. She believes in herself the most. Her opinions are innovative, intelligent and organized, just how a powerful person’s should be.
2. Friends, Waffles and Work are her top three priorities.
Not only is she dedicated to her job, she is also hell-bent on making the world better place. She believes in hard work and no problem scares her and no task seems too difficult. She puts the needs of the world before her own.
3. She is an everyday woman, going through everything a middle-class person has to go through.
Her intelligence and clever ways of handling all the hurdles life throws at her, makes her more empathetic with everyone. She understands the everyday struggles of life. She has some pretty bad days, but she knows how to pump herself out of it. She will always stand by her beliefs, even if she knows it will turn some heads.
4. She is a big time Feminist and isn’t afraid to admit it.
She is a huge rooter of brains over beauty but she also knows that neither brains nor beauty define a woman. She isn’t afraid to shut the haters and sexist people up. She believes in equality and is compassionate towards all her co-workers, even the ones who don’t deserve her goodness. She is not afraid to check your privileges.
5. She believes in Equal Rights for all.
When she accidentally performed a wedding ceremony of two male penguins Pawnee’s zoo, she has been a hero of the gay community of Pawnee. The gay bar has a shrine of her and she’s like the queen of gays. She surrounds herself with diverse people, from various cultures and races and never has she ever let them down.
6. She lets nothing stand in between Herself and her Goals.
Even when Leslie is slowed down by the flu or no sleep, she would never give up on working. The government is her first love and she loves the government more than anything. She is brutally honest and will not be afraid to tell you when you’re wrong (she will apologize later though). She will do anything it takes for her bill to pass as a councilwoman.
7. She fights for Sex Education.
When the older citizens of Pawnee were infested with STDs, she took the first stance and fought with all that she had to educate them about sex. In a country with the population of 1.2 billion, we definitely need people like her to take a step forward and fight for it.
In conclusion, everyone should aspire to become even a little like Leslie Knope. She is stubborn, determined, hardworking and an example of a perfect human being, who also has her flaws and imperfections.
Written by Durva Bhatt
A bibliophile who is fuelled entirely by caffeine, sarcasm, fandoms and random thoughts.
