Saturday, September 6, 2014

Do you think you can change the world?

Do you think you can change the world?

This question...

If you asked a child, I guarantee you'd be motivated and inspired and probably even nostalgic when you heard their answers.  Why is that?  Why is it that children have a way to believe that they are incredible creatures with unending superpowers for good?  And more importantly, why are we so surprised when they answer?  Why are we not thinking the same things that they are?

Maybe we are.  Some of us.  Maybe we haven't gotten lost in ourselves or in work or in depression or in money or in fame.  Maybe some of us aren't jaded by bad politics, or the existence of politics, or by warring religions, or by all of the negative in the world.  Maybe we're little kids...we make mistakes and color on the walls (who said that was a mistake?) and we spill our milk and kick shins at the dinner table...but we know what's right.  We ask questions because we want to know "why" there are bad things and we have the most simple answers to fixing the most complex issues.

Where is your inner child?  Is he or she present in your adult life?

The question "Do you think you can change the world?" was part of my English lesson for spanish speakers on volunteering today.  One of the beautiful things is that even though I am teaching adults, because they are new to the language, they have to find the most direct way to say things, much like children do.  And when one has the positive sentiment that these women did and a desire to discuss, you get answers that can bring great joy and fill you with belief that we are all connected and we alll want this great peaceful planet to be healthy and happy for everyone...and I don't think that their answers are that uncommon which is why this blog even exists.

We want to help.  We want to grow and learn and exchange and exist and be successful at it all!  We can make a difference.  And if people all over the world think the same thing, I can't see any reason to deny a growing movement of positive change.

The item that preceded this question was the famous Margaret Mead quote:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has.

This is what my students had to say:








I believe that I can change the world.  Do you?  

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