Don't Wait for Society
When it comes to change, it's important to remember that change doesn't happen when we wait for it. We have to be willing to move outside our comfort zones, be open to new ideas, be willing to get rid of some of our creature comforts, and return to the community. We have to be open to changing direction. Greek society spoke to us about the marketplace, where the exchange of ideas, information and goods took place. The internet is the modern day marketplace, but it lacks an essential and vital quality - that of human presence and interaction. I thirst for the type of environment that is lacking in so many of our communities and in our country where people gather to discuss ideas, history, and exchange information.
Listen
We should come to the table not to fight, but to express ourselves, reason with the other, offer informed opinions and understanding. What is the type of dialogue we imagine we'd like to have with others? For a start, the outcome of a productive dialogue is that you will learn something about yourself, and you will also learn something about the other. To really change our civil discourse in society, we must imagine how we would like that to look, we must consider the other's potential lack of foresight on a given subject given their own experiences of life, and we must learn to listen as much as we are willing to give.
Today, amongst the endless chatter and the noise, the 24 hour news cycle, a vast array of media outlets and information, the finger pointing, we are all too quick to offer opinions. Sometimes when we get caught up in the issues, our emotions get the best of us, and we loose our objectivity. But if we could stop to reflect for a moment, if we could take a step back, or up to the top of the mountain, I believe we could hear something rising up from the smattering of emotion. Our ability as human beings to listen and be self reflective is a wonderful tool if it is used to not only bring out what is best in us, but also see that goodness in the other, and acknowledge it. We all have our own way of contributing which is what is beautiful about our individuality and diversity but we must remember how important it is to not let our differences separate us, so as to allow us to work together.
A Call to Action, A Call to Change
I recall a friend of mine in College who had a beloved quote posted on his Instant Messenger Screen for practically the entire senior year. It was by Leo Tolstoy and it said "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." I believe everyone possesses the ability to change and add value to society and one's community, but in a world in which we can become divided by too much information, and overabundance of advertisements, and too many choices, and a society that is plugged in 24/7, we can easily be deceived over what is reality and what isn't.
Let me not conclude with saying that we should work toward the common good, but rather to call you, the reader to a challenge. What do you think a better or more enhanced "common good" looks like today, taking not only your interests into account, but the interests of others. Certainly our society and our government which upholds freedom and keeps order is and was an epic undertaking from the very moment of our country's founding up until this day. Sometimes the ebbs and flows of the tide are more noticeable and sometimes, we seem to swing too far right or too far left, and granted there are powerful forces at work in today's world that are beyond our control but the spirit of our democracy and those whose nascent desire to participate in it contributes to the very same reason of why we should be a grateful nation. When our aim in life is to make society better off than when we discovered it, this requires a great amount of energy, ingenuity, attention, care and responsibility.
Let us be the engines of creative thought in today's world of reality TV shows and Facebook. If you by any chance, think big, don't let anyone tell squash your spirit or let anything get in the way of your ability to work in a spirit of harmony with others towards a common purpose, to think beyond today into the realm of a more promising tomorrow.
I am so grateful and blessed that I have a great family and group of friends that never fail to think big.
Let me not conclude with saying that we should work toward the common good, but rather to call you, the reader to a challenge. What do you think a better or more enhanced "common good" looks like today, taking not only your interests into account, but the interests of others. Certainly our society and our government which upholds freedom and keeps order is and was an epic undertaking from the very moment of our country's founding up until this day. Sometimes the ebbs and flows of the tide are more noticeable and sometimes, we seem to swing too far right or too far left, and granted there are powerful forces at work in today's world that are beyond our control but the spirit of our democracy and those whose nascent desire to participate in it contributes to the very same reason of why we should be a grateful nation. When our aim in life is to make society better off than when we discovered it, this requires a great amount of energy, ingenuity, attention, care and responsibility.
Let us be the engines of creative thought in today's world of reality TV shows and Facebook. If you by any chance, think big, don't let anyone tell squash your spirit or let anything get in the way of your ability to work in a spirit of harmony with others towards a common purpose, to think beyond today into the realm of a more promising tomorrow.
I am so grateful and blessed that I have a great family and group of friends that never fail to think big.
