Change your world
I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, trouble getting my mind to shut itself down.
It’s impossible to watch the news, go online or read a newspaper without seeing reminders of what a mess we have made of our world…and how, most likely, things are only going to get worse. Sometimes I feel as if I read one more article or see one more report on hatred and violence and anger my heart will break.
Just when it seems as if I can’t take any more, miraculously it seems I am always given a reminder that there is hope.
Today hope came to me in the form of a 17-year-old student.
This young man, a 12th grader, is the same goofball who gleefully serenaded me with Britney Spears a while back. I’ve only taught him in a study hall-type setting so I don’t know him terribly well, but after talking to him today I really wish I knew him better.
I’d asked him to stop by and see me sometime this week. He and his classmates have finished with regular classes and are now preparing for three weeks of brutal International Baccalaureate examinations. He’d told me about his post-high school plans, which include traveling Europe, taking a few business and economics classes and then going into business with his father.
It would be easy to feel some degree of envy or irritation toward someone privileged enough to make this their post-secondary choice. Plus, this kid has everything going for him-he’s young, intelligent, talented, handsome, and as most of our students are fairly wealthy, I’m guessing he’s that as well. A lesser person given such circumstances might turn into a spoiled, self-centered brat, but not this young man. He’s so amiable that one can’t help but just be happy for him and wish him all the best. That’s why I wanted to see him, I wanted to get a chance to tell him good luck and God bless before exams and graduation sent our seniors off forever.
As I sat and chatted with him today, he mentioned that he was writing a book. He said it’s nowhere near finished and he has a lot of work to do yet, but one of the main focuses is radical Islam. He’s a Muslim, but he said he has been studying a lot about Christianity and the teachings of Christ lately.
“You know, Jesus teaches so much about love and brotherhood,” he said.
He spoke of how the world largely perceives Islam because of the hatred and violence promoted by the small percentage of radicals. Quoting verses from the Koran, he explained just how off-base these radicals are and how Islam teaches brotherhood and peace but that this so often falls by the wayside. We discussed the differences between religion and faith, and about the act of seeking truth and personal faith versus blindly following one religion or another.
I asked him who he imagined his audience to be, and he said he wasn’t quite sure yet but that maybe he was aiming toward fanatical Muslims. His aim, he said, wasn’t necessarily to change the world’s perceptions of Islam but to change the world.
He spoke passionately about hope, faith and love, and how this senseless violence and hatred had to stop.
“I am going to change that,” he told me, with absolute determination. “I am going to change things.”
Is it youthful naiveté for him to assume that he can single-handedly make such a difference?
I say no.
Is there hope for humanity?
Yes.
Today I found hope in a 17-year-old young man with a beautiful soul who says he’s going to change the world…and I for one believe him.
It’s impossible to watch the news, go online or read a newspaper without seeing reminders of what a mess we have made of our world…and how, most likely, things are only going to get worse. Sometimes I feel as if I read one more article or see one more report on hatred and violence and anger my heart will break.
Just when it seems as if I can’t take any more, miraculously it seems I am always given a reminder that there is hope.
Today hope came to me in the form of a 17-year-old student.
This young man, a 12th grader, is the same goofball who gleefully serenaded me with Britney Spears a while back. I’ve only taught him in a study hall-type setting so I don’t know him terribly well, but after talking to him today I really wish I knew him better.
I’d asked him to stop by and see me sometime this week. He and his classmates have finished with regular classes and are now preparing for three weeks of brutal International Baccalaureate examinations. He’d told me about his post-high school plans, which include traveling Europe, taking a few business and economics classes and then going into business with his father.
It would be easy to feel some degree of envy or irritation toward someone privileged enough to make this their post-secondary choice. Plus, this kid has everything going for him-he’s young, intelligent, talented, handsome, and as most of our students are fairly wealthy, I’m guessing he’s that as well. A lesser person given such circumstances might turn into a spoiled, self-centered brat, but not this young man. He’s so amiable that one can’t help but just be happy for him and wish him all the best. That’s why I wanted to see him, I wanted to get a chance to tell him good luck and God bless before exams and graduation sent our seniors off forever.
As I sat and chatted with him today, he mentioned that he was writing a book. He said it’s nowhere near finished and he has a lot of work to do yet, but one of the main focuses is radical Islam. He’s a Muslim, but he said he has been studying a lot about Christianity and the teachings of Christ lately.
“You know, Jesus teaches so much about love and brotherhood,” he said.
He spoke of how the world largely perceives Islam because of the hatred and violence promoted by the small percentage of radicals. Quoting verses from the Koran, he explained just how off-base these radicals are and how Islam teaches brotherhood and peace but that this so often falls by the wayside. We discussed the differences between religion and faith, and about the act of seeking truth and personal faith versus blindly following one religion or another.
I asked him who he imagined his audience to be, and he said he wasn’t quite sure yet but that maybe he was aiming toward fanatical Muslims. His aim, he said, wasn’t necessarily to change the world’s perceptions of Islam but to change the world.
He spoke passionately about hope, faith and love, and how this senseless violence and hatred had to stop.
“I am going to change that,” he told me, with absolute determination. “I am going to change things.”
Is it youthful naiveté for him to assume that he can single-handedly make such a difference?
I say no.
Is there hope for humanity?
Yes.
Today I found hope in a 17-year-old young man with a beautiful soul who says he’s going to change the world…and I for one believe him.
posted by Erin @ 7:02 AM
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