Title
DARING ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Being young certainly places a lot of limitations on how
one can change the world. Not only are youths limited by
financial dependency on our parents, we are also limited
by lack of time due to the huge demands of school. Hence
it is not surprising why many youth today doubt their capability
to accomplish anything great enough to impact the world.
Sadly, many get so caught up in school and co-curricular
activities (cca) that they relegate the task of “impacting
the world” to the future, when they become rich and
powerful (or so they hope) enough to do so.
I once came across a very wise saying: “Don't wait
for some magic gift. Share what you are”. I think this
is very applicable in the case of youths today. I think
what is most important is to break out of this mindset that
one is too young to accomplish anything great. Even the
small things one does can go a long way in affecting the
lives of others. For example, I have realized from experience
that constantly reminding myself to be optimistic can do
more for the people around me than I could ever imagine.
I used to be quite grumpy and halfhearted when assigned
group projects in school. What I noticed is that whenever
I complained about the workload, my group members tended
to be influenced by my negative attitude. This usually resulted
in a very unproductive group that was clearly unhappy to
be doing the work assigned. However, when I began to adopt
a more positive attitude, my group members were influenced
by my enthusiasm and doing group work became much more fun
and enjoyable. From this I learned that my personal attitude
not only affects myself, but the people around me as well.
Hence, one of the best ways I can impact the people around
me is to constantly remind myself to be cheerful and optimistic,
and hopefully some of it would rub off onto others around
me too. Of course, this may sound easy, but to constantly
maintain optimism despite the pressure we face is in reality
much harder than it sounds.
Change, I believe, is the key to making the world a better
place. I start off with trying to bring changes from within
first, such as changing my attitude towards things. However,
one must be realistic in what one can achieve. To be content
with slow but certain progress is better than to ask for
the skies and fail at that. We can start simple with changes
to ourselves first, then expand these positive changes to
family and close friends, followed by people around us in
general, and finally step by step, we get closer to changing
the world each day.
There are many ways to bring about positive changes in others,
the bottom line being that we must learn to care for and
empathize with them.
Firstly, we can do so by learning to listen more and speak
less. Many a time when talking to someone, we tend to do
just that - talk. Often, we are so eager to share our opinions
that we forget to listen to what the other party is saying.
One way I could really impact others is by constantly reminding
myself to listen more to what people have to say, rather
than enter a conversation with the sole purpose of getting
myself heard. For it is only when we listen that we show
others that they matter to us, and that we care.
For example, I have a friend who became very depressed because
of school and family matters. I would listen when she shared
her woes with me then offer my perspective to her problems
and suggestions of what she could do. I thought I was helping
her by giving her constructive feedback. It was not till
much later that I realized the only time I had been helping
was when I listened. All she really needed was someone to
share her feelings with and talk away her frustrations.
She did not need my comments or suggestions, especially
since I did not fully understand the situation at times,
and tended to make comments that frustrated her even further.
Nevertheless, she did thank me for the times when I listened
quietly.
From this friend, I have learned the importance of listening.
In this day and age, we are constantly encouraged to speak
up and make ourselves heard. It soon becomes easy to underestimate
the true value of something as simple as listening. Listening
when others speak shows that I value their thoughts and
opinions. Listening when others share their problems is
one of the easiest yet most effective way of showing I care
for them.
Having said that, I think speaking has its own value too.
Not just speaking per se, but speaking up in times of need,
even when it is hard to do so or when no one else would.
For example, it is not enough to stand aside and decline
participating when someone is being victimized. I should
take it a step further to speak up for the person. I should
speak up even if I do not like him/her or even if I risk
being victimized along with him/her as a result. Likewise,
I should also speak up when others do wrong, e.g. breaking
school rules, even if I risk being labeled a “goody-two-shoes”
as a result. After all, as someone once said: “Those
who mind don't matter. And those who matter don't mind.”
Speaking up is extremely difficult, firstly because it takes
a lot of courage to go against the flow, particularly when
one is concerned with fitting in and being part of the group.
Secondly, it is hard to see how one lone opposing voice
can make a difference to any outcome, hence one is often
tempted to simply give up. However, precisely because of
such difficulty, the power of speaking up is not to be underestimated.
For just as a tiny rudder can change the course of an entire
ship, so can one person’s speech steer an entire group
from wrong.
Last but not least, I can impact the world by my service
to others. Service entails sacrifice of some sort, be it
time or effort, but at the end of the day the rewards, though
intangible, far outweigh any sacrifices made.
I volunteer my services regularly at a children’s home,
giving tuition to the younger children. The work is particularly
satisfying because it goes beyond helping the children in
their studies. In the course of giving tuition, I make friends
with the kids and talk to them about school issues. It almost
becomes playing a big sister to them. Who says that youths
are too young to change the world? We are equipped to serve
in our own ways too, and above all, we are equipped to make
a positive impact on the lives of others simply by showing
we care.
Through community service, I learned never to doubt my ability
to help others. I also help out as a teaching assistant
in a special school for children with multiple disabilities.
When I first started, I was extremely doubtful of how I
could be of help, having had no prior training. I was even
afraid I would be more of a hindrance than a help. The first
few sessions were tough, but as I learned on the job I began
to enjoy it, and now I am really glad I stuck with it.
Many people in society shun disabled people not because
they look down on them, but because they are afraid they
might hurt them unintentionally by insensitivity or carelessness.
Many have the impression that interacting with the disabled
is best left to the experts. I myself used to think this
way until I started volunteering at the special school.
At first, I was afraid I might hurt the children by anything
I said or did. Of course, that never did happen. What the
experience taught me is that I should never under-estimate
my ability to help others. I do not have to be a professionally
trained psychologist to interact with disabled people. The
only thing I need is plenty of heart and a good deal of
patience-the rest of it can be picked up along the way.
In conclusion, I think I can change the world by listening
more, speaking up, serving others and never doubting how
much these seemingly insignificant things can really accomplish.
Before I end, let me leave you with my favourite quote:
