I confess. When I was young, perhaps when I was at what is now called a “traditional age” to be a college student, I felt a desire, a need to do something big, something HUGE to make the world a better place. It is a wonderful and common feeling.
We stand in a world where bad things are happening. Bad things caused by bad people, bad things caused by earthquakes and lousy weather. “I wouldn’t do that” pops into our minds as we hear about this person in a position of responsibility doing something with which we disagree.
This is normal, healthy and part of the reason we attend college. We take a class on critical reading, thinking and writing. We are taught to think for ourselves. So, when we see something that is just plain nuts, we think that thought. Takes a while to move beyond the knee-jerk reaction to a more meditative evaluating of the circumstances.
With earthquakes and hurricanes, we can do nothing about preventing future similar events. The earth will quake whether we would wish it to or not, the hurricanes will blow and avalanches tumble, whether we believe in “climate change” or not. We learn to move beyond that boundary as we engage our think bones, and try to answer the more immediate question of “what can I do to help?”
Well, let’s see. Big earthquake was in Mexico. Too hard to get there to help. Hurricanes in Texas and Florida – and Puerto Rico? Same thing. We might be able to take a weekend and drive to Texas or Florida and lend a helping hand, but we have classes to attend and homework assignments to complete. Long distance travel to help is just not a realistic idea for most college students.
All right, then, let’s take a look at another area with a need of repair. Congress.
Bunch of do-nothing, self-aggrandizing folks whose primary focus seems to be ensuring their individual re-elections, coupled with fealty to their respective (if not respectable) parties. Surely a highly motivated person like you could get in there and fix some things?
Where do you start? First, of course, you must get a college degree. Then you need to apply for an internship with some elected official, and if you are successful, you will rapidly learn that your job won’t offer many opportunities to “fix” anything. You’ll spend most of your time sending replies to constituents’ enquiries, each reply carefully crafted to appear personal and concerned, while at the same time being selected from a computer-load of ready to use paragraphs – the final one of which always will contain a request for “support”, as in money.
One more idea to try then. How about trying to emulate the life story of Dennis Kucinich, the one-time congressman from Ohio whose political career began when he was elected at age 31 as the mayor of Cleveland. From there he stayed on his chosen political pathway. He remained devoted to his liberal perspective and continued to serve in various elected positions for over 30 years. This guy has “chops”. I have no claim to being in any way attracted to his side of the political spectrum, but I respect him for his integrity, for his being so true to the things in which he believed.
Of course, to the best of my knowledge he did not single handedly, or with the help of others, “save the world”.
If you will forgive me, my suggestion for anyone with a “save the world” thought line would be to cut way back in the opposite direction and figure out how to save one person – not in the evangelical religious sense, but in the more literal sense.
The world, meaning right here on campus in Rock Hill, has individuals who need help. Some need mentoring in a particular class, others may need “growing up” skills to do with managing money and managing time. Still others may seriously need just a friend. Not one of the Facebook variety, but a real flesh and blood, sit-there-and-listen-to-me friend. Sometimes that calling can be a whole lot harder than saving the world as a whole, but much better in your life and in the life of the person you helped.
