Imagination Embraces All That We Can Be
Do you want to change the world? Have you ever imagined what the world would be like without:
- Hatred?
- Violence?
- Bullies?
- Prejudice?
- Intolerance?
- Fill in the blank ——-?
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela
One of my favorite non-profits is “The Unstoppable Foundation”. Cynthia Kersey started this foundation out a burning desire to make a difference. Over the years that I have been supporting her work we have become friends. They have a sponsor a village model that they use across Africa, which brings not only education, which I believe is primary, but also clean drinking water and sanitation, medical, food and nutrition, and they help educate the parents for empowerment and income training, so they can raise up the entire village. The plan is that after five years, the villages are self supporting and no longer need any aid. They already have many children who have graduated and are attending college. The five year plan is working.
Right now with the global pandemic most of the NGOs in Kenya have left or closed their doors. The Unstoppable Foundation right now is asking for assistance to help those in need. The situation is critical because there is no safety net in Kenya. No stimulus, no CARES Act. So The Unstoppable Foundation is asking for whatever donations you have in your heart to give. Help these families in their desperate need. A little goes a long way. If you feel called to support a family across the world, click on this link.
What Malala has done so successfully, is that she makes peace heroic. Success comes about not because of what you accomplish for yourself with wisdom, but because of what you inspire others to do. We all love being inspired by a hero. We are all hungry for meaning in our lives. Malala is bringing that meaning to many young girls and women around the world through education with her foundation.
Education is the beginning of the answer.
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” – Socrates
Education is the beginning of the journey. This is because book knowledge will only get you so far. It starts you down the path – but the path goes much further. The kindling of the flame is in being curious, in the “wonder” of application of the knowledge.
When you learn something, it starts with the brain, taking it in. Then it is important to download that knowledge down into the heart so that it can be transmuted into wisdom. Wisdom comes from the correct use of that knowledge. Like the American Indian story, we all have two wolves inside of us.
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
When you read, learn, and acquire knowledge you are acquiring treasure. Walking further down this path requires wisdom or application of that knowledge. It is “the one you feed” that changes you and thereby changes the world.
Cynthia Kersey and Malala both made the choice to feed the one that helps others. That is their life purpose. A purpose that comes from the heart. This wisdom comes from the heart, not the head.
Martin Luther King Jr. stated that we needed to develop a world perspective, instead of a loyalty to some race, tribe or nation. I think that education of girls and young women has really taken this world perspective on, as it is moving from just a few countries around the world, to envelop the whole world. It will take them out of child marriages. It will provide them with both opportunity and choices.
It will not only take these individual women out of poverty, it will lift entire nations our of poverty. It is what will bring the world out of darkness and into the light. It is both hope and peace. Educating the minds, hearts and souls of everyone is what will change the world.
But what about us, as in each of us? You and me?
“Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books, audios, seminars and coaching” – Robin Sharma
Your formal education may have ended years ago, whether it was completing high school, trade school, or college. But what have you been doing lately to continue your education? Are you a life long learner, as part of your transformational process?
You may or may not be a book reader. If you are not a book reader, the use of audio books can make the commute to and from work a more pleasant experience.
I read books every single day in my life. I love to learn something new. I love to get that “click” in my brain when something reveals a new meaning to my understanding of life. I love to find that small change that I can make in my own life from reading the stories of others. Even my mystery and sci-fi books reveal new ideas that make my imagination take flight.
I love to share with others what I am learning about myself and the world. I share because this is my passion – to discover new worlds within the one we all live in. So I ask you to share – what is the book that you read that has most impacted your life? The book that maybe you have read more than once? The book that you have recommended to others?
Share your treasure with us.
