#11 - What I believe ...

"We have advantages. We have a cushion to fall back on. This is abundance. A luxury of place and time. Something rare and wonderful. It's almost historically unprecedented. We must do extraordinary things. We have to. It would be absurd not to."- Dave Eggers

Could this prompt be any more vague? I'm not certain how to even answer this question, which is not posed as a question at all. I believe that people are good for the most part. I believe family is the most important aspect of life. I believe in the Boston Red Sox. Seriously, I could go on for days about something I believe in. So, I guess I'll respond with a favorite quote of mine and some half-assed analysis of said quote.

I believe we have advantages; some a few more than others. I don't take these advantages to mean anything in terms of wealth, but instead the advantages needed to leave a lasting mark on this earth during the span of our lives. Sure, Eggers, in this context, is talking about a luxury of place and time, but I've always taken this to mean life. We have life and the luxury of free will...of choice. We can choose to be or do something "rare and wonderful" or we can choose to stand idly by. Humans are the only beings able to do something extraordinary and we should live our days striving to do so.

I have to say that, as much as I find inspiration in this quote, I find it easy to forget this motivation due to daily happenings. School gets in the way. Life gets in the way. Love gets in the way. Work. Spouses. Kids. We have a million things to focus on that can either deter us from extraordinary or further inspire us towards rarity. I guess an even better quote to include as a means of further explanation would be: "The person who really wants to do something finds a way. The other finds an excuse." This quote can be found in a Lowell, Mass. boxing gym where Mickey Ward trained and even if you know nothing about Ward (or opted to skip seeing The Fighter) it is a noble idea to live by.

I believe teaching is not only the means by which I can do something rare and extraordinary, something meaningful, but is an opportunity to inspire adolescents to do the same. To show them their worth. To value their input, their unique additions to the world. To push them to be rare and wonderful. Some people live their entire lives not knowing their worth, not understanding the importance their existence can have in the advancement of the world. They are programmed to see education as something they have to do. A question they have to answer. A test they have to take. An anxiety. A dictatorship. I want to show them that they have a voice and, although they may have to subject themselves to things they may not like for a small amount of their lives, they have the strength and individuality to create a lasting moment for a generation.