I'll see you there!

"I don't understand why people are so afraid of new ideas. I'm afraid of old ones." - J Cage.

Friday Morning. Psychology AP class. I looked on the board to read the quote of the day which are usually very interesting, and today was just like any other day... except different. Today the quote stuck with me, because it so resembled how I view change. I wrote it down immediately.

I mean, just think about it! Old ideas. People had some pretty messed up ideas back in the day. They had this idea that women shouldn't be able to vote because they weren't equal to men. That's pretty scary to me. It's also scary that people in America used to think that it was okay to enslave other people. That's terrifying! People also used to think that it was okay to put children to work in factories. I can't even imagine. Although there are many more examples I could use, I think you catch my drift.

Just because you've grown up thinking that a certain ideas about things are acceptable, that doesn't mean accepting new ideas should be scary. I know that I've had plenty of ideas changed in my lifetime, and it was hard to accept that I had been wrong. Generally speaking, changing viewpoints come with age and experience... but just because you are young does not mean your opinions don't matter. If you see the change you want to be in the world, I say give it all you've got!

My personal mission for change is to change how people view caring for the environment. Today I see ridiculous waste all around me, and pollution is worse than ever before. I love this Earth, I cherish this Earth! This Earth was God's beautiful gift to humankind. We could not live anywhere else, because Earth is all we have. When I see people so nonchalantly destroying it... well... it makes me deeply sad. I'm not perfect, but I try to use every opportunity I can to reduce, reuse, and recycle. You should see the plastic bag collection I've saved up! But you know, they serve many more purposes than you would think. Although the "Green" movement is finally catching hold of businesses and in people's homes everywhere, it seems that most people do it only because it is popular or "cool". I want them to do it because it is RIGHT! I'm sure that's what those brave women thought while fighting for their right to vote. They wanted legislators to make the change to the law not because they had been worn down because of all the rallies and public outcries, but because somewhere deep down they knew that it was the right thing to do.

So here's my challenge to anyone who happens to have read this... believe in change and new ideas because they are good and right. Do not approach it with arrogance, but rather with the humble confidence of someone who knows that what they are doing is going to serve a greater purpose! It may seem cheesy for me to be so passionate. It may seem like a hopeless cause. I probably sound very naive, but let me ask you something.... did any great leader of change think about that before voicing their thoughts? Maybe when they first started, but certainly not when they ended.

If you are scared by old ideas like me, or even by new ones, please just promise me you will listen and learn before becoming stubborn and close-minded about anything. That way, you may become that protester in the history books, and not the compliant onlooker standing on the sidelines.

I'll see you there.