Repression
This morning, as I was relaxing at the water’s edge of Miami Beach, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a conversation four teenage kids were having on the beach blankets next to me. They were talking about making a positive difference in the world. And it went something like this…
“It’s impossible to make a difference unless you’re a huge corporation or someone with lots of money and power,” one of them said.
“Yeah man,” another replied. “My mom keeps telling me to move mountains—to speak up and stand up for what I believe. But what I say and do doesn’t even get noticed. I just keep answering to ‘the man’ and then I get slapped back in place by him whenever I step out of line.”
“Repression…” another snickered.
I smiled because I know exactly how they feel. When I was their age, I was certain I was being repressed and couldn’t possibly make a difference in the world. And I actually almost got suspended from school once after I openly expressed how repressed I felt in the middle of the principal’s office.
I Have a Dream
Eventually, one of the kids noticed me eavesdropping and smiling. He sat up, looked at me and said, “What? Do you disagree?” As he waited for a response, the other three kids turned around too.
Rather than arguing with them, I [Read more…]