As I was doing some research for one of my other classes I came across this quote, "There will always be men struggling to change, and there will always be those who are controlled by the past." ~Ernest Gaines It got me thinking about that state of the world and how things are happening? It is always a struggle for those who want to make a positive change in the world to move forward, because the amount of things that are "wrong" with the world can be very overwhelming. Is our history and our present paralyzing us? It seems that there is a strange balancing act the people who seek to do go have to play of learning from the past and moving “past” the past. The past or history is like a prescription for good, take the right dose and you move on (feel better), take too much and you become stuck and immobile, or take too little and the urge to “do something” is not there. It is essential that we combat this dilemma, if we want to make “the world a better place”. Sorry for the cliché but how can we create a better place without becoming suffocated by the overwhelming realities of what makes the world a not so great place.
As a future teacher I hope to do my part in making my students feel that they can and must play an active part in the world for themselves and everyone else. The problem I am still grappling with my relationship with the world. I think a lot of people struggle with this idea. There are many attempts to “heal the world” if we buy a wristband here or a shirt there we can help the issues faced today. I buy quite a few things following the idea that I am contributing to a “noble” cause. But is this enough? I’m still trying to figure work this out and I will be for some time to come.
This post is a commentary to: Arielle Hall's post: http://liberatedbythewords.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-much-can-you-or-i-change.html
ReplyDeleteI think that as a country, we hope to not be controlled by our past, so we record everything, hoping we'd never let history repeat itself. Yet, we are sitting in a continouse black hole in space that looks the same on every angle.
I think that we've become immune to seeing problems and never drawing more than one solution. We go with the only solution that we believe is good enough. War, is a good example of that.
I agree with you, Arielle, when you say "The problem I am still grappling with my relationship with the world." For, I too am grappling with that relationship;especially since we both hope to mark the world with change. It's hard to go about doing it because we're never taught how. I hope that being a teacher will open the most important door for change in the world.