Years ago, I went out on a date with a fine young fellow. It was a first date; the getting-to-know-you date. Dinner was at an underwhelming Mexican restaurant, six blocks from my house (because first dates shouldn't be afforded more of a commitment than a ten-minute walk, one-way).
On our way back, strolling down around the food complex, leftover bags in hand, we had one of the most interesting first-date conversations to date:
We talked about our super-powers:
"I have the ability to crank out a pretty decent essay, the day it's due. That superpower has come in handy way more often than I'm proud of."
"I can fit into ridiculously small spaces. My hide-and-seek prowess is off the charts. I'm still the reigning champ. Of every game I've ever played..."
"I have Super-Shower Powers. Like lightening-speed shower skills.2-4 minutes. 5-6 tops. I always get the first slot if girls are ever fighting over the bathroom. Because by the time they finish arguing, I'm already out, squeaky clean." (-Me)
Suddenly, two people bolted by. Dressed in black, they ran right in front of us, pounding the ground at full speed. They were each carrying a plastic bag, and at the cross road, they split apart, turning different directions.
Before we could register what was happening we heard a shout from the back door of the restaurant, "HEY! HEEEY! Somebody! Stop them!"
But it was too late. Stunned observers, He and I were totally useless on the sidelines of this crime.
The person shouting went back inside, presumably to call the police, and after a minute of silence, we kept walking.
..."Man," I said, "I wish I had better superpowers."
...
I think I went to graduate school hoping to gain some super powers. I mean, I'd be a Master. (from Harvard).
However, staring down the barrel of my graduation, I feel significantly less powerful and mostly just more aware about the extent of the evil-nemeses we're up against.
I wish I had the powers:
to fix the school-to-prison pipeline,
change our systemic racial and cultural biases,
support disenfranchised and oppressed voices,
among so many other things--to find solutions to these massive problems.
But I do not.
However, I find hope in the people trying to solve them. I found great inspiration from my classes on leadership; reading about people like Ernest Shackleton, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Carson, even Ann Hopkins, who faced enormous challenges, and led others to overcome them. Hearing about my own classmates' work with innovative programs helping to break the cycle of poverty, and bigotry, and oppression.
I think some of my friends here are no less than super-human-heroes for fighting to help change our worlds' issues with education.
So I suppose that's what we do. We become inspired by the heroes we see and hear about; we motivate ourselves to question more, learn more, innovate more, serve more, become more Super, one little act and one little change at a time.
And maybe collectively, we have more power than we think.
On our way back, strolling down around the food complex, leftover bags in hand, we had one of the most interesting first-date conversations to date:
We talked about our super-powers:
"I have the ability to crank out a pretty decent essay, the day it's due. That superpower has come in handy way more often than I'm proud of.""I can fit into ridiculously small spaces. My hide-and-seek prowess is off the charts. I'm still the reigning champ. Of every game I've ever played..."
"I have Super-Shower Powers. Like lightening-speed shower skills.2-4 minutes. 5-6 tops. I always get the first slot if girls are ever fighting over the bathroom. Because by the time they finish arguing, I'm already out, squeaky clean." (-Me)
Suddenly, two people bolted by. Dressed in black, they ran right in front of us, pounding the ground at full speed. They were each carrying a plastic bag, and at the cross road, they split apart, turning different directions.
Before we could register what was happening we heard a shout from the back door of the restaurant, "HEY! HEEEY! Somebody! Stop them!"
But it was too late. Stunned observers, He and I were totally useless on the sidelines of this crime.
The person shouting went back inside, presumably to call the police, and after a minute of silence, we kept walking.
..."Man," I said, "I wish I had better superpowers."
...
I think I went to graduate school hoping to gain some super powers. I mean, I'd be a Master. (from Harvard).However, staring down the barrel of my graduation, I feel significantly less powerful and mostly just more aware about the extent of the evil-nemeses we're up against.
I wish I had the powers:
to fix the school-to-prison pipeline,
change our systemic racial and cultural biases,
support disenfranchised and oppressed voices,
among so many other things--to find solutions to these massive problems.
But I do not.
However, I find hope in the people trying to solve them. I found great inspiration from my classes on leadership; reading about people like Ernest Shackleton, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Carson, even Ann Hopkins, who faced enormous challenges, and led others to overcome them. Hearing about my own classmates' work with innovative programs helping to break the cycle of poverty, and bigotry, and oppression.
I think some of my friends here are no less than super-human-heroes for fighting to help change our worlds' issues with education.
So I suppose that's what we do. We become inspired by the heroes we see and hear about; we motivate ourselves to question more, learn more, innovate more, serve more, become more Super, one little act and one little change at a time.
And maybe collectively, we have more power than we think.
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