Who could’ve written this 2020 scenario? It reminds me of the opening sentences of Charles Dickens, in his 1859 “A Tale of Two Cities”. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” While the book takes place at the time of the French Revolution, we are now experiencing our own revolution.
It’s seems that Humanity is crying for a re-set, a chance to hit the refresh button and start again knowing that we’re all in this together, interconnected, created equal regardless of our race, religion, cultural upbringing or social status.
As my wise friend, Fredrik Haren said, “Until we can see humanity in every human, we are not human.” I know that changing generations of beliefs and recognizing unconscious biases in ourselves is quite a feat. It’s encouraging to see lots of healthy, productive dialog and progress being made. People are listening and going inward to question their own beliefs and prejudices.
My conversation with Fredrik reminds me why I wanted to start Together we can Change the World. Our mission is to educate and empower less fortunate children and women in SE Asia. The communities we support are made up of women who have been trafficked or compromised in some way, refugees who are trying to find a voice in a new country that is not so welcoming, victims of poverty, or hellacious circumstances that make it nearly impossible to create a better way of life for themselves.
Our goal is to give a voice to the voiceless… to build confidence, competence and character and provide useful skills. And as our recipients find value inside, our hope is that others will find value, too. Everyone deserves to feel valued.
I’m inspired to see change happening around the world. As we open our ears and hearts and challenge ourselves to be part of the change we want to see, I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful that we will be more inclusive and accepting of our brothers and sisters around the world. I’m hopeful that we all will model more kindness and love in our divided world. I’m hopeful that we will see humanity in every human.
It is the worst of times; it is the best of times. It is the season of light, it is the spring of hope, and I believe together we can change the world.
