For the students who complained, four-hundred words is less than a page.
Four-hundred words of thinking, of creating, of fighting to come up with something that reveals to others the more of this universe we so often breathe through and ignore; what could you do with that many words?
There are more things in this time, this world, this universe, than in our own individual imaginations can fathom. However, because we prefer the safety, the security, the predictability of what requires little effort beyond the margins we’ve set for ourselves, we keep not allowing ourselves to explore or uncover them.
Four-hundred words of thinking, of creating, of fighting to come up with something that reveals to others the more of this universe we so often breathe through and ignore; what could you do with that many words?
There are more things in this time, this world, this universe, than in our own individual imaginations can fathom. However, because we prefer the safety, the security, the predictability of what requires little effort beyond the margins we’ve set for ourselves, we keep not allowing ourselves to explore or uncover them.
All of you, with your youth and your energy, and all that you have at your fingertips, you could be far more than you imagine, far more than you dream, far more than your grades or your past or your present would indicate. There are wrongs to be righted, there are injustices which require light, action, and time to address, lives to be saved, art to be created, people to feed, great discoveries awaiting.
We teachers can see it, but we can’t make you do the same. You must want to see. We teachers know it’s in you, you must want to be what you could if you dared to work and work and work at it.
You could be more if you allowed yourself to be hungry for something other than being sated. You could be more, if you allowed yourself to read beyond the limitations of an assignment, to write beyond the word count, and to research because you want to know, rather than someone will test to see if you know it.
You could be more if you allowed yourself to be hungry for something other than being sated. You could be more, if you allowed yourself to read beyond the limitations of an assignment, to write beyond the word count, and to research because you want to know, rather than someone will test to see if you know it.
The other day, I took my four youngest running, practicing for a track meet. One of the coaches ran past me and my oldest daughter as we walked the track for exercise. I heard him tell his charges, “Running is 90% mental.” and we laughed. My daughter internalized it and demanded we try to run a lap and lo, she proved him right. We willed ourselves to run, and so we ran. I didn’t think I could, and so I couldn’t, until I thought I could, and thus I did.
So will it. Will your education to be first rate. Will your life into more of the life you’d hope for, will yourself to be something luminous, joyful, and amazing.
This essay is four-hundred words.
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