Each Kindness Equals Change by Calvin

Each Kindness Equals Change by Calvin - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

As a child, I had aspirations to “save the world.” It seemed so feasible at the time, but as I grew up, and innocence slowly trickled out of me, I realized that “saving the world” has many different contexts and connotations. For instance, I could save the world from cancer, war, hunger, poverty, and many other pressing issues. Now, I am not so naïve to think that none of those are connected, and I am aware of this connection because of a class I am taking: Geography.

Though geography has elucidated for me what I ​can​ do, how can I pragmatically conquer all the problems our world faces today? The truth is, I can’t. As much I’d like to, it’s not realistic. However, if I can make someone smile, if I can help them get through their day, and the quotidian challenges they encounter, then the infectiousness of kindness can be spread. Perhaps my passion will register with them along the way. As I attempted to grasp for more methods and theorize about how I could make a difference, I realized I had already started making a difference as a child. I discerned that before I could take big steps, I had taken small ones. These small steps are more important to our world than anyone could ever imagine. I would try to help younger students become more aware of this value by sharing my own experience.

My small steps were a direct result of my childhood mindset­- something the foundation of my morals significantly relies upon. My mindset was crafted by how I was raised. Time after time, family member after family member, I have appreciated the value of kindness. Every time I recall this appreciation, I am galvanized to ask the lonely person in the hall, “How are you?” Or even sit down with a kid alone at a lunch table. I have collected bikes for kids who have never been able to feel the wind wash over them as they cruise down a hill; I have worked with basketball players who have never played an organized sport. However, it’s not what I​’m​doing that matters: It’s the effect it has. Have their lives been briefly ameliorated? Are other people joining me in my endeavors? If the answer to those questions is yes, my problem is being solved.

The real problem, the most dangerous problem we have on Earth today.... It’s humanity. Kindness can commence change, but it’s just the beginning. The more people that respect each other, and that can work together, the more problems we can solve. I truly believe the root of all change is activism. Hence, the reason why I am the way I am, why I do the things I do. By exemplifying passion, optimism, persistence, and seizing opportunities, I can pass on the wealth of knowledge I have assimilated from my family and peers. With this knowledge, other people will be empowered. The more knowledge humans acquire, the less human ignorance persists as a hindrance to solving world problems.

Through geography, I have seen kindness just like mine transform many communities, and I have witnessed how kindness has transcended into problem solving techniques, ones that will change our world. I have seen fracking taint the starry skies at Theodore Roosevelt National Park firsthand, I have learned about how our absurd use of fossil fuels is heating up our planet. If younger students learn from my experience, and have their own, then small steps will turn into bigger ones. Now is the time, where, together, we can stand up and impact new communities, even with under­-appreciated things, like kindness.