My name is Josiah Dhaenens. Average college student, living life.
College is a step to prepare you for the real world. The closer I get to graduation the more I realize what the real world means, and it scares me. How can I have an impact on something so much larger than myself? Ohio State seemed huge coming in as a freshmen, now it seems tiny compared to what the real world will be like.
My goal coming in was to leave my mark on this campus; make something better. I understand the ins and outs of the university which has made it easy to achieve my goal, but the real world is an entirely different beast. How can I take my goal freshman year and apply it to the real world?
Answer: start small and work my way up. That is what I did here, so why can't I do it in the real world. I believe that too often local and community involvement is overlooked. People, including myself, see big picture and give up upon looking back at what needs to be done. We live in a society of instant gratification. We get mad if our phones freeze for three seconds before sending a text. Just give it a second! it is going to space!
We fail to appreciate the little things, like the fact we have phones without wires or that we have running water. The reason the world is in the state it is in is because people expect something from it. The mindset of contribution has been turned off and replaced with apathy. I am guilty of it. The paying it forward model dies in our society. Too often people just receive and never give back. "Great minds have purposes; others have wishes." Washington Irving
Giving back in any form is how I am going to change the world. Start locally while thinking globally. Whether that is habitat for humanity projects or coaching my future kids sport teams; "Example is not the main thing in influencing others - it's the only thing" Albert Schweitzer.
I know I am not going to win a Nobel Peace Prize or be written in a history book, but I do know that I have a chance to make a difference in somebody's life and that is all I need.
Josiah- awesome blog. Starting from the bottom up is how we can achieve the best change. You've done such amazing things here and I know that you're destined for amazing things after graduating (even if you don't see those results right away- don't get frustrated)!
ReplyDeleteSO proud to call you brother.
-Roth
Good point about the instant gratification effect... I see that everyday... and its unfortunate but true. The question is, how do we change from people expecting something from "IT" and start expecting something from themselves.
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