Last night while working on a youth program focused on what it takes to be a hero, it was as if that Looney Tunes Anvil fell from the sky and landed directly on my head! Just like that I was inundated with a thought so simple, but at the same time so sophisticated and capable of accomplishing amazing things. I find myself always searching for a better way to communicate, an easier way of articulating thoughts to words and what is the simplest way of getting a good point across. This topic is one of these moments for me.
Often times when I am running a program or engaging youth through a speaking role, you will find me talking about how "the math just doesn't add up". It is such a ridiculously obvious fact to me, yet somehow I feel like I, as well as many others, are struggling to get this point across. The context in which I use this term, while working with youth, is typically when I am describing the bullying phenomenon that is apparently crippling our society these days. In case you have never had the opportunity to partake in one of our programs or speaking engagements, it would go something like this. I would address the group I am working with and start by asking a few questions.
Me: How many students attend this school?
Random Student: I think about 500!
Me: Okay, out of these 500 students how many would you say are bullies? Just a guess will be fine.
Random Student #2: Maybe 20?
Me: Okay, lets say 50 just to make it easy. What is 50 out of 500? Which group has the edge?
Random Student #3 (Now laughing): Obviously there are 450 more regular students then there are bullies!
Me: Precisely, so why do we have a bullying problem?
Right after that last line is said we generally are met with some silence and then a lot of ruckus. Again, it seems so simple to me, yet in reality it just isn't so. What are we missing? How is it possible that 50 bullies can survive amongst 450 non-bullies? Maybe we are looking at some of the wrong things? Maybe the other 450 kids have a difference of opinion regarding these so-called 50 bullies? Maybe the students as opposed to fearing these other kids actually have some feelings of remorse or humanity towards them? Maybe the other youth are capable of understanding that there is more than meets the eye? Maybe we should do everything in our power to do the same? All I know for sure is that if I'm walking through my school courtyard and 5 kids are picking on 1, all I have to do is grab 10 of those 450 available kids and what could those 5 bullies possibly do to a wall of 10 students that are saying, "Not Today"! It's time we remember there is strength in numbers and its about time we start teaching our youth the same! Does this not sound so logical and so simple? So what in your opinion is the problem? How does such a small and insignificant percentage have the ability to reek such havoc?
The second instance where the numbers just don't add up for me, is when we look at the government or the wealthy members of society and we act as if they have all the power. This is exactly what they'd like you to believe, but it is very far from the truth. We the people have all the power and it's always been this way. The problem is that throughout the generations the fear has grown exponentially and it has left us with a society of people who are afraid to stand up for what they believe in and they are afraid to fight for what's right. All because of the fear of what could happen to us as an individual or the people we love. The more we live in fear, the more things will remain the same and in fact, continue on this downhill slide we have been on for a very long time. We have all the numbers and its staggering the difference between the two. If we as a society, community, City, State/Province or even Country could come together for one cause could you imagine what we could accomplish? Think about it like this, if we the people of Canada decided we were going to boycott Chrysler Cars for whatever the reason, and we actually did it, how long do you think it would be before Chrysler Canada goes belly up? How quickly would Chrysler have to scramble in order to "win" us back? Again I just shrug my shoulders and wonder why we don't have the ability to come together and make change, when mathematically everything is in our favor.
Just to hammer this topic home I have one last scenario I'd like to share. I live in a world where I expect to get value for the money I spend. I know it may sound crazy this day and age, but its true. I don't enjoy walking into a retail store and handing money to a clerk who can't even get off his or her cell phone to acknowledge me standing there and me providing them with income! Do I have to spell that out? When you walk into a Dry Cleaners for example, and you spend $200/month with them, does it not occur to you that you are helping to feed their family? Do we all forget that people used to do business only with people they knew and trusted? When I was younger every person my father did business with had been to our home for a social evening. In other words they were friends as well as business men and they both were aware of this fact. Without getting to far off topic, the point I want to make is this. Why aren't we looking for more value when we spend our money and why are we not realizing that based on simple Economics, if we don't spend our money, businesses struggle?
I live in what many people would describe as a fantasy land, and I'm okay with it because in my land, people are aware of the power they possess and people are able to make change when its needed. Think about it like this. Will Smith is the most bankable movie star of the past 10 years. So basically any film company, such as Warner Brothers or 20th Century Fox, knows that there is a simple math equation to follow:
Will Smith + Any script you can come up with + Film Company= $$$$$$$$$$$$$
What then would happen if we as a society decided that we don't like Will Smith any more and we won't support any of his films? How long would it be before Will Smith never made another movie? So when these movie companies and moguls come into your small town or city to film, what do you get in return? I have a crazy idea, lets use an equation of our own, you want us to support your actors and your movies, then how about you build a school every time you film on location? Or maybe you build a community centre, a daycare, a hospital, or just whatever is needed. Something that shows us, the people, that we are getting value for the Hundreds of Millions we spend on Movies and Entertainment?
Once again, the math just doesn't add up for me.
Thank you for taking the time to read, comment, support and be a part of my world! I truly believe that we have the ability to accomplish anything we want! We have the power, we just need to realize it and come together as one. When we can get to that point, we can do anything! Won't you try to change the world with me?
Often times when I am running a program or engaging youth through a speaking role, you will find me talking about how "the math just doesn't add up". It is such a ridiculously obvious fact to me, yet somehow I feel like I, as well as many others, are struggling to get this point across. The context in which I use this term, while working with youth, is typically when I am describing the bullying phenomenon that is apparently crippling our society these days. In case you have never had the opportunity to partake in one of our programs or speaking engagements, it would go something like this. I would address the group I am working with and start by asking a few questions.
Me: How many students attend this school?
Random Student: I think about 500!
Me: Okay, out of these 500 students how many would you say are bullies? Just a guess will be fine.
Random Student #2: Maybe 20?
Me: Okay, lets say 50 just to make it easy. What is 50 out of 500? Which group has the edge?
Random Student #3 (Now laughing): Obviously there are 450 more regular students then there are bullies!
Me: Precisely, so why do we have a bullying problem?
Right after that last line is said we generally are met with some silence and then a lot of ruckus. Again, it seems so simple to me, yet in reality it just isn't so. What are we missing? How is it possible that 50 bullies can survive amongst 450 non-bullies? Maybe we are looking at some of the wrong things? Maybe the other 450 kids have a difference of opinion regarding these so-called 50 bullies? Maybe the students as opposed to fearing these other kids actually have some feelings of remorse or humanity towards them? Maybe the other youth are capable of understanding that there is more than meets the eye? Maybe we should do everything in our power to do the same? All I know for sure is that if I'm walking through my school courtyard and 5 kids are picking on 1, all I have to do is grab 10 of those 450 available kids and what could those 5 bullies possibly do to a wall of 10 students that are saying, "Not Today"! It's time we remember there is strength in numbers and its about time we start teaching our youth the same! Does this not sound so logical and so simple? So what in your opinion is the problem? How does such a small and insignificant percentage have the ability to reek such havoc?
The second instance where the numbers just don't add up for me, is when we look at the government or the wealthy members of society and we act as if they have all the power. This is exactly what they'd like you to believe, but it is very far from the truth. We the people have all the power and it's always been this way. The problem is that throughout the generations the fear has grown exponentially and it has left us with a society of people who are afraid to stand up for what they believe in and they are afraid to fight for what's right. All because of the fear of what could happen to us as an individual or the people we love. The more we live in fear, the more things will remain the same and in fact, continue on this downhill slide we have been on for a very long time. We have all the numbers and its staggering the difference between the two. If we as a society, community, City, State/Province or even Country could come together for one cause could you imagine what we could accomplish? Think about it like this, if we the people of Canada decided we were going to boycott Chrysler Cars for whatever the reason, and we actually did it, how long do you think it would be before Chrysler Canada goes belly up? How quickly would Chrysler have to scramble in order to "win" us back? Again I just shrug my shoulders and wonder why we don't have the ability to come together and make change, when mathematically everything is in our favor.
Just to hammer this topic home I have one last scenario I'd like to share. I live in a world where I expect to get value for the money I spend. I know it may sound crazy this day and age, but its true. I don't enjoy walking into a retail store and handing money to a clerk who can't even get off his or her cell phone to acknowledge me standing there and me providing them with income! Do I have to spell that out? When you walk into a Dry Cleaners for example, and you spend $200/month with them, does it not occur to you that you are helping to feed their family? Do we all forget that people used to do business only with people they knew and trusted? When I was younger every person my father did business with had been to our home for a social evening. In other words they were friends as well as business men and they both were aware of this fact. Without getting to far off topic, the point I want to make is this. Why aren't we looking for more value when we spend our money and why are we not realizing that based on simple Economics, if we don't spend our money, businesses struggle?
I live in what many people would describe as a fantasy land, and I'm okay with it because in my land, people are aware of the power they possess and people are able to make change when its needed. Think about it like this. Will Smith is the most bankable movie star of the past 10 years. So basically any film company, such as Warner Brothers or 20th Century Fox, knows that there is a simple math equation to follow:
Will Smith + Any script you can come up with + Film Company= $$$$$$$$$$$$$
What then would happen if we as a society decided that we don't like Will Smith any more and we won't support any of his films? How long would it be before Will Smith never made another movie? So when these movie companies and moguls come into your small town or city to film, what do you get in return? I have a crazy idea, lets use an equation of our own, you want us to support your actors and your movies, then how about you build a school every time you film on location? Or maybe you build a community centre, a daycare, a hospital, or just whatever is needed. Something that shows us, the people, that we are getting value for the Hundreds of Millions we spend on Movies and Entertainment?
Once again, the math just doesn't add up for me.
Thank you for taking the time to read, comment, support and be a part of my world! I truly believe that we have the ability to accomplish anything we want! We have the power, we just need to realize it and come together as one. When we can get to that point, we can do anything! Won't you try to change the world with me?
The idea that the number of students who bully is only about 50 out of 500 is a little simplistic. That would be true if we used the school boards narrow defintion of what bullying is. But by eliminating the terms "repeated" and "intentional" from the defintion we can help children realize that we have all been bullies whether it was intentional or not. By looking at bullying through a relationship lens we can help kids learn how to build healthy relationships and how to deal with unhealthy relationships. If we can educate children this way we can not only have them reflect on their own actions but deal with bullying in a way that also can reduce future incidents of domestic violence and other abuse issues.
ReplyDeleteRead the Promised land by David Noble ... you may find it interesting concerning humanity and world issues.
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