Think Out Loud

So I left you last time saying that I had much to tell, but that I hadn’t the time to tell it. But now I have so here goes. I had my post-graduate talk yesterday with members of my college (Arts & Humanities), and it’s basically just a “Welcome to Sheffield, we’re awesome!” talk. They had a few “important” people speak, and then they had the president of the student union speak. I really didn’t think I’d be interested in anything he had to say, until he introduced himself as a PhD student in Philosophy, which instantly captured my attention.

Now I thought he was just going to talk about all of the services offered by the student union, but instead he started talking about student activism. He was on his soap box sounding, quite honestly, self-righteous, talking about how we are obligated to help others as we have the means, and how we should look into volunteering and so on and so on. Which made me a bit annoyed because I didn’t go to be lectured to about being a better citizen. But, then I realized that this must be how I sound when I talk to people, and so I listened even harder. And I realized that what he had to say made a lot of sense.

I’m not really well-versed on the political and social system in the UK, I mean, keeping up with American politics is headache enough. But, listening to him, I realized they’re facing the same struggles as we are in the US. Particularly, the education system is facing budget cuts, which has the students up in arms. What really stuck out, I guess, about this young man’s talk is how active all of the students here seem to be. Even the university itself. People here are really tuned in, they’re aware. And what’s more, they actually care.

I wrote a few blogs back about how our failure to stay abreast of national affairs and politics and all the BS that lies between has resulted in our total downfall. And I asked you to consider the world that we live in and to really question if you’re happy with it. And that’s what he was doing. He was saying to to use our voice because, very fortunately, we have one and we are articulate enough to employ it. Progress is made, however, by more than just lofty ideals; it’s made by actual individuals, by you, and by me.

Margaret Mead wrote the too-oft quoted statement that one should “never doubt that a small group of people can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Well, despite how often we’ve heard this, I think we’ve forgotten how true it is. I realize that, like the guy I’m talking about, I’ve gotten on my soap box and proselytized, but I’m just asking you to please, think out loud. Engage with others, challenge the old ideas, and let’s start a revolution.



The world does not have to continue moving toward disaster. But unless men change - which they still have time to do - the collapse will come. And if you want to know the specific process that will bring it about, that process - the beginning of the end - is visble today. - Ayn Rand, Ford Hall Forum, 1977