Those who hear not the music think the dancer mad*

On the last day of class at the end of every semester, I give my students a lecture that has nothing to do with the course I'm teaching. I call it the "Lucky" lecture. It goes something like this:

All of you are lucky.

By the mere fact that you are sitting in my classroom means that you are lucky. You somehow managed to get to a point in your life where you decided and had the means to attend college. Nearly 2 billion children live in the developing world. One in three never completes the fifth grade. Many of them will die today for the simple reason that they have nothing to eat.

So, you are lucky.

You woke up this morning and probably the hardest problem you had to face was what to wear and if you were coming to class or not. Young adults, like you, in other countries wonder if they will wake up in the morning. Will they be murdered in their sleep because someone doesn't agree with their religion, politics, or race? Will they face the impeding death of their mother or father from HIV/AIDS? Will they be corporally punished because they drove a car without a male relative, or didn't wear the appropriate clothing in the presence of men?

You are lucky.

I tend to focus on the fact that, as students, they have the whole world in front of them. And because they are lucky, they have an obligation to those people who aren't. They have a duty to make a difference for those who cannot make a difference for themselves.

And, most importantly, I tell my students that they can make a difference. All it takes is the desire and the correct application of that desire. In order to make a difference in the world, not only do you have to want to, but you also have to take some action to see it realized. You can't just talk about it. You have to do it.

You have to do it.

I get so tired of hearing about these self-help books (and Oprah) that talk about visualizing the things you want in your life. Somehow, by doing so without any action, they become a reality.

I think Gandhi got it right: Be the change you wish to see in the world.

You must act. The will to act is all that matters.

Every moment, there is a choice we all face. To either do nothing or to do something. It is very simple. We either have the will to act and make a difference in our lives and other's, or we do not.

What music do you hear?

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*HT to XT4 for the title.

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