On Friday I spoke at a
candle-light vigil held at UVU's courtyard. It was a really good experience. Up to the moment I took the microphone I had no idea what I was gonna say. As I began to introduce myself and USGA I had a thought pop into my head that had been floating around there for a while. Gandhi once said we need to be the change we want to see in the world. I used to think that was a stupid expression, because I thought it meant that first we had to change ourselves the way we wanted others to change. But the thing is, I already understood. I'm the one who was at an anti-hate vigil speaking about loving each other. We had actually talked about that very issue the day before in USGA. The people that come to these things, meetings and vigils, are the ones who already get it. So shouldn't we be saying that others should change, not us? But looking around that courtyard at those people I knew that these weren't just the people that already got it. They were the ones who wanted to do something about it. We need to be the change we want to see. If I want to see people loving each other and standing up for one another then I have to do so first. We have to be willing to stand for what we know is right, even if we stand alone sometimes.
I sometimes feel as if I'm only one person and I can't do very much at all. Many times my friends have to remind me that I'm not Superwoman, only Lois Lane. I will try and take on too much thinking I need to do more to be heard or make a difference, and then only wind up feeling sad when I can't do it all. But if you asked me if I really think that one person could make a difference, let alone change the world, I would tell you yes. Because if you think about it, everything that exists, before it existed, was just an idea that a person had.
That's why I write here. That's why I keep talking to people about this, and run USGA, and reach out. That's why, despite the bad experiences I've had, I have faith in people. I know that slowly, we can all make a difference.
~Bridey J
