A
Ten-Year-Old's Yearning For a Positive
Change
Over time I have learned that having
conversation with my two children can
be quite eye opening! I've always found
it irresistible discovering what keeps
their attention alive for a given moment.
.... "Mom, one day I would
love to wipe poverty and homelessness
from the face of the earth."
Fatos
SIMSEK
LM
South - Raleigh, North Carolina
It is a sort of suspension not knowing
what mind-bugging situations they can
put me in at a blink! It was one of
those days while I was driving them
around town, when my 10 year old daughter
came up with a couple of, well, gigantic
questions! She brought them up immediately
after seeing a homeless person wandering
on the street with a sign in his hand
asking for work in exchange of food.
After watching the individual's empty
stare for a while, she expressed herself
with a rather frustrated tone of voice:
Mom, one day I would love to wipe poverty
and homelessness from the face of the
earth. That's exactly what I want to
do but I feel so small against such
a huge problem. Do you suppose I can
do that just by myself? She continued:
What are some of the ways that I
can help this cause? Then she jumped
into a whole new, yet related subject
and continued to examine my tarnished
after-hours social intelligence! She
wanted to know how come there were so
many homeless people in Raleigh but
not as many back home, in Turkey?
She
got me off-guard all right! I was totally
speechless against the size of such
dramatic social questions she had. I
felt deeply for my daughter and her
yearning for an unbiased life on earth.
Although it made me proud that she is
not a self-consumed grade student, it
equally alarmed me about what else might
be bothering her at such a tender age.
Coming back to my senses at once, I
praised her being an idealist! I applauded
her for her courage to think that she
could pull this off by herself. I congratulated
her for her annoyance by a societal
problem of this volume that made her
think hard to come up with a steady
change. I patted her on the back for
an interest in the fate of humanity.
I cheered along with her hoping that
there is still chance for a positive
change, assuming that there are girls
and boys of her age who are already
awakened and thinking about individual
participation for peace and hope.
Once
I felt that I did a fairly good job
of praising, I told her that the problem
had public dimensions and should be
dealt within that context. In a few
words I told her that when time arrived
and she had the means to help diminish
or, better yet, destroy poverty and
homelessness, she would not and should
not be alone. She then would begin using
her leadership skills. She would need
to gather like-minded individuals and
start brainstorming. I assured her
that while one individual may not be
enough to solve such an enormous problem,
at the same time that very individual
might be a crucial part of the solution.
I told her that there is not one single cause for this problem
and there cannot be one single cure
either. A communal solution is a must
if we want to wipe poverty and homelessness
from the face of the earth. There is
no guarantee that she will opt for a
career to help address this problem,
however; odds are that as intelligent
as she is, she would keep tackling the
problem at every occasion; as motivated
as she is, she would be sure to make
a difference no matter how big or small
it might be; as charged as she is, she
would be a good leader in the community
to mobilize resources.
By
the way I felt much more in control
with the second part of her question!
It almost suggested the existence of
a nicer environment in Turkey when it
comes to homelessness. Apparently, she
hadn't seen very many homeless people
in Turkey during her short visits. I
think that is because most people get
temporary help in the form of shelters
and meals from their family, relatives
or neighbors. Of course, there are homeless
people in Turkey and they too need guidance
back into society but at least most
have family or relatives to turn to
in times of crisis. This all boils down
to cultural differences, we agreed.
She quickly analyzed what I told her
and suggested that an attachment-society,
close-knitted relationships that is,
might be the solution to this kind of
problem. I think she has a point, if
there was a one-size-fits-all type of
solution to it then attachment-societies
might have been able to solve it quicker
than distant-societies. I have to admit
that her questions were loaded but the
quick corollary she ended up making
astonished me; in Turkey there exits
an attachment-society and there is always
support coming from one's family, friends
and relatives therefore social support
issues needed to be revisited worldwide!
It
was a bit too heavy conversation we
had in the car that day. The main thing,
I hope, she hauled was that she needed
to insist on solving problems and be
a leader when she senses a pressing
need. It is not unusual for us, as a
family, to talk about our dreams for
a peaceful world, a fairly shared world
economy, better education and improved
health care. Now I think that her great
questions have come as an extension
to that higher thinking. I am proud
of her having a sense of community at
this young age. She may be a social
dreamer just now but as a mother I feel
that it is my duty to continue keeping
her mind engaged in such a divine pursuit
and never let it fall through the cracks.
Fatos Simsek - LM South Raleigh, North
Carolina
March 14, 2006
