Shake the World…
“Shake the World, Start with My Hand.” This little saying was on a button I used to proudly wear on my jean jacket as a young girl.
On this, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I was reminded of that button. It meant a lot to me. I got it, as being member and part of AFS (American Field Service), a very fine exchange student program. Our household hosted a few students, and I can look back at that time as some of the happiest moments in my youth. We had students from Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, Denmark, and two from Argentina. Beyond the housing of students in our home, I was invited to attend many functions, where young people from 50 countries were represented. So many nationalities and every color of the rainbow.
I have a dream too, where the differences are celebrated and enjoyed as something unique and wonderful, where the boundaries and cultures need not take away from harmony and dignity of each and every person.
I will never ever forget my years with AFS. I lived them as a dream.
Shake the World, Start with My Hand.
I love the sentiment behind the slogan. The world needs some shaking, and making it personal is the way to do it. We had a Japanese exchange student stay with us once. A great experience.
But student exchanges aside, I really think that our power to influence the world in a positive way is tremendously expanded by the internet. Being able to extend my hand in friendship clear around the world is a wonderful thing, and I think we’re only beginning to reap the fruit of this advance.
Can you tell I’m an optimist?