Dream!

Since I finished the Alchemist, I’ve moved onto a new book. The book I’ve started is called The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs. After reading the foreward (by Bono!) the intro, and the first chapter, I’m exceeding excited about this book. The back cover claims that in the book, “Sachs lays out a clear conceptual map of the world economy. Explaining his own work in Bolivia, Russia, India, China, and Africa, he offers an integrated set of solutions to the interwoven economic, political, environmental, and social problems that challenge the world’s poorest countries.”

In essence, Sachs claims our world could end extreme poverty. He even says we could do it by 2025.

After reading the first chapter, I’m seeing two key elements to end poverty: better education and small economic development. My situation here in Malawi is the perfect position to be a part of that work. Here I am, working at a school with the opportunity to challenge my students to strive for excellence. Already, I have claimed that as one of my primary goals. I also have an awesome opportunity to contribute to small economic development by bringing together my connections from home with the Women’s Empowerment Program at MIRACLE, which gives out small loans to the women in the villages surrounding Chaminade. So right here, I have before me two clear ways to contribute to the end of poverty. It’s a dream, but that’s where these things start. And after reading the Alchemist, I have no reason not to pursue this “Personal Legend.”

What are your dreams? What will your personal legend be?

Normally, I would hold back from being this idealistic. Though idealism is my natural state, I know that the realists out there find bold idealism like this an easy target for criticism. That’s okay. Actually, it’s welcomed. I’ll need those criticisms in order to make this idea a reality. However, even if this idea is a bit too unrealistic, it’s worth diving into. Because, even if the incredible goal of ending poverty weren’t my aim, wouldn’t this dream of mine be worth pursuing simply because it is a dream? I think so.

I recently spent some time on the website of a business working in Nicaragua called Salud del Sol. Salud del Sol literally translates to Health from the Sun. This business is currently developing plans to create solar autoclaves which could be used in the hundreds of rural clinics and hospitals throughout Nicaragua to sterilize the medical equipment used on thousands of patients, potentially saving their lives in a number of ways. A few months ago, such an idea was just a dream, but there they are, making progress and getting closer to their goal. And would you believe me if I told you this business was founded by a group of college students? In fact, they’re from my school…my class…and a few of them are my friends.

So I ask, why not dream? Why not work for those dreams? Maybe you won’t get where you originally set out to go, but you’ll go somewhere. And in reality, that’s a whole lot better than going nowhere.

Amidst the blogs that my friends from Salud del Sol have been keeping, I found an incredibly appropriate story. This summer, the group spent their time in the middle of rural Nicaragua developing their solar autoclaves and beginning their testing on them. One day, during their testing, they noticed a young man walking up the road with his bike. He was decked out in biking gear, and his bike was strapped with various bags and equipment. This was far from a common site, so my friends waited for him to get closer and asked him where he was coming from. Apparently, he had been traveling between 70 and 100km each day for the past 13 months. He was traveling from Alaska to Columbia, where he was originally from, and he had already travelled over 24,000km. His name was Oscar Canon, and when the group asked him why he was doing it, he responded: “Some people have dreams…but they remain dreams.”

So…

…what are your dreams?

Don’t you think it’s time to make them a reality?