Friedman's book, Thank You for Being Late, demonstrates that the world is changing at a rapid clip, and my reaction to that is how can we forward these changes in humane, peaceful and Earth-friendly ways.
First, we have to be mindful of our own roles in this change however small. It's all of our small actions that add up to good effort, and we all know that bringing humanity, peace and an Earth-friendly response to our small actions is often the most challenging work we do.
Next, we have to work in collaboration with others to make meaningful, positive development in our spheres of work and influence. How can we positively work with others to affect our communities and organizations? For me this means finding ways to work with other educators to develop and improve the work we do. It's important to discern who has what skills, interests and passions as we work together. Often our best work is compromised because we assign wrong roles to people. At other times the obstacles are lack of good process, efficiency rather than efficacy, and no clear vision or mission. Whatever the case may be, it's important to note your role on the teams you work with and collaborate to do the good work possible.
Then, it's integral that we speak up about what matters. Many make fun of my @realdonaldtrump tweets, yet I often see the words I tweet, repeated. If we sit back and don't speak up, we'll certainly never be heard. If we respectfully speak up with good questions, insights and ideas, guess what, those questions might be answered, insights shared and ideas developed. I often respond to insights, questions and ideas on Twitter by embedding that good think into my daily work and effort to teach children well. I love the global cross-section of wonderful thinkers and doers represented on Twitter and other social media and find that those streams of thought deepen and develop what I can do in my own spheres. So don't be shy about speaking up--it's likely there are those ready to listen and embrace who you are and the experiences/think you have to offer.
These are complex times, but that doesn't mean we should simply sit back and let it happen. Instead we have to up our game in this modern age and look for ways to be active citizens both at home and in our greater circles. That matters.
