There
is a very pleasant aspect in teaching in schools: Carla and I come
into contact to one of the most powerful of the human aspect, that is
the capacity to dream. The younger the students are, the less
obstacles they impose themselves in dreaming. While boys and girls
grow, they seem to loose the power of imagining something of
incredible, different, exciting for their life. We have a strong
perception of this change among secondary schools and colleges,
thanks to a simple exercise that we make during our lessons. We give
each student a white leaf with a simple question at the top: what is
your dream?
Results
among pupils of secondary schools are full of fantasy, flamboyant
desires of what they would like to become, to do and to have in their
lives. Their older “colleagues”, instead, are only focused on
what job they will try to obtain, what studies they will have to
carry on to arrive there. And a lot of fear to not have a future at
all.
Are
we sure that this is just one of the results of the economic crisis?
And of the continuous media coverage of 'bad' news?
The
ability to dream, to have aspirations, to grow self ambition is
something very important at every age. The human history is studded
of downturns but what pools them is that they have been solved by the
enterprising attitude of lots of people that did everything was
possible (and, sometimes, also the impossible!) to pursue and achieve
their dreams.
So,
if we want that things change, the first step is to take a white leaf
and write down what are our dreams. What we can do to let them come
true. How many and what kind of obstacles we will have to overcome.
What we would do if we would fail. It takes courage, honesty and
responsability. But this is the only way to become “entrepreneurs
of ourselves” and living a life that worth.
