Monday, October 17, 2011

Email: I applaud you, but slow down for a second.

I want to applaud you for igniting such an impressive dialogue. There are university students less passionate about these topics than you are. I hope your ambition and boldness only grows with years. I really wish when I was thirteen years old, I was as well versed as you are.

However, while I applaud you, I also hope that, while maintaining your confidence and fearlessness to speak your mind, you don't forget to listen. Listen to everyone around you. There are many stories that can give you more insight. The fact is, that you don't understand the world yet. Hell girl, I am 21 and I don't understand the world. It is extremely bold and pretty unreasonable for anyone to claim that they "understand the world." You haven't seen the world. You haven't had a chance yet. There are many more layers to the topic you address than you think you know. Things you may not understand until you actually see. Don't discard the opinions of "damn hippies" simply because you can easily place them in that category since they disagree with you. The beauty of our freedom of speech is the dialogue it can produce across various backgrounds. All of these are learning opportunities. Just remember to keep your eyes and ears and mind open to constantly evolve and grow. Otherwise, your brilliance and ambitions will be of no use to society or to yourself. 

P.S.

Those annoying "complainers" on wall street are trying to share their stories with you and the rest of the world. Don't disregard their message. Even if you don't understand where their coming from, try to before you decide to blame them. You can not disagree with something you don't understand fully. Chew on that.

[From a second email:]

Also, you make a lot assumptions about your audience. Careful about that. They're not always true and you invalidate yourself by making those unwarranted assumptions.