What should a young adult be reading, seeing or experiencing to become to become a world-changer?

Question

This question was asked at the Dropping Knowledge event on 9th September by Amy Green, 32, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. To find out more about Dropping Knowledge check out our blog:

Dropping Knowledge in the UK: http://uk.blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-qT1KKPQoRKdVT4lowpJCljbFokkuIzI8?p=1048

To discuss this subject in more detail follow this link to the official Dropping Knowledge website: http://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/posts/focus/12014.page

Answer 1

Books that will open his mind, and his heart. Keeping an open mind is sadly a lost skill in this world. Learning to accept all cultures means reading stories from all cultures. Shakespeare, Homer, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Roahld Dahl, have helped to shape an open mind. Help your child develope his imagination, and he will be able to help change things for the better, when he can imagine the way he wants his world to be, there will be answer in how to make it that way. All books have an inherent quality, every one can be learned from. As long as he is reading, that in itself, is the best thing. Trials and tribulations are all part of this, he should be allowed to experience the negative as well as the positive, to learn what works, and what doesn't. Have him talk to people who have been there. If he has an interest, help him to develop that further. Books, talking to those who know, help him experiment with all the different medium, allow him to be the person he can be. Don't overprotect, any knowledge can be good knowledge. If he doesn't know about it, he can't react to it when the situation arises later in life. My source? My life.

Answer 2

They should be reading what they already have and use their critical thinking skills, they should be reading all the things around them and ask if this is all there can be or could we do more and better, read people, read what's going on, read inbetween the lines...
They should be seeing their life, seeing their world their community, they should be seeing the connections that everything has, seeing the positives and negatives, seeing the good and bad conciquenses of actions words and more, they should also see within them know them selves and work on what needs improving within them...
They need to be experiencing life out side of them selves, with other people, interact more with anyone from all sorts of backgrounds, they should not put bounderies on their experiences...

All of this, an understanding of them selves, and an eye for the world around them, and an open mind to learn about old current and new ideas, critical thinking, self confidance, understanding, respect for themselves and others, and the ability to link commonalities, this, this will ALL make anyone a WORLD changer
;-)
And most likely in a good way at that...
;-)

Answer 3

A young adult should be introduced to the world --- the good, the bad --- before they're thrown into it and not know what to do. What I see people doing today is trying to make the world look like this happy sunshiny place by banning books that help us see the bad in this world and let us comtemplate how to deal with that problem when it comes our way. How will this help us deal with the real world? All our lives we were hidden from the world, protected by our parents because we weren't ready for what was out there. An age doesn't define when you're ready to go out into the world. Your knowledge and expectancy does. So when we get to be a young adult, we can understand and take in what's out there. But how are we expected to survive out there when we're sheilded our whole lives? That's why it is SO crucial to young adults to be open to any kind of reading that would ready them for anything that's out there.

Answer 4

I think the movie "What the bleep do we know" is essential. It seriously gets down to the knitty gritty of this life and what it is made of. Knowledge is power.

Next essential is meditation. Many religions agree that it should be practiced regularly, and scientifically meditation activates a certain part of your brain that induces spiritual experiences. By doing this you raise the vibration of energy in your body. Higher vibrations of love, peace, joy etc. neutralize lower vibrations of fear, guilt, anger, etc. The highest vibration would be someone like Christ or Buddha. How many peoples lives were changed for the better just by those 2 men being in a higher vibration of life?

Last recommendation is The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard which gives straight talk about politics, the world, sex, and basically life as we know it. It is an introduction to A Course in Miracles, which is something many should look into which shows the way to inner peace through constant and consistent FORGIVENESS.

If I were to impart knowledge on my death bed, these are the 3 things that i KNOW would make positive change in this world, so there ya go. =)

Answer 5

A young adult should be reading any book they can get their hands on.The only bad reading,is not reading.Young people that have books censured before they read them,might as well be back in the dark ages or in a Catholic school.it is the parents and teachers responsibility to make sure whatever books they read,they understand completely and explain anything they don't understand,not just keep a book from them because they THINK it is a "BAD" book.There are no bad books,only bad people.You can become a world changer,only if the world you live in changes with you.And at present,with the religious fanatics in the world and in power here in the US and abroad,new ideas are not very prone to being accepted.Maybe when we get some young people in positions of authority,who have thrown off the yoke of religious power,then maybe censorship will go away.

Answer 6

To begin this question, I say the conferences like these should be held throughout the world not just in USA. Who knows the real world-changer is born right now in China or in India or in Peru ? I hope this conference is the flame of hope for a true search of the `world changer'

My advise, Try reading, Seeing and Experiencing beyond the power of the most powerful organizations in the world, as we know, the governments on this world. I wish I was young, so I could have a go! If you are ahead of the governments, I say : "You go boy / girl !!!"

Read everything related to "World" and "Changes". If you want to be big tomorrow, act like one today!

Let the librarians turn his/her heads towards you, as you head out to the Library with a bunches of books only meant for Presidents or Governments!!

Seeing ? Watch TV news channels. Not everything you watch on TV is real though, I guess you know that one already! So be prepared to witness events yourself. Go for a world tour. If your dad's or mum's budget allows, do it otherwise raise a fund. Who would not want to give a donation to the world leader ? just send me an email, I will give you a day's earning! You can't be a world changer just by hiding in your bungalow! Visit every corners on this planet, hug all kinds of people and feel their embrase for a change.

Experience ? World Changers will definitely need to experience a whole lot. Learn about living in a free and not free society. Experience freedom and not freedom. Experience everything that strengthens your knowledge about the world and the causes for you to be a leader!

Answer 7

O' people what I fear most about you are two things - acting according to desires and extending of hopes. As regards acting according to desires, this prevents from truth; and as regards extending of hopes, it makes one forget the next world. You should know this world is moving rapidly and nothing has remained out of it except last particles like the dregs of a vessel which has been emptied by someone. Beware, the next world is advancing, and either of them has sons i.e. followers. You should become sons of the next world and not become sons of this world because on the Day of Judgement every son would cling to his mother. Today is the Day of action and there is no reckoning while tomorrow is the Day of reckoning but there would be no (opportunity for) action. Allah deputed the Prophet at a time when there had been no prophets for some time. People had been in slumber for a long time and the twist of the rope had loosened. The Prophet came with (a Book containing) testification to what (books) were already there and also with a light to be followed. It is the Qur'an. If you ask it to speak it won't do so; but I will tell you about it. Know that it contains knowledge of what is to come about, stories of the past, cure for your ills and regulation for whatever faces you.

Answer 8

If they want to be apart of world change, they need to be informed about the world. Politics? Read some biographies from big names in government offices, along with historical accounts. Then balance that with outsiders that offer a different view, Chomsky or Zinn or James Loewen (Lies my Teacher Told Me).

For social change, how about Fast Food Nation, The Jungle or The Dream by Martin Luther King?

It's also worthwhile to throw in literature from across the world - the world is shrinking and having the knowledge to empathize with a variety of cultures.

For seeing things, Holocaust museums, Indian Reservations (some of the worst ghettos in the United States), even high-end designer neighborhoods (to see how mass-consumption is at odds with the lot of so many today).

Experiences - work on a farm to understand where your food comes from, and how much goes into it . . . and how little the farmers get paid to provide it. Work with Habitat for Humanity, in a Soup Kitchen, at an animal shelter, join the Sierra Club...get out in nature and reconnect to something bigger than the human race.

Most importantly, it's always a good practice to question things. If there's something that seems to be an injustice... question it. If there's a historical "fact" that doesn't seem to be accurate, question it. We need to build on the past to make the future better, but we need to clear out the rotted foundations to make that future stand solidly.

Answer 9

Very simple. Everything they can. Obviously the maturity level of a kid will dictate what that kid can handle emotionally and philosophically. To tell a kid at any age that they cant read a given book or see a movie or visit a museum or event because of its content is degrading the learning process. An adult should be able to say "You need a couple more years to understand that.'
just like my parents did. Obviously the kid's curiousity will peak
with that phrase, but curiousity is good. If you dont experience the warts of society as well as the beauty, you'll enter adulthood a couple yards behind the rest of them. Leaders are well versed in the difference between good and bad. Parents are the ones who create great leaders by teaching the kids how to differentiate
between the good and the bad. Let'em read Huck Finn and Ulyssess and Harry Potter. They'll look into The Tropic of Cancer when the parents aren't even aware of it. But thats good. Experience.

Answer 10

They would need to live in an area that has a multi-cultural background. This way they can see a little bit of everything and not pass judgement on any of it. It hard to make changes when one does not understand some poeple, and too well on others. It also give them the skills to become more open minded to the needs of others. Reading, well everything! Knoweldge is power all its own. If they do not read avidly then how will they know what needs to change?Experiance will come no matter what, there is no right formula. Its makeing the choices they need to make that will help them learn from it, be them good or bad. Either way they will know what to do the next time.

Answer 11

History and not like it is a dry boring subject but like the thriller it is. I would even say that role-play should be involved.

Some political writings and how to look at what people are really saying and promising.

Finance; learn how to control your own financial life and you'll be able to understand a lot better what state the country is in. HOw it will effect your choice of job and life. Finance needs to be taught.

How to start your own business or how to succeed in a big one. How to run your own NPO.

Volunteering the benefits of it and how can you help.

Great leaders' Biography of all walks of life, from business, spiritual, worldly and so on.

Then I would suggest that they do an internship. Talk with other young people from around the world even over the internet or by snail mail.