To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
(Author: Eric Handler)
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This is a tough question.
My first instinct is to say, “Be happy.”
A few moments later, “Love.”
Then, “Be nice to people, dammit.”
There isn’t one message that I can settle on to tell 1 million people. I can settle on five or ten or maybe even twenty tidbits of wisdom. But for 1 million people, I think it’s better to share a variety of thoughts so that people can connect with one they feel suits them. Having been in the group of 1 million people before, I like it when someone shares something profound and ties it into something personal. I also like when they give many thoughts on a particular topic. The overarching message or subject is still there, but there are facets of it which we can take hold of and hang on to. Someone may connect to a simple statement of certainty. Others may find comfort in ideas that are constantly in flux.
But, I guess if I could say anything and have 1 million people hear it – and respond to it – I think I’d say this:
“Speaking to a million people is an incredible opportunity and one that you could find yourself in when you least expect it. One word can change the face of the entire planet. We’ve seen it done before. To speak to that many people, it takes a great deal of courage and self-knowledge. You must know who you are before you begin to speak. If you don’t know what to say, just let it come. There is no shame in uncertainty or the decision to not decide.
I find that it’s easier to speak to 1 million people than 10 people. A million seems so big, so far from you. 10 people, on the other hand, is intimate and vulnerable. There’s a reason people choose to publish novels instead of love letters. Why is it that we choose to speak to so many impersonally instead of one person in our truest form?
God – this is sounding like philosophical drivel. I’ll be brief.
If you have to do something with your life, do what you love. Love each other deeply and truly. Celebrate all of yourselves. Realize that you are not a victim of your environment. Realize that you are not a victim of yourself. Be happy and give your Mom a hug. High fives are always a mood lifter. Do something that you fear. And last but not least, be nice to people, dammit.”
