Things that restored my faith in humanity today: 1/22/13

1.     At our forum today, we had a speaker that talked about how our generation is losing empathy and our innate sense of wonder. We’re forgetting the beautiful world we live in, and allowing technology to eat us up and take away our ability to be amazed. He showed us a video of people in Australia the first time it snowed there. They ran outside and took off their coats and made footprints in the slush and laughed in the flakes. When he finished his presentation, we began to clap. We never clap. And then the boy sitting in the row in front of me two seats to the left by himself stood up. And he clapped louder. And then others stood, and then others. And then I stood. We all stood and acknowledged that a sense of wonder is imperative to our salvation, our happiness, our very being. It’s a way to celebrate our mortality.

2.     Walking to the library from the Marriott center after the forum, the crowd parted and moved around one person standing, staring up at the mountain. It was a big mountain. And he just stopped and looked at it, like that was the only thing important in the world at that moment. Thank god for that boy in the brown jacket, who understands that when something is beautiful, it deserves to be recognized- even if it’s only for a minute in his head on the Marriott bridge after devotional.

3.     My creative writing professor emailed all his students to remind us of an assignment that’s due at 2:59 today. Proof that he really does want us to pass his class.

4.     In periodicals about five minutes ago, a boy sitting at the counter facing the atrium saw his friend, threw down his book, and waved his hands (each sporting a peace sign) in the air to get his attention. His friend made a face. And then he came over. Now they’re sitting next to each other at the counter facing the atrium.

5.     I can’t be absolutely positive, but I think the boy sitting next to me in the library is praying before doing his mission prep homework. And nobody’s going to say anything to him about praying in public, or challenge his religious beliefs, or look at him strangely. They’re going to let him pray as if their lives depended on it.