One Summer, I believe I was in 6th or 7th grade at the time, a few friends and I went for a walk along the beach, looking for a water fountain. This was before bottled water really started to take off, so water fountains were all we had. For whatever reason, the beach planners had decided that water didn't need to be all that close together, once every two blocks must have seemed fine at the time. I guess it usually is, unless you come up to the first fountain and find a kid there, putting his lips on the spout. When we told him, “Hey, that's gross, you're not supposed to do that,” he turned to us, and, in a voice I will never forget, said a phrase I guess he picked up on Sesame Street.
“I can do whatever I want.” He didn't say it with intimidation, but with the seeming joy of a kid exerting his limited authority on some older boys. It's hard to describe in text, but the lilting quality of it will stick with me for a long time yet.
Of course, we simply moved on to the next fountain, but the event stuck with me. No, I thought, you can't do whatever you want. There are obvious things like rules and laws that prohibit one's actions, and the basic laws of nature, too, but the idea is told to our children nearly every day. “You can do whatever you want. You can be whoever you choose. Your potentials are limitless.” It's a nice dream, and surely every parent wishes the universe would bend around their child's unlimited potential, but it rarely does. Children are born to families that can't support them, into situations where survival is the best goal for a person, or with conditions that limit them. The people out there who want to help sometimes seem outnumbered by those who couldn't care less.
This is of course a very pessimistic view on life. So I guess some questions I should look into about this are things like what obstacles are there for people to overcome, and what people are doing to help remove those obstacles. Also, what alternatives are out there for people who've had their dreams cut off? Is McDonalds a jumping off point for people whos dreams have stalled, or is it the dumping ground for those who've lost their dreams to chance?
Sigh. I love that story. If you're ever talking to me, I'll give you an example of that kids voice, cuz its just such a random way to say it. Anyway, I'm all written out for now. Good news is, this HW wasn't due until Sunday, so I've got a leg up on things. Go Greg powers!
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