The young boy gazes into the sky on his worn out green and purple beach towel, searching for truth. As the days loomed towards the speech he had never truly grasped the art of talking in front of any sort of crowd. At age 15 the boy is left with the words in his head and a blank paper at his home. Never was he able to give the people what they wanted to hear because he didn’t know what he could say to please them. A life in which people were now made to speak was a life in which the boy couldn’t adapt to. Over an hour passed in the sun and he was still filled with no plans for the paper or his mouth.
The young man had a world in front of him as well as inside of him. Both were very similar and very different as well. As he step foot in front of his doorstep he knew he didn’t have a definite answer as to where he was going. Not on the paper that laid on his dusty desk or even his inside world. As he stepped inside the small home he was met with his mother who greeted him and gave him a warm dinner to eat.
As the boy ate dinner the mother asked, “What is on your mind, Chris?”
The boy peered up to the empty chairs and his mother across from him and replied with the same response he gave everyone, “Nothing”, as this nothingness gave him a sense of security.
Chris found that replying to questions with vague negative results gave him a break from talking and gave him more time to think and ponder. While questions given to Chris on paper did allow him to focus, they were never a permanent fix as bigger and more complex questions about the world around him kept him occupied for hours on end. After the short and silent dinner passed, Chris went back to his room, a blank space with white walls and white carpet with a bed and desk keep him occupied. Chris layed down on his bed and again thought about the speech that was taking place the next day. He stared at the barren paper and soon realized that he did know the answer to this open ended question. As the title on the top asked “What is one idea to change the world”, he never thought the world as a place that need change. He more or less thought of the world as a place that need something added, and not taken down. As time loomed on he slowly lost his sight. Then his hearing disappeared . And lastly he lost the outside world.
The bell rang as he arose from his seat. Chris was then thrust into the hallway where he was greeted by the people around him. The people understood him and the people knew him. They didn’t put a label on Chris, they all learned about the boy. Next period was his favorite hour of them all. A place in which the walls were filled with color and the windows showed a clear and surreal world. The children in this classroom were chattering, feeding information to one another about what they learned yesterday in class. As the teacher walked into class, one student in the back was told to ask a question.
“Chris what do you have to ask us about?” said the teacher.
Chris thought for a moment, as this question would lead to a discovery of any sort in his room. His Chris was very unsure about what to ask so he thought up a simple question.
“Why do people have differing answers?”
The teacher started the session off as usual, providing context to the question. With the teacher providing his insight, students then attempted to tackle the difficult question. While some said it was human nature to others assuming it was a choice in which you can decide what your answer is and how you get there, Chris observed the students. He saw research being done along with everyone being on a separate page in terms of their depth into the subject. Today students on the right side of the class were more verbal during the hour while left side searched through books. Chris just sat and thought. He gazed at some text and along with that talked with people in the classroom. The bell sounded and with that Chris gained , hearing, sights and the world.
“Wake UP! You forgot to wake up earlier and you nearly lost track of time.” shouted Chris’s tired mother.
Chris arose from his slumber with the first thing he focused his eyes on being the blank sheet of paper. He grabbed it, crumpled and wrinkled in his hand, and stuffed it into the backpack next to his desk. The boy soon ran out to the bus stop after getting dressed after saying goodbye to his mother, and then found himself walking into the room where he would answer the question, “What is one idea to change the world?”. After hearing generic speeches preached by those who couldn’t find a true thought that captivated their mind, Chris was sentenced to go up to the podium. As he want up the class exchanged answers to the test next hour and discussing local drama and gossip. Chris didn’t feel right standing up on the podium. The teacher instructed him to illustrate his thoughts in the form of words. The boy looked on as there was a pause. Chris looked down to his worn out sneakers and as he looked back up he saw the very podium that made him seem above his peers in the room. Chris slowly moved down from the podium and noticed that he didn’t need that. All he truly needed was the idea. the rest would come to him. He then moved away to the podium and forwards out into the desks that looked towards him.
“Um...I don’t think that this is the right way to look at this Mr. Smith” Chris said, practically shocking himself.
“What do you mean, Chris?” the Teacher asked in a grim tone.
Chris then looked to the ground as he was being told what to, unsure as to what he has done.
“Mr. Smith with all due respect this isn’t real.” Chris said. “These people aren’t here to discuss what they think, they just want to pass this class. Do you want to know what my idea is, Mr.Smith?” asked Chris.
Soon after the question is put into the air, the room is silent as the teacher responds with a nod of approval. Chris then replies with what he learned the day before.