for the jane's in the world.

because i need a break and a little inspiration every once in awhile, i turn to TED.

renjie got me the blue sweater when he went to the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference earlier this month. it's a book that presents a solution to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor in an interconnected world. i have only read: 1) renjie's encouraging inscription, 2) the prologue, and 3) two pages of chapter 3, BUT it's already been one of those reads that i feel has been written solely for me.

so as a break, i decided to watch jacqueline novogratz's ted talk. she tells the story of a young woman, Jane, who was born in the slums of Nairobi and dreamt 2 dreams:
1. to become a doctor
2. to marry a good man who would take care of her and her family

as jane grew, her mother fell ill and had to pull her out of school because she could no longer afford it. she married at 18, and after giving birth to her 2nd child, her husband left her for another woman. however, jane's aspirations remained. she began a business re-selling dresses and has recently moved to the suburbs. when asked if she would miss her home, jane responded with a definite "no." and when asked about her dreams, jane responded with the following of how her dreams have changed:
1. yes, she wanted to be a doctor, but more than that, what she really wanted to do was serve and heal people. so now she spends 2 days a week in therapy with other HIV/AIDS patients and provides them not will pills or medication, but with hope.
2. yes, she dreamt of a great man, but more than that, what she really wanted was a family filled with love. and now, she has children that she loves piercingly.

"when systems are broken...it's an opportunity to truly build a world where we can extend services and products to all human beings."

-j. novogratz

maybe she's right. maybe this whole economic downturn is not a downturn at all. it presents an opportunity to revamp this system, this world that has become corrupt and has lost focus. maybe the goal is not to "return to how things were pre-recession", but to fix the brokeness. maybe this is our opportunity to start all over and help others start fresh. because we know that it's only in times of crisis, that one's true character shows.

will our generation step up?
i will. for the jane's in the world.