Goldfish for World Peace
“How would you change the world?” was the inane question I was assigned. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I was supposed to write IN FIVE PAGES how I would make the world a better place. My grade 10 mind exploded.
“Was this some kind of joke?”
My completed masterpiece was entitled “Gold Fish and World Peace.” Really, I might as well have called it “The Stupid Paper by a Know-it-all kid Who Thinks This Assignment is a Big Fat Waste of Time.” It was no essay I had handed in: It was a mockera –a hastily thrown together (and mildly entertaining) project in which I crammed the first thoughts that came to mind. (In fact, I sign Christmas cards using the same writing philosophy.)
The idea I submitted was simple: give every household in the world a gold fish.
I think the plan was that the gold fish would serve as a reminder to the families that they needed to think about something or someone other than themselves. I reasoned that because it was a living creature people would feel more in tune with nature and therefore would be less likely to throw away recyclables or to pour paint down the drain. I loftily portrayed neighbors united in their common cause of caring for their goldfish –forgetting about tools not returned and embracing the fish as a new symbol of hope. Warring factions would see the common bond of the fish between them and stop slaughtering one another. “You have a fish and I have a fish… we are brothers.” It was a beautiful world I had written.
I don’t recall scoring particularly well on that paper, but I think I may have actually learned something.
Truthfully, I think that teacher asked one of the most important questions I have ever been asked. How would I take responsibility in the world and make a difference? How would I put myself in the game? How would I make a difference? That teacher taught me that I could be a part of the solution to the problems I could see around me.
It has been eleven years since I was in grade ten and, you know?, there are not many times that question has come up since.
Do I still think that everyone should own a goldfish? Well, let’s just say I think there are better options… you might be able to think of some yourself. Do I think my idea was dumb? Impractical –yes. Dumb –no.
The grim reality is that the world WOULD be a better place if I gave my neighbor a gold fish. It’s even grimmer that I probably won’t. It just doesn’t seem like a BIG enough solution.
Has anyone ever asked you how you’d fix the world?
If you can’t think of anything, you might want to give someone a goldfish.