Women definitely have something to contribute. More than just babies and dinner! Although I have babies and do indeed love making dinner, I'm more than that. And I'm so lucky that I'm allowed to be. Just imagine what some of these places could be (the places that oppress women or don't allow them to be anything other than wives) if they only lifted women up rather than pushing them down. Women have done so many amazing things! What could these women do, if they were only given a chance? I think her ideas on educating women lifting their community out of poverty are spot on! Also, it reminds me of another anecdote: In high school, my best friend was a girl who's family came from Ukraine. She was amazing and her family was wonderful! The problem was that her parents came from a culture that believed women should be wives, so they pulled her out of school in sophmore year and she never got to go back. She was incredibly smart and talented and I think she could have done great things if she'd only been given a chance. And that also shows that, even though we live in America, we still have some problems to fix as well. Which is really surprising, in this day and age.

Amazing! It's true, so many things factor in to societies and their customs. It was a brilliant idea to start a program for boys and change their thinking to something healthier toward women and girls. When you grow up believing one thing, it can be hard to change, but educating them while they're young makes so much sense! I love how she's thinking outside the box and finding ways to change things for the better in wildly inventive ways that many people wouldn't have even thought of! It's interesting to see just how much of an impact some of these things really have, whether it's educating boys on gender equality, or showing a father how amazing his daughter is. One person or one million, it makes a difference, and that matters!

I love this statement. You don't have to cure cancer to deserve an education, a better life, a say in your life. Everyone deserves those things, but not everyone gets them. It really is true that some people have to fight for things that should be a right. And it's sad. It's awful! I'm so glad there's a program to help these kids and it's amazing that it just keeps getting bigger! I also feel like it really does matter when mothers and grandmothers encourage their daughters and granddaughters. They are the first female role models they have and, not only that, but without their help and guidance, they may not ever have a chance anyway. In a culture such as that, it can be hard for a small child, especially a girl to make their voice heard. It must be hard to live in a place where your whole life is planned for you. Especially when the plans aren't so great. This story was so amazing and inspirational!

I feel like this is a common problem in food waste. Rules and regulations get in the way. I understand they're there for safety reasons, but...there have been so many stories I've heard about people trying to do the right thing, but ending up in trouble for it. One woman would cook meals for the homeless and drive around distributing them. She was told it was illegal because she didn't have a permit or a license for her kitchen, plus many other red tape violations. They told her she wasn't allowed to give food to homeless people!!! As I said, I understand it's for safety reasons, but I can't imagine going up to someone and saying, "Whoa! You can't give people food. That's illegal!" The story ends with her being arrested because she refused to stop giving them food. And I get that she was warned and told it was illegal, but it really feels wrong that she got in so much trouble for trying to do such a wonderful thing. That story, and others like it, have always bothered me. So I understand people are worried about diseases, but it really sucks that all that food is going in the garbage, instead of being used for someone, even a pig.

I hate to admit it, but I throw out food. I hate it. I feel so guilty. I also hate that it's such a waste of money. But I feel like we've all done that-wanted to try a new food we ended up not liking, bought some fruit that ended up not tasting as wonderful as we'd hoped it would, or bought some food intending on eating it, but not getting to it in time. I try really hard not to "hemorrhage food", but I do see the validity in the way he puts it...I wish it wasn't so relatable...

I think this is an amazing idea! Taking all the food that no one wants and making sure it doesn't go to waste? Genius! I know there are some programs that try to give unwanted or "ugly" food to soup kitchens or customers for free or discounted prices, but they're not as widely available as they should be, not to mention the fact that stores/restaurants/etc try to keep the food as long as possible to try to sell. Otherwise they're losing money. So sometimes they wait too long and the food that gets donated or discounted isn't the freshest. Understandable, but not helpful.

It's pretty interesting to see what different cultures find important. I'm sure it's incredibly difficult to prioritize what will get the most attention. There's just not enough money to go around! They need to choose what will positively affect the most people, but sometimes they feel like the money is spent better on other advancements, especially technology and the military. But those things won't really help people have better lives if they can't even afford food or if they have no education opportunies. I can imagine it's very stressful to have to make all those decisions and wonder if they're the right ones, even though they usually decide as a group.

I have noticed that people who go into things with a negative, pessimistic outlook have a much harder time accomplishing their goals than people who are hopeful and optimistic. I mean, they've pretty much already decided that it's not going to work, so why even try? But I've also noticed that people, as a species, can do incredible things when they work together! We've been to the moon! It's definitely not a problem with ingenuity, it's more of a motivation thing. If only more people felt like we could do it, more people would want to try. And it will take all of us!

I really agree with what MilesCDrake said. Succinctly put. It is incredibly difficult to remain hopeful and not become cynical when you look at the world today. Trying to make people in general care about things they feel don't affect them is like trying to stop a waterfall: it's pretty impossible. I find it's easier when I think of people as individuals. People are inherently good, in my opinion. Everyone is trying to do the right thing and be a good person. But you take us as a whole and a lot of times it turns into, "Well, they can handle this, I have more important things to do". I feel like it's only when something big happens, like the pandemic or natural disasters, that we really feel motivated to help. And unfortunately, it's going to take everyone to make real, lasting change.

I don't remember where I heard it, but I remember someone saying that you can always find at least one kind thing to say about someone. A lot of people think you have to compliment appearances, even if it's a "white lie", but there's really no need, when there's always something honest you can say about the person as a whole to make their day better. Maybe they're a hard worker, or you appreciate that they always clean up after themselves. Our worth isn't determined by our appearance. You'd be surprised how many people don't receive compliments about what a great job they're doing or how amazing they are. You'd also be surprised how many people need to hear those things!

This reminds me of that story of a boy who was really angry with his father and said some pretty awful things. Later, after they had calmed down, the father took his son outside and gave him a piece of wood, a hammer, and a nail for every hurtful word his son had said. He instructed his son to hammer every nail into the piece of wood and, when he was finished, to take them back out again. When he was done, the son asked why his father made him do that. The father replied, "Every hurtful word you say is like a nail hammered in wood. They hurt and, even if you try to take them back, they leave marks that can never truly be fixed." It's important that we remember that when we're angry.

From personal experience, I know that word choice counts. Even the most well thought out statement can have different meanings for different people, so we have to take that into consideration as well. For example, if your brother stinks and needs to learn about personal hygiene, you may just tell him to go take a shower. But if it's an acquaintance or someone you are not very close to, you would have to be much gentler with your wording. It only takes one wrong word to hurt someone's feelings, even unintentionally. What's really bad is sometimes they really take that to heart and it may affect them long after your talk.