Day 25- Just be 'stupid'

At the end of the third day of the Social Project Development Workshops, most participants have already had the working plans, mission statements, and even presentations about their projects ready. But I can hardly give myself any credit, for I could not help them much beyond giving them a few comments. In fact, in the past three days, I had been feeling a bit awkward—“hypocritical”, even, because none of us had actually done a social project. We are guiding the participants to do something that we only know theoretically.

But I continue to be amazed in conversations with participants about their projects: school permaculture greenhouse, community alphabetization programmes, cultural workshops, micro-finance-related project… There are more than a few big dreams, and the visions of the Mexico and their communities are beautifully exciting.  Every day, in every conversation and every “family” meeting about the projects, I asked them whether they honestly think that they can realize them; some gave me possible difficulties, but the “yes” was invariably the unanimous answer. They seemed to have no doubt at all.

However encouraging this is, to be honest, we must acknowledge the high possibility or (or even, the fact that) at least one among the 40 projects planned would not work out. It scares me: would this enthusiastic, idealistic participant lose faith and become cynical to all ¡IaM! talks about if he fail?

It has been said by some successful people that the most important thing that they had done was to be “stupid enough to think that they could succeed”. To have faith in oneself and the chance one has to make that change in the world is one of the determinants (if not the determinant) of the success of a project.

With their faith and confidence, the participants have renewed my faith, motivation, and even the imperative to hold on to believing—how can we not, when they all unreservedly believe in what we have been telling them? This faith alone has allowed us to be optimistic about the future of Mexico.  

I wish the same would one day happen in my country, among my people—in fact, maybe the world needs an “Age of Stupid”. Of course I don’t mean the Age in the sense of the British movie, where the stupidity is in our ignorance or inaction towards the global crisis, but a generation of people to be “stupid” enough to believe in themselves and the others’ ability to change the world.

We need stupid dreamers. We need stupid, idealistic, strong dreamers who are able to take the blow of possible setbacks and failures and say to themselves: “Just do it”. 

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

Sonia Hoi Ching Cheung (Hong Kong , AC '10-'12)