Teach Them Not to Fish But Rather to LOVE Fishing…
- Time11:11 am
- Niki NorlockNiki Norlock
- Writer's Words
18 February 2011
I think the most powerfully inspiring thing about what I do as both a writer and a producer is having the opportunity to meet the people who are the true heart and soul of our worldwide movement for change. Out there playing, working and co-creating are hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who have answered a calling to work in the field of empowering young hearts and minds so they may find within themselves the strength they need to be the change we wish to see in the world. As old systems are examined by us and are being seen to not be working for the betterment of society as a whole, inspired souls around the world have taken on the seemingly daunting task of restructuring, rebuilding and reworking the systems that exist now into a worldwide network of organizations that will work to further our development as a race of beings that have no need for division.
They work miracles, simply by acting on instinct and following their hearts, by sharing their dreams and empowering others to do the same. Coming from a place of love not of ego, a place of ‘you know what you need to do’ not a place of ‘I know better than you’ they encourage action in others. By living and being the dream they have dreamed for our collective future they pave the way for others who for the moment may not yet see a light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
I recently met such a man, to some he may seem still more close to a boy than a man; young and with no formal training in the field in which he has now entered he has faced the challenge of knowing that which in his heart he believes to be true and fighting for the right to take that truth out into the world and share it with others. Quiet and unassuming he would seem for all the world to be a passive person whose contributions to our world through his work with youth may or may not have the potential to initiate great change. Yet when you sit with this man and you truly see the value and the worth of the knowledge he has amassed through personal experience; gradually you become aware of the vast potential of the teachings he is now sharing with the youth of his country. What I found to be truly remarkable about him is not perhaps that he has managed to build something incredible out of nothing but that he did so purely by focussing on the solution not on the problem. He saw something that made him question the value of the education system within his country and acted on a perceived need by building an organization that does not war with or fight against the education system but rather enhances it, assists it and empowers the youth within it to see their personal value and worth. It took courage, drive and ambition but when asked he simply explains that he never believed he should be doing anything other than what he was being pulled to do.
To tell you his story here would take far too long, so I invite you instead to check him out for yourself, so that you may explore and if possible find ways to support the work of this amazing individual. I will tell you that it was an honour and a pleasure to meet him, and that through that meeting I was given a glimpse yet again into the vast potential of the human heart and mind when one listens to the inner voice that whispers to our spirit. I would like to share a piece of wisdom that he imparted on me during our brief visit as it seems to me to be one of the most potent messages of our time. While discussing the value of not just offering a man a fish but rather teaching him instead to fish my new friend ended the conversation with a very important twist to that very old adage. He says it is not enough anymore to teach them how to fish, but rather to teach them to love the act of fishing…
He tells me that education should not be so much about the teacher as it should be about the student and I was reminded by his words how important it is for us all to encourage others to find a love of what they do, to allow them to seek out what it is about life that inspires them and then allow them to follow that path. Ever important this thing we call the education of our youth, yet in the process we must always remember that we have as much to learn from them as they have to learn from us. When we allow them to explore their own potential, when we uplift them and allow them to find their wings, when we allow them through the act of following their own inner voice to fly free of the restrictions and restraints put onto them by society and our own expectations of them we allow for a new avenue of thinking. Through that act of allowing we invite in a world filled with young minds with fresh ideas who through their freedom of expression and the courage to act on that expression will help us in ushering in a new age of light, love and peace.
His name is Arcie Mallari, and his organization can be found at the following link…
He told me shortly before he left that if he had one secret to share with others it would be that it is not in the art of believing in our dreams that our dreams are realized. To live a dream he says is not about seeing the dream in your mind and heart as being a reality it is about acting and doing things as if the dream already is. To make a thing be as you wish it to be he says you must first be that thing…
Blessed I think the youth of today that wisdom such as this is destined to be their future and for those lucky enough to have met him, their now…
*Update March 2015 – At the time I wrote this blog I had no idea how much of a part of the end story my young friend would become, nor did I realize I would ever get the opportunity to visit and speak to the amazing children that are a part of this successful education programme. The experience for me was life changing, to be blessed to sit in a room with inquisitive young minds was yet more reason for me to continue to push for the success of this film. These kids really are the future of our world, with open minds and expansive hearts they simply aren’t willing to accept limitations caused by social structural divisions. There is so much we can continue to learn from them and I will be forever grateful to them for teaching me what it means to not give up. *
Niki Norlock – producer/writer Beyond Strength