On June 2, 2015, Caitlyn Jenner shed her former identity as Olympian and high-profile celebrity Bruce Jenner and publicly introduced herself to the world. After creating a new Twitter account to share her thoughts, Caitlyn broke a world record by gaining 1 million followers in a matter of minutes (surpassing the previous record set by US President Barack Obama).
This fact both astounded me and made me think about the different ways that one person can influence the world a million times over. That little number, just one.
Caitlyn Jenner, one individual, brought transgender issues to the forefront of our culture and created open discussion about these issues in a way never seen before.
But I think we, the other people of the world, the people reading this post, forget something very important -- we are the same as the people whose faces dominate today's media. We are each one individual.
We forget that as one person, we have just as much ability to influence others as the "celebrities" we see in the media. Through personal connection, passion, and the confidence to pursue our ambitions we have the power to change the world. Just one person can influence the lives of so many, and this is a gift that I think we need to truly remember to take advantage of.
It is said that humanity is inherently selfish. I think this is okay, that it is natural: if we know ourselves better than anyone else, why would we not automatically think of ourselves first? But the trick to enriching the lives around us is to turn our selfishness into selflessness.
Find your strengths as an individual and figure out how to harness them to create a better world for those around you. Find what you care about and stand up for it. As one person, you have a voice. You have the ability to speak out about what is important to you, and your words do have a massive affect on those around you.
Speak out. Tell someone about a person or an issue you care about. If you have a problem with the way an aspect of society works, challenge it. Change cannot be made without the actions of individuals, and if you speak, people will listen and take your message to heart.
So, what do you have to say?
