Which is more important? What a person is now, or what they will become?

It is interesting to consider the way we look at the world. When you think about it, we are not very consistent. On the one hand we don’t doubt that a young child will ‘become’ something, and learn skills they need to navigate the world (primarily reading and writing), yet we more often doubt that our teens will have what it takes to change the world.

A little while ago I read a post by Seth Godin reminding us that we would do well to look beyond teh easy path. 

Here is a little of what he had to say

“It's absurd to look at a three year old toddler and say, "this kid can't read or do math or even string together a coherent paragraph. He's a dolt and he's never going to amount to anything." No, we don't say that because we know we can teach and motivate and cajole the typical kid to be able to do all of these things. Why is it okay, then, to look at a teenager and say, "this kid will never be a leader, never run a significant organization, never save a life, never inspire or create...”

He goes on to make the point that we invest much energy on 'practical' skills that prepare a person for a life of following instructions but  that we (schools and community) are relentless in avoiding the more difficult work necessary to ensure a person can push through and reinvent themselves into someone who makes a difference when they need to.

When I read his final statement (see below), it was gifted kids who struggle for one reason or another to show their strengths in the classroom that first came to mind. Too often they are ‘written off’, their potential doubted, the harder road of finding opportunities to help them unlock that potential not explored.

Godin asks “And isn't it even worse to write off a person … merely because of what they are instead of what they might become?”

It's a good question.