the infinite goodness of people

Today was a very eventful day--swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other! I went to the Diversity in Action conference which really was a great way to spend my afternoon and evening, even when it got rather long-winded towards the end. Nevertheless, I felt that it was a great leap forward in promoting diversity positively here at K-State. And for those who were always weary of the concept of diversity, it was a brave first step to come to this conference on their own free will, to listen to people who were infinitely different from them--or at least from the outside. The speakers were inspired, and very inspirING ; powerful, yet empowering; profound, yet REAL. For an international student at a predominantly caucasian university, seeing this opportunity for change and growth as well as feeling the acceptance and positive energy was tremendously exciting--for lack of a more expressive term. Truly, this global perspective to acceptance, inclusion, and unity is long overdue. It is never too late to begin seeing people as individuals rather than "just" members of a certain culture, race, gender, or whatever other label there is out there. Certainly, I'm sure there were skeptics, cynics, and non-believers out in the audience today. But I'm just as sure that there were more people whose eyes, minds, and more importantly hearts, have been pushed beyond the confines of their comfort zones. And I think that's a great start. Change doesn't happen overnight; it happens one person at a time, one moment at a time. And today's collection of moments will no doubt manifest itself long beyond the doors of the ballroom and beyond the length of the conference. Kudos to those who believed enough to support it and were passionate enough to make it happen.

After the conference, my friends and I stayed a while in the downstairs lobby talking about the conference, life back home, etc. When it was time to go, I noticed that I didn't have my purse. After a moment of panic, it sank in that I lost it...yes, me, who is compulsively attached to my purse. How did it happen? When? So when this mad dash to retrace my steps failed to produce my purse--MORE PANIC. I was seriously freaking out. I notified the custodians of my predicament, and even asked the DJ to announce it above the din of the music. Twenty minutes later and still no purse, I decided that the best thing to do for the moment was go home, call the card and bank companies to have my cards cancelled, accounts frozen, whatever. I couldn't believe that this was how my night would end! How anticlimactic! I got home, made the phone calls, and decided to go back for one last look around. After speaking to the custodians, I was feeling rather hopeless when we checked one more unlikely place. And what do you know, somebody turned it in...intact. Nothing displaced or stolen. Everything in my purse exactly the way I left it. You cannot imagine how relieved I was. UTTERLY. One of the speakers lines came to mind: "Believe in the inherent goodness in people." I am so thankful for the individual who turned my purse in. One other blessing is that there will be no unnecessary spending for me this weekend since all my cards are inactive. hahahaha. Part of me knows that's really a good thing.

So yeah, today was a very interesting day. I can now rest knowing that even with all the craziness in the world, there is a lot more good if we looked underneath the surface.