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is to consider others always. So, you might want to contribute something
to me. Here’s what I’m asking for: I’ve told you stories, now it’s your turn
to tell me stories.”
A faint rustling arose in the room – a tension that was almost a physical
presence. When it had become almost unbearable, a voice spoke from the
back of the room.
“I can’t hear you,” Ken said.
The boy tried again.
“I can’t hear you. Come up front, so that I can make out what you’re
saying.”
A tall skinny boy picked his way through the sea of bodies to the stage.
Ken held out his hand and pulled him up into the spotlight. “Who are
you?” Ken asked. “Who are you inside? Don’t tell me the ordinary stuff – I
want to hear the real stuff.”
Another child hopped up onto the stage – and then another, and another.
Ken was overwhelmed. The children poured out their hearts to
him. He was a magic man – a man who wanted to know about them, and
a man who listened to their secrets and their fears.
The bell marked the end of the school day, and not a single child left
the room. The teachers came, and still no one moved. When the parents
arrived, the lights were turned on and the children ushered out. Like the
Pied Piper, Ken led a trail of children into the parking lot, where they
continued to talk.
Ken was elated. He had touched the children where they lived.
Helen told him he was a devil – he was upsetting the whole modus
operandi of the school system.
“And it needs to be upset,” he said.
Ken pondered what had occurred that afternoon. One night, he woke
from a deep sleep with the thought that this could be the most effective
political tool for disseminating his message. No one would suspect children
of political motives – they were too young to vote. But children are
compelling. How many parents could deny their children?
He gave more presentations – each one a more polished performance.
At the end of one talk, he said, I’m here. I’ve asked for nothing – except
for one thing. I don’t want money and I’m not interested in your applause.
I’m interested in your help. Save the energy of your applause, and
use it to help. The price of what I have done today is that you write a letter
to your Prime Minister, telling him what you think of what you heard
today. You might want to consider that for a nation to be great it must
know every corner of itself. All the people need to meet each other. All
the people need to know each other. People need to be silent until they’ve
met each other, so that they don’t go around saying stupid things about
people they have never met, or places they have never seen.”
Libros Libertad 