Music, Food, and Safe Sex

This assignment was a tough one for me. I felt overwhelmed when asked, even hypothetically, what I would do to make the world a better place. Where would I even begin? There are diseases that need curing, people that need feeding, and houses that need building. So I thought a lot on it (honest, I did) and realized that I needed to rephrase the question. Making the world a better place was just too much for me to wrap my head around. Instead, I asked myself what things have made my life better. What things that I have experienced or learned would I want to share, because they improved my life in one way or another. Bam- I had it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my three wishes.


Magical world changing genie, my first wish is to have music programs in communities. I am a firm believer in creative outlets. They give anyone, young or old, a way to let it all out. A way to express anger, frustration, or sadness. A way to express what makes those individuals just that – individuals. I have fond memories of playing my violin or clarinet. Of singing, and learning to strum a few tunes on a guitar. Playing an instrument always just made me feel better. I could be mad at the world, play a little Vivaldi on my violin, and suddenly things were no longer as terrible as I had thought. I want that for the world. I want everyone to have a way to make things feel better. I want kids to know how great it feels to play in a band, and be a part of something beautiful. How satisfying it can be to nail a passage of music that you thought you would never get down. I wish that all the world could know music.


My second wish, oh magical one, is to have communal gardens in every community. Summers with my mother were always full of the smell of good dirt and the taste of fresh food. Delicious, healthy food. Being able to watch a seed that you plant grow into something you can eat is magic in itself. If people in communities were given land to work, to get some dirt under their nails, they would be the better for it. Neighbors helping neighbors would bring communities closer together, which has its own benefits, like lower crime rates. And people who have the opportunity to eat fresh locally grown foods would learn the benefits they bring, like tastier home cooked meals and healthier bodies. I wish that all the world could know fresh-from-the-garden food.


Now, magical world changing genie, don’t be embarrassed by my last wish, because I realize it’s a little unconventional. I wish that sexual education was taught more readily in communities. Sex is a topic that can make a well spoken and otherwise intelligent adult start to stammer, especially when their audience is their child. I am blessed with a mother who has an open mind, and who knew that the only way she could protect me from sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy, or AIDs was to talk to me about sex, and often. I grew up hearing “No drinking, no drugs, and if you have sex use two forms of barrier protection and a spermicide!” every time I left the house from the time I was thirteen. My mom knew she could never stop me from having sex, because people are sexual beings and it was bound to happen sooner or later, so she made sure that I knew my stuff. And it worked. I am not one of one third of American adults who has genital herpes. I am not one of the many young people who end up pregnant because they heard from their friends older brother that you can’t get pregnant if the girl is on top because of gravity. I wish that all the world could know how to keep themselves safe when they decide to have sex.


So magical world changing genie, I want a world filled with music, food, and safe sex. Sounds like a better world to me.