It Doesn't Matter Where You Came From, It Matters Where You're Going

So this Thursday I had the AMAZING opportunity to hear from Former Secretary of State Dr. Condeleezza Rice. She spoke at BYU and is basically my new hero. I want a picture of her to put in my room because she was so inspiring. She started off with a statement that really resonated with me, she said, "Today's headlines and history's judgments are rarely the same." Being  a political science nerd this really struck a chord with me. Often I get caught up in the momentary and fleeting news headlines of the day, and worry about what people will think and the impact they will have, but people don't remember the headlines and current top news stories that are so pressing. They'll look back in 10-20 years and view this time period VERY differently than we do now. I think it's a very important thing to help keep us in perspective.

Another thing she focused on was the importance of defending our country. It's not always easy to defend, we are reaching out to help failed countries heal, because weak, failed countries are the real threats to our country. Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, etc.. are more of a threat to our national safety than China or Russia are. She talked about fighting terrorism, and how its not a fair fight. They only have to be right once, we have to be right 100% of the time. Dr. Ricce talked about how authoritarians are always afraid of their own people; they fear the moment when people aren't afraid of them anymore, because that's when they lose. In Democracy, there is a safety valve to help us decide who governs us.

Dr. Rice talked about how people view us, and are often overwhelmed by our great military, economic and social wealth, and sometimes resent us for it. But then we step in when there's a natural disaster, or a military threat, they are grateful to the United States for having the power that it has to help out. They also admire our great national myth. "It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you're going."  When we start to lose that myth, that's when our country is going downhill. We need to preserve that, and encourage motivated, intelligent, and innovative people to come to america, to live and dream and work here.

The last thing she really focused on was the downfall of the K-12 education system in America. We need to change the mindset of those who don't believe that they can do anything. There is no motivation, or accountability in our education system. She talked about the example of her grandfather and how he knew the importance of education, and how education can really change a person. Books can change you. She encouraged us to find our passions, and when we do, worlds open up that we might never have imagined. We need to learn things and master things that are hard for us, because we are more fulfilled by overcoming something that is hard than be accomplishing something that is easy. She emphasized that as an educated people, we have a responsibility to be optimistic about our future. We should not give into aggrievement or entitlement. We might not be able to control our circumstances but we can control how we react to them.

Basically, Condeeleezza Rice is an amazing woman. She gave a very good speech, she was very humorous, and she had wonderful ideas. I learned that she lived in Colorado and went to the University of Denver where she was a concert pianist major for two years. But then she realized that she didn't enjoy it, and she was never going to play in Carnegie Hall. So she became a Soviet major, and became a Soviet specialist. She ended up becoming the Soviet specialist for President George H.W. Bush, and had the opportunity to be in a helicopter with Mikhail Gorbachev. What a wonderful legacy for a woman whose grandfather was a poor sharecropper in Eutaw (pronounced Utah), Alabama.

She's extremely intelligent, a brave and strong woman, a woman of faith, and a wonderful conservative. If she ever ran for president, she would definitely have my vote.