Musings on Season 2 Finale
Alright everybody, here we go… Many many many years ago, a thought occurred to me. I could grab a microphone, stand up and teach everyone about the world.
I never gave up on that notion. The older I got, the further my education progressed, as experience became wisdom and as confidence morphed and temerity grew, finally time and space met in a blink, and this wonderful little social media, internet, web/radio/streaming/pod whatever-we-are cast burst into being.
Here is the staggering truth that I’ve been unable to ignore each and every single solitary episode: I actually LEARN more than I teach.
This has been my favorite aspect of the show. For two years, I’ve been allowed to live a surreal conceit: When I’ve read the paper, when I’ve clicked links to stories, when I talked to people and learned about issues, it was not idle, it was not static, it was not for nothing.
Because I was bold enough to say, My voice matters, People can learn from me, I can make a difference, something very special happened. I became even more accountable, to you, to the world, to my wife and children, and to myself. What I chose to read, and how I chose to understand it, and as a matter of actual fact, the substance of my time experiencing the world around me, had the potential to matter.
Because it’s MY show, I get to choose the topics. Because it’s MY show I HAD to choose the topics. The lesson for me is that CHOOSING A TOPIC is serious CHOICE.
I initiated the forum, I opened the dialogue, I got the ball rolling. FOR YOU, I want the lesson to be that you have that opportunity in your lives. You can choose to believe that what you read and how you think can make a difference, and that you have the opportunity—whenever you want, wherever you can find, however you choose—to initiate a forum, open a dialogue, and get the ball rolling.
I wish for you to persuade, I want for you to learn and listen particularly to those who disagree with you and those whose views are disagreeable. I need for you to lead, as a former listener, as a person and as a citizen, and I hope that you remain as you have been throughout these two seasons of vox… civil and engaged.
—Sean Astin, October 30, 2014
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