Years ago, my boss and I ended up in a conversation about the
lack of opportunity for those who have less money. He was a physician who had
come from a well-to-do family. I came from a typical, well educated middle
class family. I believed that opportunity was directly linked to financial
situations. The debate got pretty heated. I really believed that the rich could
never understand the struggles of the middle class and my boss felt that anyone
could do better with a little effort.
Finally, realizing that we weren't getting anywhere he
decided to end the conversation with a very powerful statement. He leaned back against
the desk, took off his glasses, crossed his arms, looked me straight in the
eyes, and said with a very serious look on his face “Holly, this is the most
important thing I will ever teach you so listen to me carefully. You have two
choices in life… only two. Accept it or change it” with that, he walked away.
It took me years to really understand what he said. He was
right. There are only two choices – you either accept it or change it. I still
do not believe that people who struggle want to struggle. Rather, I think there
is a another piece to the puzzle. I think many people don’t understand two key
facts. First, some people become demoralized not realizing that we have the
power to choose between accept it or change it. Second, some people don’t know
how to change it - no matter how much they want to.
I believe the key to changing circumstances is education and
today, more than ever, free education is readily available for those who want
it thanks to some truly amazing people. I have no affiliation with any of these
free educational sources. I simply wanted to take the opportunity to give a
personal thanks for the effort they put in to making it easy for those who choose
to ‘change it’. As well, I wanted to help spread the word about the opportunity available to everyone who wants it.
This list of educational resources is not comprehensive. These just some really amazing sources. I am sure there are a lot of others that I just don't know. If you know of others, please feel free to add them in
the comments. If you weren’t aware that these sources existed, check them out!
The Gutenberg Project: free e-books
The Khan Academy: free educational videos about everything from A-Z
Open Culture: a large list of links to free college courses, free books, free videos, free text books, etc. from top ranked universities and well known educators
Librivox: free audio books
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: learning resources from the federal government
Free Online Education.com: a directory of free educational resources
University of the People: Non-accredited (but apparently they are working toward accreditation) online university
To the people who offer these free educational resources, thank you for giving so much value back to society. Your work is truly inspiring and greatly appreciated.
To those who feel stuck - remember you can change it... It will take time, dedication, and effort but if you want it GO GET IT!
