I WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD
by Ennis Del Rosario
On most nights that I go to bed, I stare up to the ceiling of my room waiting for the
sandman to take me away to a secret place full of magic and wonder, that some people call,
dreams. But this night was different. It’s the eve of my 18th birthday. And I’m out here laying on
my bed at an ungodly hour thinking hard on what I’ve done these past 18 years. Now, I’m no
stranger to the whole self-reflection thing. Sometimes I snap out of it satisfied and content, but
often times, I’m just left disappointed in myself. But like I said, this night was different. When I
realized that I haven’t done anything significant in the years I spent here on Earth, I realized I
wanted to change that. I realized, I want to change the world.
But what could I change? What could a male Asian, an 18 year old Filipino guy do? And
that’s where most people give up and move on with their lives. When they realize that literally
anyone in the world right now could do what they wanted to do, but better. But don’t give that
thought another second of your mind. If Mozart composed Symphony No. 1 when he was 5 or 6
or something, then I can damn well do something to change the world too. He was as human as
I was. We just have our own thing thing and I want this to be my thing. I believe that we are all
human and I so badly wanted to believe that.
And so I looked up to Lin-Manuel Miranda. A big name if you were familiar with what’s
been happening in the Broadway Musical scene. Here was a man that, in all his Puerto Rican
glory, managed to put Hispanics and eventually other minorities into the stage as lead actors
and actresses in an industry that was previously predominantly white. All he had to do was write
two musicals that were really, really good.
While I can’t measure how much impact he had on the world, it’d be unfair to say that he
didn’t change the world. Because he changed mine. He made me believe that I, an 18 year old
Filipino guy, could be in Broadway stage performing in the future. That I and many other people
could rise up and take our shot.
“I am not throwing away my shot.”
I realize then that I have all the things I need to change the world. I have the internet, a
phone, and a desktop PC. I can write, draw, and edit videos. I can speak both Filipino and
English quite well. But most importantly, I have something I believe in. I believed that we are all
human. That, despite our differences, we’re all just flesh and bones. I want people to realize
that. There are already people fighting for this belief and I’m joining in. You could too if you
wanted. In fact, everyone can. A vast majority of people have access to the internet and a
phone. Both powerful media consumption and creation tools. In one or two YouTube videos,
you could learn how to insert clips on iMovie on your phone.
I want to change the world. We all could change the world if we really wanted to. We
have no excuse not to, now more than ever at this point in history. Do not throw away your shot.