When face to face simply isn't going to cut it!
Michelle Obama's recent visit to London to see the Queen was a real triumph for face to face meeting. Michelle is certainly a charismatic role model and she is determined to create her own agenda to get involved with the things that really interest her, no matter what her husband is doing.
One of these is clearly the education of disadvantaged girls. When she was here in London a couple of years ago she made time to visit a certain group of girls at their school and inspired them with her own story of battling in childhood to get a good education and eventually, against the odds, graduating from the top US College.
On this recent trip she wanted to take this process a step further by seeing the same girls face to face again...but this time meeting them in the emotionally charged educational institution of a top Girls College in Oxford.
There she exhorted the same girls to yet again do better than they might try for...to attain the heady heights of an Oxford education. It was all compelling stuff and a wonderful photo opp into the bargain.
But here is my point...
At the end of her inspiring talk, Michelle Obama was not content just to say a simple goodbye. No, she took the opportunity to give each and every girl there a physical hug. It was a dramatic sealing of the face to face ritual and cemented everything, all the messages of hard work and commitment, that had gone before. Do you think every girl there will go away and redouble their efforts to succeed and not let Michelle down? You bet they will. Can they do it. Yes they can.
So sometimes just face to face is not actually good enough. Sometimes you need to reach out and break the imaginary barrier. You have to reach out and take hold of someone or something and make the bond physical as well as mental.
One of these is clearly the education of disadvantaged girls. When she was here in London a couple of years ago she made time to visit a certain group of girls at their school and inspired them with her own story of battling in childhood to get a good education and eventually, against the odds, graduating from the top US College.
On this recent trip she wanted to take this process a step further by seeing the same girls face to face again...but this time meeting them in the emotionally charged educational institution of a top Girls College in Oxford.
There she exhorted the same girls to yet again do better than they might try for...to attain the heady heights of an Oxford education. It was all compelling stuff and a wonderful photo opp into the bargain.
But here is my point...
At the end of her inspiring talk, Michelle Obama was not content just to say a simple goodbye. No, she took the opportunity to give each and every girl there a physical hug. It was a dramatic sealing of the face to face ritual and cemented everything, all the messages of hard work and commitment, that had gone before. Do you think every girl there will go away and redouble their efforts to succeed and not let Michelle down? You bet they will. Can they do it. Yes they can.
So sometimes just face to face is not actually good enough. Sometimes you need to reach out and break the imaginary barrier. You have to reach out and take hold of someone or something and make the bond physical as well as mental.
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