- How did Dr. Mona’s actions make a difference in the community of Flint?
- Can you think of a time in your own life when you have made other people aware of a problem that they were not aware of?
- What can you do as an individual to make the world a better and safer place?
In What the Eyes Don’t See, Dr. Mona took her job as an advocate for children seriously, and when she got credible information that something was seriously wrong with the water that her patients were drinking, she was quick to start researching and trying to get a political-action ball rolling. She did everything she could to speed up the process of getting information to the public instead of just waiting for those in authority who weren’t listening to stall forever or not do anything about it. Her actions helped catch and issue that kids could have been unknowingly be a victim of for a lot longer had she not done anything.
Once last year I had a situation similar to hers, where there was a problem happening and no one really knew. It was small, but an issue nonetheless. I was assistant tutoring my Jr. High choir teacher, and in the boys class this boy I know came up and sang a line (we do lines of music out of a book for practice with rhythm and sight reading) and left, then another boy I also knew (who likes to talk and tell people things he probably shouldn’t) came up laughing and told me the other boy just did someone else’s line for money, which he wasn’t supposed to do. He’s a good kid and I was surprised he did that, but apparently he needed money to go bowling. I had to tell the choir teacher what he did because he really wasn’t supposed to.
As an individual, I can the world better and safer by speaking up and advocating for causes that need change as quickly as possible. Sometimes it takes someone to start the conversation and pointing out that something is wrong in order to show others that something isn’t right. If no one knows something is wrong, how can any change happen? The eyes don’t see what the mind doesn’t know.