In eighth grade, we are reading Robert Cormier's novel, The Chocolate War. It's such a great novel because it tackles so many great issues that are everyday issues for students, such as bullying, peer pressure, and making decisions.
Specifically, the novel raises one universal question for our students to answer: "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?"
This is not an original question deriving from Cormier's book, however. It was first raised in T.S. Eliot's Poem, "The Love Song for J. Alfred Prufrock:"
And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
The question of disturbing the universe or not is one that is timeless. It doesn't matter what stage of life you're in, how old you are, or what you're going through. There are always decisions to be made; each decision has a consequence that follows. The decisions will either "disturb" the universe or not. Period. So, for me, the more important element to consider is are we ready, willing, or able to make those decisions...knowing the disturbance that it will cause?
I encourage everyone to reflect on this for a bit. Maybe even think about what's going on in your life right now. Do you find yourself disturbing the universe? Or, do you mostly find that you try and make as little an impact/difference as possible?
