In the movie Jerry Maguire with Tom Cruise, one line I will always remember is, "we live in a cynical world." Cruise's character Jerry Maguire is setting up his plea to describe how love must exist regardless of how harsh the world is.
If we want to see cynicism in the world, we can build an empire of negativity in our minds. We can also make a better world when we bring the right intentions. My experience at Crossfuze's customer Gallaudet University supported my hope for a better world. In early October, I visited the campus for a short time for a video shoot and started to believe their message of "there is no other place like this in the world".
On Gallaudet University's website, the following is from their Who We Are page:
"Gallaudet University is the premier institution of learning, teaching, and research for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. For more than 150 years, Gallaudet has produced leaders and innovators who have influenced history. There is no other place like this in the world.
When President Abraham Lincoln signed Gallaudet's charter as created by Congress, our country created a beacon in the world for visual learning, visual language, social justice, and full rights for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. This singular act recognized the importance of higher education to advance the lives and opportunities of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Consequently, Gallaudet is the go-to source of knowledge about the deaf and signing community - a hub of history, achievement, and inspiration."
Those are excellent credentials. Anytime you get to mention Abraham Lincoln as part of your genesis, instant hallowed ground. However, it wasn't the history or the campus that impressed me the most. What got me believing in the university were the people I met. The management team I talked to were present, giving, joyful, and smart. For a brief moment, I was able to experience the care they took in working with each other. They were beyond kind to me, and it reminded me that a common purpose bonds some beautiful people in the world. Their mission gets achieved regardless of how cynical the world can seem.
Please watch Rick Baker and Cary Barbin from Gallaudet University:
