A Summit for a Brighter Path

by John Hibbs

I have a dream. My dream is to be in front of a gathering of ten extraordinary individuals who help shoulder urgent changes the planet desperately needs.

Candle One is the president of the Republic of Georgia (Dr. Eduard Eduard Shevardnadze) and one seeks the presidency of the United States (Governor Howard Dean, Democratic Candidate for President of the United States).

One acquired his knighthood by altering the landscape of higher education in England and indisputably heads the distance education parade. (Sir John Daniel, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education.)

One leads religious efforts to glue the leadership of the Christian, Moslem and Jewish faiths toward a common imperative. (Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.)

Three are technology gurus with solid proof they can electronically attract and organize millions. (Wes Boyd and Joan Blades , Co Founders to MoveOn.org; and Narendra Rocherolle, webmaster to our first Global Learn Day.)

One is a syndicated columnist followed worldwide. (Arianna Huffington, Syndicated writer.)

Two work within elite universities, perfectly representing the highest goals of academia. (Dr. Joyce Neu, Executive Director, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice and Dr. James Moore, Senior Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society of Harvard Law School.)

And one runs a program that has improved learning in tens of thousands of American classrooms. (Caleb Schutz.)

In one way or another, I have contact with them all.

All are anti-war. All are pro-education. Each one helps light up paths for brighter futures. Together I know they can light up the world.

What exactly would I like to say to them?

Like any good teacher, I would first start by framing the discussion. After that I would solicit comments intermixed with props, slides and clues. And,naturally, at the end, a quiz.

Here's how:

Framing the Discussion

I would first frame the discussion by saying this is serious business of a kind that is meant to improve the lives of millions worldwide. The objective is to find novel ways to substantially increase the impact of each person's individual agenda while collectively adding horsepower for attainment of common goals.

The restrictions are that the methods devised must be affordable, lustrous, and without hard strain on existing resources.

A Hard Question
Explaining the Inexplicable

After framing the issue, I would then begin by asking Narendra Rocherolle why seven million people visit a web page which his company, Webshots, never promotes.

While he attempts to explain the inexplicable, I would ask each luminary to unwrap a gift provided on arrival.

The Props

Their gift would be my props -- candles that looked like these:

I would encourage them to smell the candle; hold it lightly in their hands; contemplate its history; ponder the magic of its essence.

Like the apple to Eve, the candle would be my temptation.

The Clues

Clue One: About the Owl

Now I would call upon Reverend Bob Edgar. He would then tell his story about the owl.

During Bob's remarks I would project on the wall this simple nursery rhyme:

A wise old owl sat in an oak,
The more he saw, the less he spoke,
The less he spoke, the more he heard,
Why can't we be like that wise old bird?

Clue Two: The Matches

Next, my aides would hand out matches with strict instructions not to light the candle...at least not yet.

Clue Three: The Symbols

I would then project on the wall two slides and ask each person to think very, very hard about the value of a symbol.

Here is what would be projected:

Nike Swish

The Nike Swish

Ban the Bomb

The Ban the Bomb Symbol

Clue Four: Light The Candle

The last clue would be to ask all of them to light their candle and maintain silence for two full minutes.

One hundred and twenty seconds is a long time to be silent. But it's long enough, I think, to cement them to each other and to the idea that helping ignite internal goodness is what makes us unique.

A Reminder: The Reading Materials

When I broke their silence, I would tell them the quiz was next, but first I would remind them about their reading assignments:

Candle Power and Embedded Classrooms.

The Quiz

Now it would be time for the quiz.

The quiz would be for them to connect the dots in a way where both the horsepower for their individual agenda and their collective goals could be very substantially advanced.

These are all exceptionally bright people. I'm sure they would have no trouble coming to a solution.

John Hibbs

More about John Hibbs and an audio message.

P.S. You may wonder what I want?

I want to be the grunt man for CandlePower. The guy who makes the lights go on when someone throws the switch. When all goes well, the guy you never see.

John Hibbs, Executive Director, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Global Education.

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Summary of CandlePower

CandlePower Services and Fees

About Owls, Athens, Wisdom and CandleScholar

About a Summit for For a Brighter Path

Photos of Owl Candles

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

JOHN HIBBS
Executive Director,
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Global Education
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Phone: +1 (619) 230 0212
San Diego, California

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April 2003