What are you doing to change?

I haven’t been back home for about three years. Little did I know how much have really changed. I thought I was educated about the islands’ current events by occasionally reading Saipan’s online newspapers. How ignorant could I have been? A little more than 24 hours ago, I watched a documentary about Saipan. The video (http://current.com/items/89785807/battle_of_saipan.htm) unveiled a curtain covering my eyes from what had occurred in my island paradise. My unveiled eyes compelled me to believe the divulged events. The video inspired me to step out in faith and get involved. How could I not?

I logged into my Facebook account where I had about 100 acquaintances and friends from Saipan. I highly desired for them to see what I had just seen. I created a group and invited them all. How excited I was to see just a day later that more than 100 young and young at heart adults from my friends’ social networks stepping out in faith to believe what I believed in—change. Most importantly, they were believing in change for Saipan. Someone posted: Could this be a grassroots movement for something big? Let’s hope so. I hope so, too!

So why am I writing here? I have to be honest that as much as I desire to be the change I want to see in the world and on Saipan, I am not the most experienced, the most intelligent nor the most gifted. I am inclined to believe that I am uncommon, though. I believe in a cause. I believe that Saipan can be different. I believe that it can be as prosperous as it once was, giving others the same prosperity it brought to my family and I. I believe it starts with the individual unit. I am a just a small element—a piece of a greater and bigger and better picture. You are a building block, the most valuable piece in the implementation of change. Our individual gifts, talents, experiences and education combined are potential for a dynamic and kinetic explosion of change for the island and eventually the world. How we each value ourselves is what others will see and value. How we see and value our island is what will drive others to return to Saipan. If we undervalue ourselves and talents, surely that will be what others will see.

Saipan is a diamond in the rough, awaiting its gemstone cutter to harness the power that will allow it to be seen as the 100-multi-facetedd brilliant gem that is really is. Do you see what I see? I want to see the metamorphosis of Saipan. I have stepped out in faith to bring my thoughts out loud. Faith brings hope and hope brings the greatest of them all! I have set my mind to go back in 2010, if not sooner. I’m not going to let the circumstances hinder me from being the change I want to see. I charge you all to be the change you want to see in the CNMI and beyond!