Can't say that I agree.

Hmm, where to begin. I guess I was a little different than many of the other students in forum last Monday because I actually had met Bradley Dean before. This was the first speaker I knew beforehand, and I must say, it makes the forum experience a little different. Instead of only hearing what the person is saying, you also have your own personal experience with the person that influences how you react to the message. From working with Bradley before, I found him to be a humorous, nice guy. My opinion of him did not change as he spoke Monday night, but I also discovered I disagreed with his view on a few matters.

I was rubbed the wrong way when he talked about instituting regulations for houses in the historic downtown area. I understand it is historic, and you want to preserve that prestige. However, I feel like, what that board is doing is just trying to force people to conform to what they think is "the best". I know the board he is on serves a purpose and  I do believe it's better to get involved in something rather than not at all but for me, I would rather spend my time and energy on something more meaningful. In the big picture of life, does is really matter what color your house is? I hope not.

But who knows, maybe my mind will change when I am older and I am the owner of my own house. I'm not stupid enough to believe that my view is the only valid point. But my view is what I believe and like I said, I would rather spend my time on something that I feel has meaning. Something that helps people that need it. People that are hurting.

All this being said, I would like to point out that even though I disagreed with some of what Bradley said, I loved his point on the first follower. Ever since I was a little kid, the phrase "Be a leader, not a follower." has been drilled into my head. Bradley presented a fresh perspective, and I liked it. Sometimes, I think the best thing to do is already use the reserouces around you. If somebody has started something that you think has potentional, jump in! Don't start your own thing, that is essentially the same, all because you want to be a leader. Be the first follower. Two are better than one.

That's just my thoughts.