This past week I had the opportunity to visit three different places of history. The first was Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas with the corresponding museum, next stop was the Clinton Presidential Center, and the final visit was to the Oklahoma City Memorial (in honor of the bombing victims from April 19, 1995).

In my life, I have had the opportunity to visit many historical sites and museums, many in the US and even some in Europe. While I am fascinated, intrigued, and inspired by much of the art and the pieces of history that have been saved, I found that the most impactful places I've visited thus far didn't necessarily have footprint remains that you could physically see, or really even many physical items at all. These places instead told stories through metaphors or through videos, the only way to show the impact and change that people's decisions had made. While the Clinton Presidential Center was intriguing, I do not know that I would count it as explained above. The Central High and Oklahoma City memorials are the ones that really reverberated in my heart and into the depths of my soul. They made me realize many things about myself and about human kind.

We all have a choice, are we going to make an impact for better or for worse. At Central High, back in 1957, nine students had a choice: would they allow whites to continue to segregate public schools, or would they stand up for what they believed in and sit down in an all-white school for the first time? They made a choice that affected countless people, from blacks to Asians to Native Americans and even back to whites. They changed the world with their bravery and stubbornness to accomplish what had not and needed to be completed.

In 1995, Timothy McVeigh had a choice. To move on from what had happened during the Waco Siege in 1993, which offended him heavily and caused him to lose friends and allies, or he could choose to react in a way that would forever change the world. He chose the latter, and on April 19, 1995 around 9 am he left a truck next to a building and walked away. At 9:01, the bomb within that truck went off and at 9:03 the world was changed forever. 168 deaths later, with an additional 800 injured, the world stood by with bated breath. This was one of the greatest tragedies and death counts (aside from wars or battles) that the US had seen, at least until 9/11/2001. This was something that the US didn’t expect to happen to them, much like the young adult believes they are invincible, that nothing can touch them. The US, a young adult compared to the rest of the world, had just been hit right in the face with the realization that they are not, in fact, invincible. McVeigh changed the world in many ways that day, and today, people are still impacted and changed because of it.

We are a people who like physical reminders. Though some are in physical form, like the dress the first lady wore to the president’s inaugural speech, others are a mental footprint, not something we can necessarily see or touch, but something that is a metaphor or experience to remind us. Sometimes we get so caught up in wanting to see everything, especially in its exact, original way, but it is important to remember that not everything has to be seen to be experienced. Just as a blind man can find as much enjoyment in a sunrise as a man with sight does, so to can we find as much enjoyment in experiencing history, rather than simply seeing it. Every day people make an impact. They make choices that make a difference in the world. Many of these are things that cannot be seen or placed on a wall in a museum, and many of these things will go unnoticed or be forgotten. Some of these decisions, though, are going to leave a footprint, they are a story that is going to be told in museums, in books, and by people all around the world. You do not have to leave physical evidence that you were here on earth, that you made an impact, you just have to make the decision to make the impact. Everyone has the power to make a difference, but not everyone will use it. These two memorials tell the story of ten people who made a difference, nine for the better and one for the worse. For every ten that do make a decision, good or bad, there are hundreds that do not. It is up to you to decide which one you will be, you just have to make a choice.