The Wall of Goodwill: Finding courage in vulnerability

A student-led initiative at Parami creates space for personal stories, kindness, and connection, offering words of encouragement to strangers who may need them most.

Some struggles remain unseen. A difficult season, an unnamed fear, or a worry for someone we love can sit quietly beneath the surface of an ordinary day. Sometimes, a few words from another person are enough to remind us that we are not alone.

For Myo Myint Maung Maung, a Parami University student from the Class of 2027 and Global Engagement Fellow, this idea inspired the Paramians’ Wall of GoodWill, part of the GHEA21 Global Engagement network’s collective campaign marking World Mental Health Day on October 10 and Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout October.

While the campaign brings participating campuses together in a shared gesture of care, Myo wanted the initiative at Parami to have a meaning closer to its own community.

“I did not want it to be only a branch of a larger effort, a box ticked on a network-wide calendar,” he explained. “Its reason, for me, is simpler and nearer than that.”

For Myo, the idea began with the experiences people often keep to themselves.

“We carry most things quietly,” he reflected. “A hard season, a fear we have not yet named, a worry for someone we love: these rarely announce themselves.”

These thoughts shaped the initiative's central question: what if a wall could listen?

Myo envisioned a space where community members could share personal experiences, express unspoken thoughts, and encourage people they might never meet.

“A small, safe place where a person might set down a sentence they have never said aloud, and where another person, tired and far from home, might happen upon it and feel a little less alone,” he said.

The Wall of GoodWill reflects the importance of listening to lived experiences. World Mental Health Day encourages greater attention to mental well-being, while Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings visibility to the experiences of people affected by breast cancer. Both observances offer opportunities to foster understanding and solidarity.

For Myo, meaningful change often begins with small gestures rather than grand campaigns.

“Change rarely arrives as a grand gesture,” he said. “More often it arrives as a stranger’s kind word, read at the right moment.”

He also draws inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s words: “If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people.” He believes sharing our experiences can help us better understand one another.

The messages shared on the Wall of GoodWill brought this idea to life through poetry, music, personal stories, and words of encouragement.

One member recommended Stromae’s Tiny Desk concert, noting how the artist speaks openly about mental health struggles through interviews and music. The concert opens with L’enfer, which means “hell” in French, a song about loneliness and recognizing that others may share similar feelings. The member described listening to Stromae as a source of comfort that helps them feel less tired and less alone.

Another member recommended Sara Bareilles’ Brave, encouraging others to embrace their individuality. A reflection on self-doubt used the imagined worlds of mermaids and unicorns to ask why people can believe in mythical creatures yet struggle to believe in their own potential. J.R.R. Tolkien’s words, “Not all those who wander are lost,” offered another reminder that taking an unexpected path does not mean falling behind.

One particularly personal contribution came from a community member who shared Learning Burmese, a poem written in 2017 after their partner died of breast cancer. The writer recalled leaving a university job in the United Kingdom to teach at what was then the Parami Institute in Yangon, during a difficult period of grief and uncertainty. Looking back on nearly a decade at Parami, the writer expressed deep gratitude for the community and connections they had found.

Other contributions drew comfort from friendship and nature. One member shared a poem inspired by Matsuo Bashō and encouraged people to make time for meaningful friendships, even in an online community. Another described finding hope in Mary Oliver's poetry and the renewal nature brings. Albert Camus’s words captured a similar sense of resilience: “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

Together, these contributions show how music, literature, and personal experiences can help people make sense of difficult times. They also show that support doesn't always require advice or solutions; sometimes, an honest story or a few thoughtful words are enough.

For Myo, the Wall’s purpose is to create space for these moments of understanding within the Parami community and to let community members share words of encouragement with strangers who might need them most.

“If a wall can do anything, perhaps it is this: remind us that we were never meant to carry everything alone,” he said.

Through the Paramians’ Wall of Goodwill, Myo hopes to remind community members that even in difficult seasons, shared experiences can bring comfort and help people feel connected.