James Shaw reflects on growing up in a politically active household and a moment at age 12 when his teacher said, "countries go to war over things like this," during a classroom discussion. That comment shifted how he understood the stakes of political engagement.
I want to ask, what has shaped your leadership? Who are the key people in your life, going back to your younger years or maybe childhood, that have shaped the man and the leader that you are? I mean, a lot of people would say this, right? But definitely my folks and the household that I grew up in was a, you know, a political household with a strong social justice bent, shall we say? The moment for me was when I was in. I was about 12, and I was sitting in the back of my class talking to my friends, which was kind of what I did because I was a terrible student. You know, that. You know when you're talking and you suddenly realize you're the only person in the room talking? I sort of had that moment. And then I tun into my teacher. And the first words that I heard. He'd been talking for a while, but the first words that I heard him say were, countries go to war over things like this. That grabbed my attention.
