Dr. Chuck Wall is not a man to be easily discouraged. As a first year student at Bakersfield College more than 40 years ago, he was told by a professor that if he couldn’t read what had been written on the chalkboard, then that was his problem. Even though Wall was battling blindness at that point in his life, Wall found a way to get the information from the chalkboard and continued with his studies.

“I decided I’m not going to let him drag me down,” Wall said.

And it has been this persistent attitude that has carried Wall to where he stands today.

Although Wall began his career by working for large corporations such as NBC, he decided that after 11 years of continued education, he would become a teacher. Wall now holds the position of professor of business and speech communications at Bakersfield College.

Throughout his years of teaching, Wall came to recognize the negativity rampant within today’s society. Wall now refers to this cynical trend as the Universal Plot Theory.

“The Universal Plot Theory says that no matter what problems I have, they are caused by someone else,” Wall said. “We blame everything on everyone else, but we have this attitude that it is everyone else who should change. But it starts with you.”

Firmly believing that people can make the biggest impact by starting with their own life, Wall began to spread this idea to his classroom. He assigned a “kindness” homework assignment, in which students were to commit one random act of kindness a day. Although a simplistic idea, the world received it with wide eyes.

Soon, Wall’s encouragement of kindness was covered by the local newspaper and The Associated Press, and before he knew it, talk shows such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Hour of Power” were featuring Wall to speak on kindness.

“It’s amazing that we even have to talk about kindness,” Wall said. “Even Oprah devoted a whole show to the idea of it.”

Since then, Wall has published three books on kindness and continues to spread his message of how to make a difference in the world. In these books, Wall has redefined kindness to encompass four parts: respect, dignity, compassion and humility.

“When we look for people who can make a difference, we see those that embody these characteristics,” Wall said.

Last year, Wall had the rare opportunity to carry the Olympic torch in its trek across America. This allowed Wall the experience to meet individuals who were truly making a difference in their world.

“These are people who are rarely heard of, but continue to make a difference,” Wall said. “They’re not looking for recognition, they’re looking for a better world to live in.”

Wall’s ultimate message as a teacher and speaker is printed on a poster in his Bakersfield College classroom.

“The poster says we have become a nation quick to condemn and slow to compliment — this needs to be reversed,” Wall said. “We need to train ourselves to look for the positive and that begins with you.”