You *Can* Make A Difference! (Not!)

The other day I attended a conference in Seattle and the opening keynote speaker was Philipe Cousteau - the grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Philippe is continuing the work of his father and grandfather through EarthEcho International, the non-profit organization he founded with his sister and mother and of which he serves as CEO. Philippe is also the Chief Ocean Correspondent for Animal Planet. In the talk he described the work he does when he visits schools or groups of kids - both in person or through video links.
What I found refreshing was his tale that whenever he does have a group of kids, he always asks "How many of you have heard 'You Can Make A Difference?'" Generally most of the kids raise their hands, and the adults smile that they've done a a good job.  Philippe them goes on to say that "Well, its not true," and then pauses.  The kids get quite, and the adults get angry.  After letting them stew for a bit, be goes on to explain that it's wrong because it's not that "you can make a difference," but rather that "you do make a difference."  It's not something that is optional!  Everything we do has an impact on other things.  We're making choices, often without considering them.  But we really do make a difference.
As and educator, I worry a bit about how we help kids realize that they are making choices all the time, without creating guilt or causing them to shut down, but I do think it's important that we think about the implied parts of our messages and me very careful in how we describe things.