Hopelessly One? No Way. Get
involved.
Do the world’s problems seem
insurmountable to you? Do you sometimes feel like you are helpless to respond
to them? Are you eager to do something to help but feel like your contribution
won’t matter? Do you struggle with the idea of what to do? If you answered
“yes” to any of these questions then, rest assured, you have lots of company.
Since the problems are of such importance and because history proves that small
contributions do matter, now is not the time to grovel in despair. Rather, it
is the time to get involved. Doing so will not only make the world a better
place but it will almost assuredly make you feel better about yourself, improve
your connection with the planet and other humans, and enhance your outlook on
the future.
A willingness to get involved is an
important start. It requires a grain of activism and a smidgen of optimism.
Once you have the will, then it is a matter of deciding what to do. This takes
a bit more thought and preparation. Where should you start? How do you
prioritize among problems or actions? Should the focus be on you, your
community, your country, or something else? My advice is to pick something to
start. Almost anything will do. Take a plastic bag outside and pick up trash or
debris. Write a letter “to the editor” expressing how important something is to
you. Reduce consumption of something (don’t eat that cake today, save it for
tomorrow). Go plant a seed of something yummy. These may seem like frivolous
acts but they aren’t. Imagine if all 300+ million of us in the U.S. were to
write one letter this week! The mail system might have to shut down but what an
inspiring act it would be. It would definitely wake up so many people who feel
that “no one cares” or that “my actions don’t matter.” Wouldn’t it? (If it
sounds too unrealistic to think that hundreds of millions of people would
decide to do something similar on a particularly day/week, just imagine how
many of us contacted our moms this past weekend!)
Now, assuming that your first
“seed” doesn’t spawn a revolution, you must consider where you go next. At this
point, there are so many possibilities, and it can be somewhat paralyzing to
contemplate them all. Once again, I recommend doing something, rather than
sitting idly waiting for the perfect opportunity. Here, I strongly suggest
finding a group of local people to work with. There are so many such groups
around, it just takes a morsel of initiative to find one. Locally, The Center (<http://www.thecenteringalesburg.org/>www.thecenteringalesburg.org),
Western Illinois Nature Group
(<http://www.blackthornhill.org/>www.blackthornhill.org), the Boys and
Girls Club of Knox County (phone: 309.342.0158), and Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Knox County (<http://www.hoibbbs.org>www.hoibbbs.org), are just a few
organizations doing things to better our community and world. (If you are
reading this and you regret that I didn’t mention your wonderful organization,
please email me and I’ll see to it that I mention it in a future essay.) Don’t
delay. There isn’t a day to lose.
Joining existing groups is
wonderful but designing your own might be your calling. If so, don’t hesitate
to circulate your passion and plan with others you know (or to recognized leaders
of the community). You might be surprised by the support that you receive. The
Center, which I cofounded in 2008, got its start in this exact way. I firmly
believe that there are tons of people that want to help but are just waiting
for someone else to take the lead. This “leader” can be you. Don’t let your
idealism and creativity be stifled or suppressed. Unveil your vision and let
your spirit soar.
If you are a bit too introverted or
apprehensive to join others, this shouldn’t prevent you from acting. So much of
what needs to be done is for each of us to carefully introspect, i.e., look
inside oneself, and find ways to improve our relationship with others and with
the planet. This mode of thought might lead us to change our ways
significantly. My diet, purchasing habits, transportation mode, and
philanthropy have changed considerably in the past seven years. Ten years ago,
I would have never expected to alter my life in these ways. I am very pleased
that I made these changes and I look forward to future modifications. The
entire process has been very empowering as well. You don’t know what you can
accomplish until you try.
The slogan, “change starts with
one,” speaks volumes for the potential for humanity to recover from its current
predicament and practices. Every one of us matters. Every one of us will decide
the future. Which direction will you steer this ship? It is your choice. Make
it.
05/14/09