Take a Chance—Change the World
These days, lots of us are pretty worried about problems we never imagined we’d see. The push-and-pull between our inner and outer journeys is ramping up. In my case, my pesky internal spiritual coach is reminding me that democracy is a team sport.
I often wonder—how can I possibly have an impact on this or that issue? The answer is that there are grassroots groups all around us—big and small—who are literally trying to change the world. The good they do happens because others see what they’re doing and decide to take a chance. Despite the discomforts (but also with a hint of excitement), we go to our first meeting or send that first e-mail. Next thing we know, we’re tossed into a community (often kind of messy) where a whole lot of people are working to change history—sometimes in small local ways, sometimes in gigantic national ways.
Here's one current example. A group of folks who think voting is a good idea created a simple way for people to help get-out-the-vote. (www.votefwd.org). Their goal was to get 10 million letters, encouraging others to vote, out before November election—all because many individuals each send out a small batch of letters. As of today, they’re at 7.6 million letters and going strong.
No matter what issue you’re interested in, there are volunteer groups—local, state and national—working on the problems before us. Sure, for many of us, it's uncomfortable to jump in. But at least in my experience, more often than not, one meets exceptional people with whom one can find restorative common cause. It's therapeutic, not always fun, but always puts a smile on my face.
Our hope is that our upcoming Sacred Conversations series, and our other fall programming, might encourage you to take some new chances. Find your team. They need you. We need you.
Dan Quinlan
