Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Baby Steps - 100 million at a time

I've been having a hard time picking up where I left off. I had a moment of inspiration recently, while watching the film, Rabbit Proof Fence, triggering me to write a blog about dialog. Only, I've been unfocused since, and haven't managed to complete that thought.
Last week I moved - into the San Franciscan home I'd been dreaming of: big, quiet, sunny, in an awesome neighborhood, with a sweet garden and interesting, forward-thinking roommates. The space is far more conducive to writing and research than my last. That's a step in the right direction. However, I also officially lost my partner in the project. Something I was expecting, but a bit heartbreaking, none-the-less. The enormity of the task weighs on me, and me alone, now. It's kind of overwhelming at times.
The hardest part, really, is being patient. And also, not having anyone to share the journey with. It's not easy to keep the spirits high, and the days focused when you're working alone. And yet, the incredible thing is, it's really not all that difficult to create your dreams. It's just little steps, everyday. It will gather momentum soon enough. Thanks, Richie, for reminding me of that.

It's amazing, too, just how many organisations there are out there working for global change. They're fight for human rights, social justice, youth empowerment, education, sustainability, world hunger, indigenous knowledge, responsible tourism, cultural exchange.....the list goes on and on. I recently signed up with Wiser Earth - a networking forum for NGOs and individuals around the world addressing current issues like the above. Such a beautiful thing, the internet. Finally, unrestricted global dialog is possible (unless you're living in China).

Something that strikes me particularly: Our main source for information on current events (newspapers, TV, radio) is chock full of all the horrendous things happening in our world. War, mass murders, starvation, disease, racism, corruption, environmental disasters..... As friend of mine used to say, "That's not news. There's nothing new about it." That's the history of humankind they're presenting.
What is new is this global movement. It's not a force directed by the few; the powerful; the rich. It's a movement guided by small groups of passionate people. Hundreds of thousands of them. WiserEarth - one, single directory - has over 107,000 organisations, and nearly 2,500 individuals registered. Paul Hawken talks about this grassroots movement in his new book Blessed Unrest. He estimates there are more than 1 million organisations working for ecological sustainability and social justice. (See article, A Global Democratic Movement Is About to Pop, http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/050107EC.shtml)

The amount of hope, compassion, and dedication manifest in the human race is astounding. To me, this speaks volumes more about the state of affairs than the last 20 years of worldwide headlines.

3 comments:

Richie said...

I like this one, and not just because it has my name in it (although that is pretty nice) Im glad to know you dude.

Mike said...

Actually, there are users and organizations from China on WiserEarth! Anybody who signs up (for free) can edit and add organizations, events, jobs, etc. One feature worth mentioning is the Interactive Map as it'll help you find orgs, users, events etc in your area.

jamie said...

you raise an interesting point regarding media coverage of suffering versus coverage of positive things. while i think it's important to acknowledge the good work that people are doing, i think it's also important for us to understand the injustices and tragedies that happen every day, often perpetrated by humans upon other humans.