How is it that ordinary folk without copious resources make the decision to, not think about making a difference, but actually take steps to make a difference, a real difference, in areas where there is a clear and present need? And with a willingness to have their entire lives shaken into some new composition in the process. As poet John O’Donohue so aptly wrote, “To risk being disturbed and changed.” Then, putting one foot in front of the other manage to engage others in such a way that in community, a viable project or movement is born.
I have been thinking about this as average-person activism. It is my theory that there is a way in which all of us who wish to can ignite activism in our lives, communities, and the world whether it is directed towards one person or many thousands of people. And that many of us yearn to engage in such a way but do not know where to begin or doubt our capacity for being in the world in such a bold and vulnerable way.
I am curious to find out more about people who take those courageous steps into the unknown in service of a more equitable, just, happier, and healthier world – average yet extra-ordinary people, like you and me. Why do they do that instead of staying safe and comfortable and primarily focused on themselves and their small inner circle?
I’m curious about the resiliency and creativity of people who are living in challenging circumstances few of us can truly imagine. Why are some or even many of these people happy, able to live through such astonishing hardships and continue to be abundantly generous and generally hopeful?
In what ways can those with material wealth and those with the wealth of community and a deep appreciation for what they do have, learn from one another, grow together and cooperate in healing ourselves, our communities and the earth on which we all depend?
If you were a fly on the wall, what questions would you like to ask? I invite you to share them with me and help me expand and deepen my inquiry.
“Try to love the questions themselves.”
Rainer Maria Rilke
I felt compelled. I just had to do it. There are so many people who have so much less of everything, food, shelter, education, sanitation……..than I do. I retired from teaching, sold my house, sold lots of “stuff” on craigslist. I moved to a small apartment near my grown children, so I could start an NGO in Ghana. There is no end of work to be done in this world, where there is no excuse for children dying of hunger every day, while many of us have so much. The work, any work, can be done in your own community or in one far away. If each of us does something, then we become the ones we have been waiting for and will leave this earth knowing we did our best to make it better for people we may never meet. Isn’t that what people did who came before us?
dearest gem-of-a-woman, kari…i have enjoyed catching up with your blog over my coffee this morning while attempting to imagine what you may be doing at present. your writing is beautiful and i find myself feeling grateful – again – to know you. i love that you’ve taken this leap and are providing such an incredible experience for malc and yourself. love is with you! xo. j
Kari, I love your questions, your special way of asking them, your truthfulness, your willingness to be vulnerable. I have no doubt you will find your answers and inadvertently light a fire under our butts. I am going to hypothesize that one answer to your question is faith in something bigger than ourselves. I refer to the tiny unconscious self that we relentlessly chastise. Faith can offer hope and optimism and a world of possibility. When living in possibility, creativity and ideas sprout forth. My question is, where and how do people who live in war ravaged zones or slums find this faith in the first place and tenaciously hold onto it through thick or thin to nurture it into a grand idea?
Wonderful comment dear Cathy and your questions will be coming with me this next week.