Urgent Evoke

A crash course in changing the world.

This was taken from a post James Pearson (Acholi Beads, Choice Mob, WikiChoice) recently wrote for Plywood People. I thought it was incredibly inspiring.

Let’s not change the world. Let’s not end poverty or wipe human trafficking from the globe. Let’s not put an end to global warming or empty the landfills. And let’s stop trying to eradicate malaria and treat every HIV and tuberculosis patient in the world.
Instead of changing the world, let’s change our daily routines. Let’s all knock a minute off of our showers and turn a few lights out when we don’t need them.
Let’s ride bikes to work when we can, or look into carpooling and
public transport. And let’s choose jobs that we believe in, because they uphold our values.
Instead of wiping out various diseases or ending human trafficking, let’s each pick an organization that we believe in and support them as best we can. And when the need comes, let’s all take the two minutes to make a phone call to our senators.
And instead of treating all the patients in the world, let’s each
meet one and make sure he gets the treatment he needs.

And let’s forget trying to get rid of poverty. Instead let’s each
build a connection with one poor person, or one poor community, and learn how we might give them a hand.
And when people ask us what we’re doing, let’s be sure to tell them
that we’re not changing the world, we’re just changing ourselves, and hopefully helping a couple others do the same. And when first they hear
that from one of us, and then another, and another, they might begin to wonder if the wh*** world is changing around them.

I think what he has to say definitely holds weight. Instead of targeting multiple issues, target one - find one issue you know you can fully support and believe in - and dig deep. Take the time necessary to develop skills needed in that area. Research. Collaborate. Advocate. And above all - be authentic. Don't claim you're going to change how you live or try and get others to do something you aren't willing to do yourself.
How will I change myself? Well, I mentioned in this post how I plan to use as little electricity as possible and turn the AC up a few notches. I'm also going to head knee deep into fighting human trafficking - SheDances is an incredible organization I know I can fully support and give my attention and talents to help them rescue girls at risk for trafficking. And I won't stop sharing. I won't stop talking about the 27 million slaves in the world and the 2 children every minute being sold into some type of slavery. I will finish my novel about how this industry even seeps into the shadows of America.
And most of all, I will continue to advocate for my students. I will continue to push for service learning within the classroom and research what it would take to truly have educational reform in our country - so every student knows he or she can effectively create change within themselves and in turn, change those around them. So here's my question to you: how are you going to change yourself?

Views: 164

Comment by Turil Cronburg on April 22, 2010 at 1:36pm
Indeed, we need a variety of people focusing on all the different possible relationships in the world, so that we can become more fully aware of how to take good care of the world. Thus, it's great if you pick just one of the following to spend your energies on for a while:

• Pay attention to what resources you've had before that have made you, personally, healthier.

• Pay attention to what resources you, personally, have offered the world.

• Pay attention to what resources your close family and friends are offering you that make you healthier.

• Pay attention to how your own resources can combine with the resources of your friends and family to create new and better things.

• Pay attention to what society as a wh*** is offering you and your friends and family that make you and your friends and family healthier.

• Pay attention to how your own resources can combine with the resources of society as a wh*** to create new and better things for your friends and family.

• Pay attention to what the combined resources of society and your friends and family are offering you that make you healthier.

• Pay attention to how your own resources combine with the resources of society and the resources of your friends and family to create new and really amazing things.

• Pay attention to what Nature is offering all humans that makes all humans healthier.

• Pay attention to how your own resources combine with Nature's resources to create new and wonderful things for humanity.

• Pay attention to what the combined resources of nature and your friends and family are offering you and society that make you and society healthier.
Comment by Turil Cronburg on April 22, 2010 at 1:42pm
Oh, and my guess is that you, Elora, are probably mostly interested in either of these two:

• Pay attention to how your own resources combine with the resources of society and the resources of your friends and family to create new and really amazing things.

• Pay attention to what Nature is offering all humans that makes all humans healthier.

While your students are mostly going to be interested in this one:

• Pay attention to what the combined resources of society and your friends and family are offering you that make you healthier.
Comment by Elora Ramirez on April 22, 2010 at 1:43pm
@Turil thank you - incredibly insightful. i wish i could give you power points for a comment :)
Comment by Turil Cronburg on April 22, 2010 at 1:52pm
This comment comes pretty much straight out of my Maslow 2.0 blog post, which you can power vote if you want. :-)
Comment by Patricio Buenrostro-Gilhuys on April 22, 2010 at 2:51pm
Small changes can make BIG differences!!!
Comment by Elora Ramirez on April 22, 2010 at 3:03pm
@Patricio - absolutely. One of my favorite organizations, Invisible Children, uses the tagline "a lot of littles add up to one big..." I believe this wh***heartedly.
Comment by Edwige Lelievre on April 22, 2010 at 5:05pm
Very interesting post Elora, thank you :)
As for me, I am going to give free class to children of poor French area. There was a lot of time since I wanted to do that, but never take the time and honestly, Evoke motivated to take that step :) I have seen the association last week, and I will begin in next september : I will "mentor" a child of Saint Denis, city where I am studying, but where there is also a lot of education issues. Two hours a week, it is not a lot, I can do that, and I think it will help.
Comment by Ken Eklund on April 23, 2010 at 2:46am
Great post, Elora. So often the big picture can seem so overwhelming. But when I look at the world as you suggest (and especially paying attention as Turil recommends) the next step is clear. And the next...

(And Elora, I can give Turil power points for her comment. And guess what? I just did!)
Comment by Ken Eklund on April 23, 2010 at 2:47am
(and some for you as well)
Comment by Michele Baron on April 23, 2010 at 3:00am
Thank you for sharing some of James Pearson's words with us. Pearson is indeed an insightful thinker, and, when combined with useful introspection and planning (@Turil, great add-on commentary), it is easier to perceive an effective course of action, to utilize the best of our talents to support that which is sustainable, to work to change those things which we are able to make more sustainable, and to assist others to have to perspective to offer their own steps, small or large, to combine our resources and walk a less harmful, more sustainable path to our shared future. thank you for the post

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