A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,
“Well, I made a difference to that one!”
The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley
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One year ago, I was lying on a sidewalk in front of my house with bullet wounds in both legs. I can remember the police helicopter flying overhead and my mother screaming on the front porch. While my friends and family watched, the police used my shirt to stop the bleeding.
How I got there is a sad story but one repeated far too often in our city. I was doing some research recently about this. Did you know that last year alone, 920 young people between the ages of 7 and 24 were victims of gun violence in Philadelphia? Over 130 of them died from their wounds. I was lucky.
Too often we dismiss these statistics as bad people doing bad things. Even I thought that. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
The day I got shot started like any other day for me. Back then I was working as a barista for Starbucks on 9th & South. I was working there for five months and doing well. After work, I went straight home, changed my clothes and was talking to my mother on my front porch. Read Article
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian nationalist movement, which overthrew British colonial rule through nonviolence,
leading to the creation of a sovereign Indian nation in 1947. As a change agent, he lived his life based on the principles of courage, non-violence, and truth. Much of his power drew from his commitment to embodying these principles in his own life.
Gandhi believed that there were three routes to social change: the ballot (the process of voting and elections), the jail (by which he meant civil disobedience – being willing to give up your personal freedom to protest an unjust law or society).
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If everyone pitches in, a soup can turn from being bland and unexciting to being a robust meal for the entire community. Read Article
If we hold preconceived notions about the people we meet, we often find reasons to make those notions come true. Read Article
By using critical "Up the River" thinking, we can break out of old molds and create new ideas to solve societal problems. Read Article
By following the simplistic and ultimately fair example of water, we can create changes in society with greater ease. Read Article
The Iroquois' seven generation plan aids in decision-making for generations to come. Read Article
The energy and enthusiasm of even a small group is greater than the sum of the parts, allowing the group to create big changes that on the surface wouldn't seem possible. Read Article
Can the change from night to day teach us about the elimination of prejudice and racism? Read Article
Assume the specialness of every person to create a culture of respect. Read Article
The smallest ripples can combine to create an overwhelming current in the sea of change. Read Article
Analyzing and understanding the sand of our everyday experiences can yield the diamonds of wisdom. Read Article
It often took several generations and thousands of laborers to build a single cathedral. Many would work their entire lives knowing that they would never see the cathedral’s completion. We may have the opportunity in our lives to contribute to the creation of something great, something larger than ourselves. Read Article
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s idea of greatness is neither elitist nor exclusive. Yet, at the same time, everyone is not automatically great. Rather, each person has the potential to achieve greatness because every person has something to offer and to contribute through service. Read Article
It also takes a whole village to raise a child because a village is comprised of a diverse array of people of all ages and experiences, each of whom hassomething to teach a child. Similarly, “it takes a village” to achieve any large civic goal. It takes a shared vision, a set of shared values, and a shared sense of collective responsibility for the common good. Read Article
When we make good choices, and take responsibility for the poor choices we have made - and regain power over our own actions – we ennoble ourselves by directly enhancing humanity. Read Article
Nelson Mandela sacrificed 27 years in jail for his country. He is the very embodiment of what it means to commit oneself to a larger movement, and to make great personal sacrifices for that commitment. Indeed, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his ideal of a non-racial democracy. Read Article
Through her work, Mother Teresa was a living example of her belief that love is embodied, or given true form, through service. At its most powerful, service is an expression of selfless love, care, empathy, and concern for others. Read Article
Service is a common ground on which all people can come together to begin the work of building a more just society — work that depends on striving to truly understand one another. Read Article
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the many ordinary people who changed the world, reminds us that reconciliation is a both a process and a final destination. The road to the Beloved Community is the difficult road of reconciliation among people who have been in conflict and negotiation. The Beloved Community is reconciliation achieved – a profound human connectedness, a transcendent harmony and love among all people. Read Article
Bridge building is a powerful metaphor, and tool, for social change. Seeing and making connections – whether among people or ideas – is a hallmark of bridge builders, whose lives are rooted in values and who dedicate their time and energy to causes larger than themselves. Read Article
Can we see ourselves as others may see us, hear ourselves as others may hear us, and view our actions as others may perceive them? Can we have strong values and beliefs, but always stand ready to learn, realize, or even assume that we may not be right after all? By asking others, “What do you think?” and making no assumptions as to who may have an inspired, breakthrough contribution, we can effectively
lead positive change, and avert disaster along the way. Read Article