Change Happens One Conversation at a Time

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Look around and it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the events of today. The war between Russia and Ukraine, which some believe is in principle a war between autocracy and democracy. The political polarization in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. The marginalization of groups of people and the threat of undoing decades of progress in equal rights, voting rights, and rights of women to manage their reproductive choices. Gun violence. Mental health crisis. The lingering impact of Covid-19. The economy. The Great Resignation. Climate change. The widening gap between the haves and the have nots – poverty, homelessness. In a highly connected world, people are lonelier and more isolated than ever.

I know this is a lot to take in. It’s a lot to live. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all and do nothing. And yet, we know that we can’t just do nothing. From deep within, we know that we must be a part of the solution.

Years ago when watching the movie, Won’t Back Down, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis as mothers who fight through bureaucracy to turn around an underperforming school, I heard Davis’s character say that her mother asked her what she was going to do with her one and only life. That line in the movie stopped me in my tracks. I paused the movie, and with tears streaming down my face as though my mother was asking me that same question, I answered:

“I want the world to know that I’m here, and I care.”

What does that mean in the context of what is going on in the world today? It means that I cannot sit on the sidelines and pretend everything is okay or wait for it to pass. I have to participate in helping to bring about the change that I want to see in the world. Compassion and social activism are ways I embody my Aha! Life.

One of the qualities of The Aha! Life is that it’s a life of meaning and purpose.

If you are moved with compassion by any of the societal conditions I listed above or by something not listed, and you feel compelled to help, then I’m so glad you’re reading this article today. The world needs you. Frederick Buechner said a calling is when our “deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.”

But what to do?

It can all seem so monumental that we don’t know where to start. The important thing to remember is you don’t have to do anything alone. I remember what my mentor and friend, Peter Block, has taught me over the years about the power of small groups of people in conversation with one another.

Even if hundreds are in the room, when people are configured into small groups, real change is created…Convening means we change the world one room at a time... All transformation is linguistic. - Peter Block Click To Tweet

To get started, find a group of people or an organization, or start your small group of concerned and compassionate people who want to bring about positive change in an area that speaks to you, and begin with the simple question, “What can we create together that alone we cannot?”