A full work day, being a dad, being a husband and a few household duties or projects thrown in here and there and there isn’t much left of my energy and yet……
….. there are conversations I would like to contribute to.
I recalled a quote tonight from Ross Perot and it made me think.
“the activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.” ~ Ross Perot
it made me think about an article in a magazine I flipped through in the library today at lunch. The magazine, Canadian Dimension, a left wing opinion magazine had an issue dedicated to feminism today. I could not help but notice that as I read through articles scanning for the issues women saw as the most important today that much of the text was just ranting about women needing to organize, fight back, take back and make the world right. I kept looking because I wanted to know what issue they were tackling, to make right. I did eventually find one before I gave up and went on to Pop Mechanics, it was the issue of physical violence in the home towards women. A valid issue. I was left disappointed though, since I was willing enough to read the magazine and curious as to how I might influence in my life and work and I was left instead with the feeling that the majority of the words written pointed to crackpot and only a small number to activism or ideas of how I the reader can make a difference. How sad.
So I got to thinking, if I was going to choose an issue to try to influence outside of my direct sphere of private influence for good (i.e. family and friends) what would I choose and how would I go about doing it. I already contribute financially to charities but if I were to use my words on a blog or submission to a paper or supporting policy change or creating conversation for policy change or what-have-you, irregardless of the method, first what would I pick. I was left feeling tired. Which is what I started with in this post, the question of whether being tired is a sufficient answer. I think the answer must be NO.
So with that answer in mind I picked myself up and I dusted myself off and thought harder. What I came up with is that I would like to find a way to contribute or create conversations about social innovation. They could be based on community, spirituality, economic, environment and any other number of of issue sparks but ultimately that’s what gets me excited. I get excited about helping to get people thinking difference about the social constructs that we gripe about and manage without actually coming up for air and thinking of actually changing them.
So now I have a dilemma, do I spend my spare time (what little there is) reading more about and seeking opportunities or do I spend it entertaining myself or making more money. I will have to think about this some more. . . .
How about you? how do you want to help the world? do you think we should?