Tuesday
Feb162010
Do
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 09:24AM If things need to change, it means that what we do becomes incredibly more important. Do. Action suddenly becomes more valuable. It means that there is opportunity, if one can perceive everyone else’s blind spot and find some white space for themselves. If everyone is getting together and complaining, it means that there’s a lot of unoccupied space somewhere.
Basically, it means that your contribution matters. And if you can muster up the strength to push against your fear, you might be able to do something that changes the game… It isn’t about being Anti. It’s about being pro-something-good and making and acting and moving towards Pre-something-incredible.
Reader Comments (7)
since everyone is in the same boat, so to speak, there isn’t the pressure of seeing someone else having it so much better — the impetus for grass-roots revolution.
statistics in the newspapers about kids in other countries who are happier, more fit, get better math scores … what does that really matter? people care more about their kid’s friends, neighbors, and cousins — the peers they will “compete” with as they become adults.
this quote made me think about people who leave the public school system to homeschool — it is always seen as “Anti”, where one could choose to look at it as “Pro”. not anti-public but pro-home, and etc. i get tired of being accused of being anti-everything when i myself concentrate always on striving toward the best.
For many years my younger self was a "protester" : I protested against old forest logging, uranium mining,etc etc and I still passionately believe in these causes. And, while many of those "anti" actions I was involved in were powerful conduits to change, it was the work that followed that really changed things, and continues to bring about positive change. The protesters who became politicians, the protesters who became journalists, the protesters who became lawyers, the protesters who became university lecturers... etc. We are out there living the change, bringing about the "pro something good".
I think the another way of describing this is to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.
I need to remember to apply this principle to everyday situations too - instead of complaining about, and focusing on, what is not working, take action to change it - find the pro.
Love this post!
x
Megan
I love the idea of not being anti but being pro something instead. This does fit many areas of life. With education, because I home school... I also feel like people automatically think I am anti school and I always try to explain that we just really like home school, now I can say we are just "pro-home":o)
Right now my girls are very concerned about the the melting of the polar ice caps and what the polar bears will do. We have been trying to think of things we can do to help out. This post really helps out there too. Thanks!!
jess
Much easier to criticise.