What Have We Done?

Smaller World, Bigger Community

It is a small world. It sounds like a cliche but it really is not. More and more we are seeing the impact of actions around the world having reverberating implications geographically far away. Some of the largest threats that face us now and in the future are global threats.
It is about time we start thinking of the world as just one big community. If everyone felt like a child in Africa, or a grandparent in India, or a farmer in China, were in fact our neighbors, then it would be a heck of a lot more difficult to ignore their needs.
Despite how much smaller the world has become with our myriad of means for communication; the internet, television, phone, etc. we have yet to warm to the idea that we are all in fact now one big community.
Social websites have become a place to congregate, Facebook is the next big open source hit, MySpace, if it were a country, would be the 8th largest in the world. We are all neighbors. Collaboration in the workplace, where an MBA grad in China starts work on a project when a co-worker in Canada goes to sleep, has become the next big wave in workplace productivity. The world is shrinking, which is both a good and bad thing. It is up to us, however, to start spreading the word - we will not stand by and watch our neighbor suffer and die.
This idea is somewhat difficult to wrap your head around but Bono's organization ONE sums it up best by simply saying we are all One. I also like Desmond Tutu's description of the word Ubuntu, which means 'I am because you are'. We are more than ever interconnected, which means like never before we are able to work together in harmony. Lets just embrace our small world with our large community. It is here to stay.

Me to We

Last week marked the beginning of the Year of Me to We. The kickoff event was held here in Toronto and broadcast all across the country. A day filled with incredible singers and speakers, it was incredibly inspirational. The energy that filled the building was like nothing you can imagine. 7500 students sharing one vision, for a better world, with the tag line "Be the Change You Wish to See in the World." This timeless quote comes from none other than Mahatma Ghandi, a truly remarkable facilitator of change. This student gathering was the beginning, of what I am not entirely sure, but it will be profound. I had the opportunity to see the many wide eyed students enter the building, and then also see these same students as they left. What happened inside that building will stay with these youths long after this week, month, year. It was life altering in some cases. Romeo Dallaire spoke with such conviction about looking a child in the eyes when he was in Rwanda during the genocide and seeing the same look in those eyes as he saw in his sons before leaving for Africa. Eyes can tell a story without saying a word. The eyes of these young adults as they left spoke volumes. I challenge those 7500 students, along with everyone else who wants to see change, to do one thing in the next year, whether small or big, to make a difference in their community. There is no measuring stick, no one to tell you it hasn't made a difference, because I guarantee you that by just doing something, anything, it will send a ripple throughout the world. Be the Change, Be the Difference.

Madiba

I went to see a screening of the Nelson Mandela documentary last night at the Ryerson Theatre. What a fascinating person. I have been attracted to Mr. Mandela's persona for some time now, as the myth is certainly grand. There were many things I did not know about the man before seeing this film and I am glad I had the opportunity to see it. I have found Madiba, the name he is known for throughout South Africa and much of the world, to be the perfect example of a leader who was able to use his skill to make a difference in the world. I truly believe that apathy is the deadliest disease our world faces and the best cure is great leadership. We need more leaders to stand up and speak out. We need more leaders who are not afraid to speak up about what they believe in. We lack role models in this world because while many want to be seen they don't want to be noticed. If you believe in something, like Mandela believed in peace and reconcilliation, and one man one vote, then make it known. Write it down or say it out loud, just do something. If you let apathy take a hold of you, if we all allow apathy to take hold then we are certain to face many unscalable obstacles in the future. Lets break free of our metaphorical shackles just like Mandela broke free of his real shackles. Lets make it happen!

To learn more about the Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund and how you can help click on the link

28 Stories of AIDS in Africa

I just finished reading the book "28 Stories of AIDS in Africa" by Stephanie Nolan and I was thoroughly impressed. What a writer! I wish I had half as much talent as her in writing - then I might actually be good at this blogging thing. The 28 stories are meant to represent the 28 million people with the disease in Africa. AIDS is a disease that has affected so many people around the world and yet continues to be an afterthought in discussions. Stephanie so magically makes such an inhuman disease human by interviewing and writing about 28 real life people whose lives have been forever changed. The last story in the book is about Stephanie's friend TK whom through chance contracted the disease by a freak accident. Like so many other people in the book, and who didn't make it into the book, TK held, and still does hold, a great deal of potential. While the disease is not the death sentence it once was, necessary ARV's are not readily available to all those that need them. TK is one of the lucky ones who has access to the life saving drugs. Around the world, however, millions lack access, or cannot afford these drugs and will needlessly die. If you have the chance to read this book you will not be disappointed. There are many ways you can help out in the battle against AIDS and I strongly urge that you find out more about the disease, talk about it with whoever will listen, and lend a hand in any way you can. Lets not wait for the 29th story.

Life is a Journey

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

I have always loved this quote. Making sense of the world and my place within it seems to take up a good portion of my time these days. In September I began taking International Project Management, with the idea of working in the Development/Relief sector upon my graduation. I chose the program because it magically confronted me. I was reading the paper one day, while contemplating my next move after University, and I was instantly sure that it was an omen/fate/destiny that I had come across it. I am a big fan of books that highlight the journey that is life, and have been on a seemingly endless high since reading 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho, and 'The Way of the Peaceful Warrior' by Dan Millman. I am a dreamer - although I also consider myself a realist - and these books got me lost in my own thoughts. I think in life that we often get lost and fail to recognize what is right in front of us. We end up going through the motions just living from Friday at 5 until Monday at 9. I think its about time we reclaimed those missing 5 days and start chasing those dreams that we so often neglect. Life is a Journey - so take it.