What are you really doing?
Today the UN General Assembly opens. Manhattan will be in grid lock. I am reminded of my many days working across the street at UNDP as a policy advisor. Today I am a teacher and consultant. How can I make a difference globally and locally? How can my actions help hasten the arrival of a compassionate civilization? When terrorists attack a mall in Nairobi killing innocent people, how can I respond compassionately, both to the tragedy of Somalia and to the victims? How can I help stop the fossil fuel industry, child trafficking and abuse of women or corporate greed? How can my meager words and deeds relieve such vast suffering?
We are bombarded daily by crisis and tragedy. Today it is the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, a few months ago Hurricane Sandy, and tomorrow we can count on being confronted by something else.
How might it be helpful to envision a compassionate civilization manifesting in some future time when we face so many crises today and need to act on so many fronts? I believe that we need both – a compelling vision of a long term systems transformation and our concrete work in the day to day. A long term vision can inspire us with hope and direction while our daily efforts inspire us with a sense of relevance and accomplishment.
Most change agents are focused on a single issue. If we have a civilizational vision, we can feel ourselves being part of a massive movement of movements moving relentlessly toward our most cherished hopes and dreams. By identifying an emerging civilization based on principles of compassion, sustainability, equality, justice, participation and tolerance, we can sense our individual contributions as part of something larger and more profound. We are not only mitigating climate change, we are catalyzing a whole system shift resulting in a compassionate civilization.
I am reminded of the old story of the stone cutters in the Middle Ages of Europe. Someone asked one stone cutter what he was doing. He said I am cutting stones. The person asked another stone cutter the same question. He replied, I am supporting my family. Then the person asked yet another stone cutter, who said with dignity and passion, "I am building a cathedral!" Was each stone cutter doing the same thing? What difference does your vision make?