for everyone, a common place

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
~Margaret Mead, US Anthropologist, 1901 - 1978

as many times as i have participated in group exercises that require people to start a conversation about something that may or may not be important to them and find a way to synergize thoughts and ideas, i am amazed at how beautiful the process can become if everyone jumps in and actively contributes to a real collaboration...not of egos, or stories or complaints but true possibilities that only a group made up of exactly the people in the room can create at that very moment. it is absolutely awesome! and certainly, one of the greatest gifts i feel God has given us as human beings. to feel a sincere commonality with total strangers who later, at times quickly, become colleagues, friends or part of your chosen family. for the past couple of days, i had an opportunity to sit at the table with a few people who i did not know and had no prior connection with other than we all work for the same company. after ten hours of meeting time, we came to a genuine understanding of what we need to do as a group to accomplish a massive task. what's even better than that is the sense that i am confident that we can do it based on the understanding of all those present during the process. it's exciting to be a part of an unfolding of personalities, interests, concerns, likes, dislikes, hopes, passions, reasons, similarities, differences...to see each element find a common place so that everyone has a chance to be a contributor, to carry the cause forward for everyone. i just love it. i love to participate. i love to witness it. i love to create it or inspire it among groups i'm in. it doesn't happen every day but then, i can't help but wonder why couldn't it?. why couldn't we all just set aside our pride, selfishness and pettiness about the small stuff and search for ways to serve the common good? we all have the ability. we all have the choice. we all have the power to influence, to change, to evolve, to inspire. i'm just grateful for being reminded of what i can do but more importantly from today, what a small group of citizens can do to change the world.

peruse this site -- www.howtochangetheworld.org, become a social entrepreneur or someone who is working to build a better place, community and world for all of us