Changing the world, one perception at a time.

Changing the world can be a fairly idealistic and impractical task. Few who seek to change the world live to see it on a large scale. But change doesn’t need to be on a large scale to be affective. It doesn’t have to happen quickly.

Perhaps the best definition of change that I have heard comes from the film Life as a House.

“You know the great thing, though, is that change can be so constant you don’t even feel the difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don’t even notice that your life is better or worse, until it is. Or it can just blow you away, make you something different in an instant. It happened to me.”

…

In summer ‘05, I read this article in Relevant Magazine (now available on RelevantMagazine.com) which followed photojournalist Scott Harrison as he experienced change on a Mercy Ship.

From the article:

“What started out as an exciting and easy way to earn back college money I’d blown in the stock market, (shorting YAHOO! of all things) turned into a decade of world travel, social climbing, selfishness and materialism, and left me with an appalling value system and skewed world view.”

This is the realization that sparked a change in Scott — his journey of redemption and compassion.

He spent the better part of the next 2 years photographically documenting life on a Mercy Ship before founding the non-profit Charity:. Charity:’s first project, Charity: Water, seeks to provide clean water to the people of Africa. Though not the first (and hopefully not the last) to do this, Charity:’s approach is a little bit different. They are selling bottles of water for $20, all proceeds of which go directly to digging wells. They are able to do this through the help of donors who cover costs of bottling, packing, and shipping each bottle of water (about 45 cents per bottle).

But it doesn’t stop there. In celebration of Scott’s 32nd birthday, he is asking for $32 donations to provide clean water for at least one hospital in Kenya instead of presents, and he is encouraging other’s to join him. 12 years old = $12, 64 years = $64, and so on. “If 1,000 people gave just $32 each, we could build a water system for this hospital and help thousands of people” (Scott Harrison, from the website).

Why would we do this? Put simply, because we can. Like Scott’s experience on a Mercy Ship, Charity: is all about exploring how to live differently.

Change.

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I find myself both inspired and humbled by Scott’s personal revolution. Granted, the contrast of his former and current lives is much greater than mine, greater than most, but even the smallest of revolutions are still revolutionary. As my friend Jake says, we might not affect change in the world, but we do affect change in ourselves (in so many words). Scott’s perception changed when he asked, “What [does] the opposite of my life look like?”

And that’s what it’s really about: changing the world, one perception at a time.

Megan Takes On the (Wal*Mart) World

Two weeks ago, my sister and brother-in-law kicked off one full year without Wal*Mart with this post on my sister’s blog, That’s Swell. It seemed like smashing-good idea, so I decided to join them (shouldn’t be too difficult for me, as I generally try to avoid Wal*Mart as it is).

Now, this particular post created quite a stir, with all sorts of questions popping up over what this was all about and whether it would make a difference, etc. In response, Megan started a series of posts explaining the motives behind this particular exercise. She cites Sam Walton’s autobiography, Sam Walton: Made in America, and an episode of PBS’s Frontline entitled Is Wal-Mart Good for America? (Google Video) as sources, basing her and David’s decisions reasonably and responsibly.

I could get into my reasons now, but I’ve already commented on the post here, so read that for my thoughts on the matter.

Admittedly, the reasoning that goes into something like this isn’t instantly formed and thus can’t be easily explained, even over a series of blog posts. It is seeded in a gradual realization that the so-called American Way isn’t necessarily the best way, that like the Romans and Brits, American capitalism is very much an empire.

Given that neither Megan and David, nor myself came to this realization all at once, I don’t expect anyone to be instantly converted by a single blog post, or a series for that matter. But what amazes me is just how far off people are from getting it.

From the comments:

“[...] WalMart is no different than any other major retailer. The name of the game is profits and that’s the beauty of free enterprise folks.” (full comment)

“[...] With regards to a boycott, honestly, WalMart is such a retail giant it won’t make a bit of difference.” (full comment)

Sure, it would be great if something like this made changes on a large scale, but that is not the point. The point with any exercise is not to feed the machine, so-to-speak; to point out in justice, and maybe open a few eyes in the process.

In addition to the handful of folks who aren’t getting it, I am also amazed and impressed by the number of people who are following this whole thing. On top of the regular readers commenting (whether affirming or dismissing), there are a few blogger’s following Megan and David’s “journey” (as they call it) on their own blogs (Maté Tea for the Mind, The Writing on the Wal).

What can I say, I’m proud of my little sis, the swell revolutionary.

Note:

To change your perspective, check out Irresitable Revolution by Shane Claiborne, and the documentary film The Corporation .