Forwarding the Conversation

Over the coming months I will begin to feature people and organizations that are forwarding the conversation. A friend of mine, Zach Kolodin, has recently started an organization called Young People First. The organization seeks to create a Young People’s Agenda designed to organize young people around America’s chronic problems. Organizations like this are precisely what is needed to connect conversations and create joint-action. I believe that this organization is truly sourced in the idea that “we did not put our ideas together. We put our purposes together and we agreed. Then we decided.”

In order to truly create change we cannot continue to talk at each other offering outworn ideas and opinions. We must get to a deeper level and join our commitments and use them as the basis from which we move forward. This idea is reflected in the writings of Scottish Mountaineer William Hutchinson Murray:

But when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money— booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

    Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
    Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!

Please watch the video below, provided to me by Zach, then visit IdeaBlob where you can find more information about the organization. If you like what you see vote for it. Each vote is important and if the organization gets enough votes they will be awarded a $10,000 grant. You can also check out the organization’s website at Young People First.

In this video Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy, speaks passionately about a series of interrelated issues. The central assertion in his talk is that we can have a green revolution AND fight poverty in our country at the same time.

Van speaks to a shifting paradigm of presence in the world. More and more people are becomming more aware of themselves and their actions. People are becomming aware of how their actions impact those around them and then ripple out to affect those around the world.

Take a look at this video and as yourself, ‘what solution am I working for?’

How do you act as an agent of connection? That is, how do you connect people’s conversations? In my experience, one of the most important aspects of connecting conversations is by being trusted.  By acting as a trusted node those whose conversations you’re connecting will feel comfortable in the fact that you are leading them down a “safe” path. I put the word safe in quotations because safe does not mean comfortable, nor does it mean easy.

Once you are considered trusted it is also important to know your purpose. You don’t necessarily need to have a specific purpose in connecting two conversations, though you do need to understand how bringing people together will benefit your greater purpose. For me, by knowing my own purpose I am able to listen for conversations that I feel should be connected in fulfillment of my greater purpose. Specifically my greater purpose is to end poverty and bring an equality of opportunity to the world. Therefore, I listen for conversations that are moving down that path and work to connect them in any way that I can.

Above is a video from Global X which is a site that posts interviews with leading social entrepreneurs. Below you will find a quick description of the video.

2008-06-03

Taffy Adler – Johannesburg Housing Company

Taffy Adler works in Johannesburg, a city often described as one of the most dangerous places to work in the world, but he has been able to get the trust from the community by giving its people the right opportunities to help them grow.

He shares two pieces of advice with Global X: “First, stay focused! Don’t get distracted. Second, it’s hard to argue with success, so plan to launch a successful organization, and other things will come to you.”