There are two types of frustration that can trap us into inaction.
The first is the tyranny of the mundane. I have big ideas and great plans, but always there is hard work to do. So, I jump in and just do it. In one job I had for nearly 5 years, I worked for a company that, in addition to being profitable, has probably saved thousands of lives by helping people quit smoking. (If you are looking for support in quitting smoking, you should go to www.quitnet.com right now and sign up for a free, “basic” membership. You will join a community of ex-smokers and people trying to quit or stay quit, and you may find that support is just what you need to keep quit.)
When I left QuitNet, our CEO posted a goodbye/thank you message on the “QuitStop” message boards and within an hour, 60 or more people had commented, thanking me for what I had done. It was a bit overwhelming. It was the kind of thing I always thought I wanted out of a job.
But not really. I recall talking to our CEO some months prior to leaving and saying that I wanted to be doing something more directly relevant to making a difference in people’s lives. I was looking for meaning and purpose in my work and keeping the web servers running just wasn’t doing it for me. He correctly noted that actually, what I was doing was the most directly impactful thing I could be doing because what was most important was not that we had the most sophisticated website in the world, but that it just kept working so that the smoker about to relapse at 3am could go online and talk to someone who would help them through.
Often, we feel we want to save the world with some great idea or some bold action…when often, it is just taking care of the details that matters most. I wish I had created the company, I wish I could claim credit for the whole idea…but the idea alone is worth nothing. Everyone has great ideas. It takes hard work and team work to make those ideas happen. But still, there comes a time when we can no longer tell ourselves we are doing the work that needs to be done, and we long for something more. We can feel trapped in the details and the gratitude of those we help just cannot compensate for the feeling that we were meant to do more.
The second frustration is the tyranny of big ideas. The tyranny of big ideas is the inaction that results when we conclude the problem is so big there is nothing we can do to solve it. Each incremental idea for making a difference leads down a contentious “rat hole.” We keep coming up with excuses for why something can’t be done without a lot of dependencies–and then nothing gets done.
Consider Africa. I don’t know how many more movies like Blood Diamond or Hotel Rwanda I can stand to watch. We have become numb to the violence and overwhelmed by the incomprehensibility of man’s cruelty to one another. I know these are movies, but I’ve read enough about real efforts to effect change there to know that these movies are essentially “true” in the sense that they reflect an agonizing suffering that we should all be outraged over and embarrassed that we allow it to go on. But what can I do?
The tyranny of big ideas tells me I should discover a vaccine for AIDS…or perhaps become chairman of the IMF and convince world governments to change the way they give assistance and break the cycle of poverty. The tyranny of the mundane says I could have joined the Peace Corps…or the Foreign Service…or become a journalist–and been burned out by now.
There are many little things we can do to make small differences…we could:
- decide that diamonds are not cool anymore and stop buying them…or at least educate ourselves more and buy responsibly
- buy Product Red products – where a portion of the sale goes to fund the AIDS fight in Africa
- buy someone a gift this Christmas through Heifer International that purchases sustainable food products for impoverished people
But I’m skeptical of these actions…is that really all I can do? It’s not very satisfying. It feels disconnected and in some cases, a bit superficial (How can buying a red ipod seriously be part of my personal plan to end world hunger?).
I don’t think it matters if these little things are effective or not. The point is not merely that if everyone did one small thing it would add up to a big thing. The point is that action is better than inaction. The action can begin to change us at least as much as it might help someone in a faraway land. Perhaps our actions are not always perfect–we may discover that we went to a great deal of expense and effort to buy some product that was labeled in some trendy green/sustainable way and then we find out that it’s just superficial marketing. OK, we can learn from that. Rather than be discouraged and cynical, we should recognize that we need to think more critically.
Over time, we find ourselves in the habit of living a life that is more in tune with themes of responsibility. It is the mundane things that matter…but instead of being the mundane things we are tasked to do, they become the way we live our lives. Perhaps we begin to see ourselves in a different light…and by living this way, we provide an example to others and raise our children into a world shaped by different values.
My current job does not save the world or even try. But I’ve focused a lot more energy on what else I could do, outside of work, and find that, while I have not suddenly become a great change agent, I have regained touch with the kind of values and beliefs that were so inspiring years ago when I was in college, campaigning for Gary Hart. I do not know what the next “big thing” for me is…for now the next little thing is just writing this blog entry for today…knowing that all these little things are part of a path to something more.