Could We Change the World in 30 Days?

December is officially upon us with the long dark days it brings on either side of the Winter Solstice.  I've been thinking: what better time of the year to bring more light into our days than December?  And, even better, what if we could change the world in the 30 days that remain?  I just think it might be possible.  Here's what I have in mind.

A little over a month ago, I wrote about The Grocery Store Game (The Grocery Store Game, 10/25/13) and then on Friday I shared conversations about the need of each of us to be treated with human dignity (Being the Change, 11/29/13.)  I started thinking about what if everyone who reads this blog commits to playing The Grocery Store Game for the month of December.  For those who didn't read the 10/25 post, the short version is that we use every interaction with others as an opportunity to create connection.  The game gets its name from its origins with grocery store checkers and clerks.  Look them in the eye, see their human dignity, and create a connection.  You can do this with people on the phone, as well, just allow yourself to be present to the human being on the other end of the line.

Opportunities are literally everywhere.  I had a brief conversation with a homeless man today, in which I connected.  However, I failed to connect with a man who looked through me at church as he shook my hand while looking elsewhere. I was successful with the cashier at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I can see treating co-workers, spouses, and children with human dignity.  It doesn't cost anything.  It really takes negligibly more time.  All it takes is the intention to connect and respect our fellow human beings.

Of course, it would be great if we could spend the month of December connecting with the human dignity in everyone we interact with, but if that is a stretch, if we would just agree to connect with at least three people each day, what a difference we could make.  Even better is to enlist others in the game.  I suspect that there will be a multiplier effect during this month when many are so busy because we will be reversing a trend of non-connection.

When I am playing the game, I find it helpful at the end of each day to keep track of who I really connected with. (You don't need names.  The produce clerk at Safeway will do.) Think of it as "keeping score," although everyone wins in this game. I also find that when I have "puny" days that I bring even more intention to the next day.  In the next 30 days, if each reader connected with just three people, that would be 90 connections in the month per person. Consider 10-11 or 25 connections. You can do the math. 

It is easy to think that we really can't do much to change the state of the world, but when I consider how many thousands of connections that this blog's readers can create in just one month, I am truly hopeful.  Even better is that it takes 30 days of doing something consistently to form a habit.  If each of you actually does this for the month of December, we could form a habit of interacting with others from human dignity.

I invite you play and share the game with friends...and share your stories about connection in comments.  What a wonderful way to close 2013...and start a new way of being for 2014!  Thanks for doing what you can do to change the world in 30 days.

Being the Change We Want to See

The Pope has set off quite a stir this week.  His comments were a major subject on three different weekly news analysis programs this evening and generated two emails to me from non-believers not accustomed to pay the Pope much attention.  What he said shouldn't have been that earth-shattering. He said that trickle-down economics doesn't work, and that the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer.  Income inequality has been a major concern of economists for some time, and that it is happening, and has been for some time, is supported by solid data.

So, then why are his remarks creating such a stir?  One commentator spoke to the fact that we are each human beings with a right to dignity and basics of food, clothing, shelter, and health care.  Another conversation spoke of his authenticity in spurning the trappings of his position, living simply, and helping the poor.  These are not the normal grist for news analysis.  I say, "Hurrah!" that he has started a conversation.

Earlier this evening another story brought a topic to the news that we don't usually hear.  A Mormon bishop in Utah dressed as a homeless person and had a professional make-up artist create a realistic disguise.  He stood outside the church, greeting parishioners as they arrived for church last Sunday.  A few were nice to him, but most ignored him. Some disparaged him.  One even asked him to leave the church property. 

When he came in front of the congregation and removed his disguise, the bishop said the gasps were audible.  Some even cried.  I got a lump in my throat, listening and thinking about a couple of homeless men that I walk by most every day, without even making eye contact with them. Like many in the bishop's congregation probably did, I think of myself as a good person. Me the person who wants us all to connect, heart to heart, and I don't even look at the homeless people.

So, I circle back to the pope's authenticity.  People listen because he walks his talk.  He is able to start a dialogue about human dignity because he lives that which he speaks.  Thank you, Pope Francis, for showing us how to walk our talk. This evening I will pray for authenticity, that, as Gandhi said, I may be the change I want to see in the world.