In the book, Obama describes his youth and his experiences as a community organizer. He would meet with local folks in church basements, community centers, on front porches and in schools, and he would ask them to describe two worlds.
Describe the world you live in now.
And, describe the world you wish to see.
This would unfold into a conversation about how to bridge these two worlds. What action steps can elected leaders take to build the world we wish to see? What steps can business owners take? What about individual citizens?
I love the powerful simplicity of this exercise. Describe what is. Describe what could be. And then, come up with some form of action, no matter how great or small, to get things moving towards the world that could be.
On this final day of a very complicated year, I'm wishing you peace, quiet, reflection, and hope. Let's keep moving towards what could be.
Before the clock strikes midnight tonight:
- Do something to leave the world in slightly better condition than you found it. This can mean planting a tree, making a donation to a good cause, or making an impact on one person's life...in a private way. A quiet deed of kindness without any fanfare, flim-flam, and ballyhoo.
- Do something to let the old year fall away. Rinse it off. Burn it up. Toss a stone to represent tossing away everything you don't want to carry into the New Year. Keep the lessons. Keep the parts worth keeping. Let the heavy, unhelpful sludge go.
- Or (I hear my wise mom's voice echoing in my ears right now) forget the rituals, forget the checklist, forget the striving, today, do nothing. Just be. Eat cake. Watch Bridgerton. Listen to music. Toss a ball for the dog. Watch the sunset. Go live.
See you next year.
Onward we go. Towards the world that could be.
-Alex
PPS. If you love speculative fiction, sci-fi, deep questions about life and death, and mind-bending what-does-it-mean-to-be-human weirdness (as I do), I recommend The OA and Devs.
PPPS. You are more powerful than you think.