The Power of Community & One Another

The Power of Conversation

Dr. Wheatley described several examples of structure following passion. One was the story of a friend whose determination to help a Vietnamese orphanage began with a phone call to hospitals in search of an incubator. This quest mushroomed, within a matter of weeks, into a shipment of four 40-foot containers of medical equipment to Vietnam - including not one but 12 incubators.

The history of social movements is full of similar examples, Dr. Wheatley observed. Poland's powerful labor movement, Solidarity, began with only 9 people and grew to 9 million people within 3 weeks - and that was before e-mail.  Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) grew from an individual mother's grief to a national movement. "We completely underestimate the power of human conversation to change the world," Dr. Wheatley said.

Margaret Mead's famous quote is repeated often, Dr. Wheatley said, because it is so true:

"Never underestimate the power of a small 

group of committed people to change the world. 

In fact, it is the only thing that ever has."

How big is your world?  We can all start in our own communities by caring and sharing for one another.  We can contribute by encouraging one another to bring out our best.  This is a noble thing to do and something that will outlive each one of us if we took it to heart with positive action; we all have something to contribute.  Now what is your gift?

For Dr. Wheatley, this is one of the messages of Gary Snyder's advice to learn the flowers. "One of the things we need to learn," she said, "is that very great change starts from very small conversations, held among people who care."