turning the flock

I have made a small act within my own circle of influence. I have made a small initiative and the result  has given me a greater appreciation for the effects we have on one another.

At my job within a large medical center, I have begun a campaign to recycle. It is amazing to think that a place that prides itself as cutting edge would not have all ready adopted the practice but we had not, and I found daily frustration seeing people throw everything in the garbage. Nobody seemed to mind either. No one seemed to think twice about what we were putting in the trash. Just to think of medical waste is bad enough but it really started to bother me seeing the careless and reckless attitude such learned people had toward their actions.  I saw people I know to be nature lovers, environmentalists and “tree huggers” day after day throwing plastic and aluminum in the trash.

Now this is not a human rights violation or dumping nuclear waste, but I saw a small thing being done and thought I might try and do something. Whenever people ask how they can get involved in a movement, the answer is always: start with you, start at home.

We seem to be getting to a time and place where we are willing to try anything.

I started the campaign to recycle, turn the lights down, and be mindful of the supplies we were using and wasting. I have been blown away at the response.Everyone has been willing to help. Everyone is so glad we are finally doing something like this.  It would seem that the momentum to change and the willingness to shift a habit was all ready there, we just needed a little nudge to get past the tipping point. I have loaded several trash bags to the recycling center in a short time. We often work without all the lights on. I have been contacted by people around the medical center engaged in a similar campaign. While we are not saving the world by keeping a few coke bottles out of the landfill or turning the lights out, it is these type of acts that might change the world.

A charismatic leader is spreading ancient forgotten knowledge hoping for its preservation and believing the knowledge and skills can help preserve the future from destruction. He toils his whole life to reach people, to share and spread his message. In his later days as things are looking pretty bad despite his great effort, a student asks him, “just how many people do you think you have to reach?”, and the leader replies, “just one more.”

Human consciousness can be understood as a single organism. Like cells within our own bodies, each of us makes up a small bit of that consciousness and each thought and each feeling changes that consciousness even if only slightly. All it may take to completely shift our direction is one thought, on small act. Like a flock of birds…..it is impossible to see a single bird initiate the change of direction. It appears the whole flock suddenly makes a ninety degree turn. It might only take a single bird just turning its head for the entire flock to shift their course.

I believe we are on a dangerous and destructive course. I hope we all make enough small acts to touch the tipping point of change. I can feel it sometimes hearing people talk of their future. There is a threshold and we are waiting for momentum.