One of the things I value most is compassion. Compassion is what drives people to act courageously, to stand up for what is right, to speak out against atrocities. Compassion motivates people into action.

An idea can change the world. Ideas have sparked movements and revolutions. Ideas can also sit on the shelf for years and collect dust. If we are careless, ideas can also start war.

As the most (arguably) complex animals on the planet, human beings have the gift of choice. Yes, okay, squirrels have choices, too (should I bury the nut or eat the nut?). But in a way that humans have the ability to think ahead about the consequences of our own actions, we can have the foresight to design a strategic plan of how we envision the world to healthfully function based on our ideal concepts. And that's not so nuts.

So how do I define progress (since you didn't ask)? Progress, while ambitious, is an abstract concept. Progress is traveling from point "A" to point "B," under the assumption that point "B" will be an improvement. But there are many opinions about how point "B" should be defined. So what's my point?

"C."

We may have to look beyond the answer. Because - surprise! There is none, as much as I'd like to tell you exactly how to make the world a better place. But there is compassion. And there are concepts. And revolutionary ideas are just waiting to take shape. And all they need is you.

Try this one on for size: imagine a for-profit company who sets aside a portion of its profits to assist people in need. While not a new concept, for some companies, its strategy is. I call them conscientious companies, and they are ready to create change beyond obtaining the self-satisfying tax-exemption prize. But are they ready to fulfill their promises? We can only hope...

It's high time for-profit companies start giving back beyond cause marketing. Conscientious companies are the future of philanthropy. Just ask Squidoo!

xoxo
Shira

Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a perfect world? Where no one is ever hungry, everybody has a roof over their heads, and everyone we love is safe from harm. Wait - did you just tell me to take my head out of the clouds?

Okay, so we live in a far from ideal world. Pessimists say that no matter what we do, we cannot change the world's problems. And idealists say that if we all ban together we can transform whole societies for the better. But if anyone wants to make any sort of difference at all, the middle ground may be the best place to meet.

One of my favorite non-profit taglines, which originated from Greenpeace, is "Think globally, act locally." In a nutshell, this phrase is suggesting that we as individuals should do what we can with what we have in order to make a difference in our own communities. By doing so, a chain reaction can run through multiple communities like a bolt of lightening, positively altering the way we live, work and play on a global scale.

It's much easier for individuals to focus on one or two aspects of giving back rather than to bite off more than we can chew by starting at the top. I'm not suggesting that one shouldn't think big. Far from it. People like Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were great people-organizers: they understood that to make a huge change, you need to begin with individuals. They identified multiple individuals who had the same basic needs and passions and built a campaign around it.

I highly recommend volunteering. Or getting involved somehow in a neighborhood organization. Follow your passion. It feels really good to give back, and you just may see results right away.