The Power of the Few
Friday, May 5th, 2006 at 12:09 am | Category: Culture, Life
I read an article today about a politician in Ohio who was running for a local office. But, much to his chagrin, the election ended in a tie. To top it all off his two sons didn’t vote. So, if we were pointing fingers we could suggest that his son’s irresponsible lack of respect for their father and of their civic duty caused this electoral stale mate. However we’re forgetting about the hundreds, if not thousands of other people who didn’t vote in the same election. A Similar incident happened to a friend whose mom was running for a local office and lost by a handful of votes, and finding out that a few of our friends didn’t vote. They are not on trial, though. Rather, this does illustrate a good life principle: the power of the few… That a few people/things/etc. can make a big difference. I think this is in the Tipping Point somewhere…Sorry, Mr. Gladwell for stealing this.
I had to remind myself of this while sleeping in on the cold, damp ground of John Marshall Park in D.C. last weekend. That 60,000+ people made the decision to do the same thing I did and that hopefully, a few hundred members of press and the government listened…not just to our sleeping (or lack thereof), but to the pain of the children of Northern Uganda.
Ok, so that is macro living—big, you know. But i forget all the time that my life is made up of little chunks, little decisions—micro living. Everyday microlving: when I decide to get up in the morning, how I react to people I work with, how i love Jamie, what i eat, what my time is used for, how I choose to experience or not experience God.
I suspect that my micro living choices are the things that make my macro living more…well, macro. That if I love those around me better, eat better, etc. that if I live better in the small things, I might pave the way for bigger and better things.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
May 7th, 2006 at 9:59 am
We really have grown dull with normalcy. It seems that we become obsessed with the “macro” events of life and the rest of life is seen as a journey between them. How many people are trying to get back to the way things were, or pursue some illusion. I wrote a post on this idea last week, which I think applies. Somehow, the way of Jesus has to be an every-minute thing, but how we do that is a wrestle. Thanks for the post.