Why You Matter When It Comes to Saving the World.
I doubt myself. I doubt if I should vote, I doubt what contribution I can make to this world, I doubt if it even matters to speak up. I mean, who am I to contribute something meaningful, right? - Well, at least I did think like this in the past. By now, I doubt that this is the right approach.
“In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.” - R. Waldo Emerson, On Self-Reliance, 1841*
I always love quoting my dear Waldo. A great guy living in the 19th century who so, so much believed in the importance of the thoughts of each single one of us. (This is why I love quoting him; it’s a little paradox to be using someone’s words who’s telling me to think for myself; hehe.)
Okay, let’s translate Waldo’s words into modern and plain English. He simply means that whenever we think that someone else has a genius thought, the reason is that we ourselves have had that thought before.
We might have never formulated it the exact same way. Or, maybe we didn’t fully think it through. But, oftentimes, when we truly agree with people, it’s because we share the same views. And, they didn’t necessarily evoke those views in us; they just reminded us of them.
People who build great followership for their ideas are usually not doing it because they are more intelligent or have some other extraordinary ability (I could have said superpower, but we’re talking about philosophy, so let’s be a little more fancy). They are just brave enough to speak up and put in the work to be heard. And by doing so, they get feedback. If it’s negative, their ideas might die down. But, if it’s positive, they help themselves and other to start important conversations or even movements.
“Kind sir, I get your point, but what does this have to do with saving the world?” - Glad you asked.
The answer is “everything.” Sure, I get the idea that one vote might not do much but boy, one idea - if it’s the right one - will change everything.
Just think about it. This blog post adds enough value to you that you kept reading it until this point — no matter if the reason is its thought-provoking nature or that you just wanted to procrastinate for a bit. You could also have thought, “who is this dude that he thinks that his words can provide any value?” But, you didn’t. So, why should you think this about yourself?
I myself could also have thought “who am I to write this post — or any post for that matter?” And, this is not a rhetorical question for once. It has an answer: I am myself and I believe that everyone of us holds the potential to have brilliant ideas that could save the world.
And, if people don’t believe in themselves that this is a tragedy to which we lose some of the greatest changemakers of our times. (Note that i didn’t say “thinkers,” but ”changermakers” because most likely many of us have similar thoughts but it’s about the courage to speak up.)
And, in times of climate change, political unrest, wars, pandemics — you name it — we rely on people with great ideas who speak up. We rely on you. This is why you matter when it comes to saving the world. The next time you think something, have the courage to speak up.
I’m not saying that you need to go on national TV with it right away. The greatest comedians also test their jokes with their friends first, then they use test audiences, go to small comedy clubs, … And only after they tested their jokes multiple times, they perform them in large stadiums that are broadcasted around the world.
So, if this strategy works for them, why shouldn’t it work for you? If you have an idea that you care about, write it down, research it, tell your friends, write a blog post about it, and test how wellt it’s received in the real world.
And, if your first idea is bullocks - which it might be - don’t be discouraged. I also failed three startups before they even made a dime. But, this didn’t hold me from later working on something that will change the world.
And, if you’re still having doubts, that’s great. They’re your doubts. They’re there for a reason. I’d just like to ask you for a little favor: think about your doubts and check if they’re really yours or if someone else’s thoughts are holding you back. (;
Teddy Lange is cool. He loves exploring the world and its beauty. He has a passion for people and philosophy which led him to over 30 countries and no one knows to how many books. He couldn’t decide between a chemistry, business, or politics major; so, he did all of them. His dream is to save the world together with you, which is why he co-founded Cordial Credit with Krzysiek, who is also cool. He honestly loves to her from you. How do I know this? Because I’m him, writing in third person. Shoot me an e-mail: teddy@cordialcredit.org
