Causes

I Believe We Care

Seth Godin’s post about caring captures the essence of embedding the right people in a cause.  A school, church, hospital, and airline do not and cannot care about a person.  They are unable to demonstrate appreciation for loyalty and advocacy.  The people who work for the organization are the spiritual nerve center of the cause.  Stop getting mad at your favorite cause because it does not love you back or recognize your brilliance.  Get involved.  Become one of the face of the enterprise.  Be the ambassador that you wished had greeted you.  Would you yell at a garden gnome for not returning your greeting, it seems kind of crazy now that you think about it.  Causes will not embrace you but the people who believe what you believe can welcome you with open arms.  You have the power.

Free the Hikers

How do you draw attention to your cause, especially when it is the welfare of your family?  In the case of Shane, Sarah, and Josh, the three Americans being detained in Iran their families have turned to social media as vehicle to develop a tribe of supporters and donors.  Using the website Free the Hikers they have communicated the journey and provided a personalized portrait of the individuals being held on charges of spying.  The national media outlets have run numerous stories this week as the possibility of one of the hiker’s release appeared imminent.  It is easy to be a Facebook fan.  A deeper level of involvement includes signing a petition or making a donation. 


How does one help?  What is the tipping point?  What is the next move?

Something Bigger Than Yourself

Walked past the television this morning and the kids breakfast dishes were scattered, the TV was on and nobody was in sight. I took a glance at the TV and saw that Nickelodeon was advertising World Wide Day of Play. An announcement and scrawl at the bottom encouraged viewers to turn-off their TV, computers, mobile phones and to head outside to play. Programming was closed so move on. Not everyday do you see a business suggesting you do something more productive with your time than take advantage of their offerings.

Being part of a world-wide effort is noble and offers a striking contrast to the usual marketing.