Consider the following impacts…
Gandhi, through his ideas and examples of nonviolent political defiance, was able to disintegrate British imperial control over India…
Martin Luther King, via Gandhi-inspired ideas and examples of nonviolent political defiance, was able to secure equal rights for African Americans…
Mother Teresa, by showing selfless compassion to the lower castes of India was able to bring some sense of dignity to countless lives who otherwise might never have had that experience…
Nelson Mandela, by refusing to submit to the evils of Apartheid and encouraging others to do the same, even while imprisoned for 27 years, was able to bring down the system that had denied basic rights to the majority population of South Africa for almost 50 years…
Gene Sharp, through his study and writings on nonviolent political defiance, was able to influence a generation of activists whose actions resulted in the overthrow of dictatorial powers throughout the Middle East…
Scott Harrison, starting with the simple idea of “birthday donations”, created a charity that is able to bring safe and clean drinking water to 100’s of thousands throughout Africa…
So, you ask why is impact so important? Important enough to have a blog focused exclusively upon it?
Well ask any of the above whose entire lives were and are focused on impact. And we regard them as pretty important examples of how to bring good into the world…don’t we?
And I will go a step further and proclaim that in order to live a truly “good life” it is necessary that your life be an impactful one.
In order to live a truly “good life” it is necessary that your life be an impactful one.
Many things…most things even…observable in our world can be reduced to scientific explanation. However, I believe that the unique human capacity for good is not among them. For Gandhi to fast to the point of death in order to bring about the desired good he sought…to convince others to resist nonviolently in order to achieve the grand strategy of political freedom for all Indians…flies in the face of how humans are supposed to act.
We are supposed to do things that enhance the probability of self-survival…not do things that put that prospect in jeopardy in order to enhance the probability of societal survival.
And the good that god wants to bring about in this world is via our impact.
True, we cannot all be Gandhi and in reality we’re not even supposed to be.
I have written before that your impact is as personal, individual and unique as your fingerprint. This blog is not about telling anyone what their impact should be…only that you should have one…and it is important enough to place a priority on it…even above self interest…just as those listed above did and do…
So high time we get started with this…don’t you think?