Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The 2007 Question of the Year

HOW WILL YOU HELP OUR WORLD in 2007?

It's a simple question for a new year.

Yes, YOU....and me....
and your nosey neighbor, that overly-hard working co-worker, the driver who gave you the finger this morning, the sweet kid who bags your groceries (okay, sometimes pretty well), and the stranger across the country you'll never meet (and actually don't want to, anyway).

Time Magazine declared YOU (and by inference--everyone) to be the 2006 Person of the Year. Even, that TV show, Heroes, tries to induce a fantasy about everyday people with very human problems --kind of like us-- using super-hero-powers to "save the cheerleader" and somehow Save the World.

But can YOU really help the world--when all the anointed leaders have shown us from time immemorial that it's a pretty tough thing to do? You can't even persuade your cell phone company to correct their billing error, after all?

Day One 365 (or DO 365) is an idea that is two- weeks-old and yet a decade in the making. It was gestated in the belief that resolution is good and commitment to others is even better. And that January 1st is an important symbol -- the first day of the year to start the measure for the next 364.

Why Help the World? Because you and I are each, one of an expanding 300.51 million Americans sharing the planet with 6. 5+ billion other humans. There's a lot of magnificence out there, and lot of problems to solve.

hunger, cancer, global strife, illiteracy, addictions, deforestation, AIDS, incivility,the economy, diabetes, violence, corruption, child care, housing, natural resources, jobs, the aging, values (of all kinds) .... add your concern.... the list is long.

Life has a lot of tough moments-- in your own life, your family, community and the world. Finding time and strength is sometimes even tougher.

DO we each have an obligation, as mere inhabitants, to participate in the solutions? I believe we do, and along with perseverance, can have some fun working at making the difference. What do you think?

smiling at work, compromise more, lobby for a petition, join a service group, learn about another point of view, reach out to someone in need- today- and then next week, encourage a child, plant a tree, ask for help for a cause, forgive a little, sacrifice (for a second more) or (fill in the blank) ________________________ .
I invite you to come back here, and to our website as it evolves-- like resolutions-- it's got big goals, some that will change with your suggestions and help, and it has a long road to progress.

On January 1st -or even on December 13th (11-1/2 months from today, and a year from Day One 365's first breath)--
Make a wish and then an "I DO 365 "promise (I'll post mine here on Januray 1).
See if together, we can help your and my ideas come true. It's okay if we debate. With help from YOU and YOU and YOU and YOU.. maybe WE CAN make the difference.

Happy New Year to You and Our World 2007! ___________________________________________________
Please register your 1 sentence "I DO 365 " Promise to the World
December 28-January 31st in the Comments below.

special note: free speech rules, and so does civility.
___________________________________________________

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I pledge to assist DO365 with this initiative by helping to set up a social network platform with a forum and individual groups for each city and create widgets and banners for placing on other websites and develop it's own Facebook app. That is easy for me to do so I will still need to think of my real pledge.