Have you ever felt powerless? We are so small, and we live for such a short period of time. The world’s problems are so big. What can we do, really? And if we can’t do anything, why bother?
Recently I was talking with my daughter about a mistake I had made with noticeable consequences. When I was in my high school’s marching band, I was one of two bell players. That year our percussion solo was “The Peanut Vendor.” During one performance — I believe it was for a judged competition — I came in early. One bell player playing at the wrong time. How bad can that be? How about bad enough to really throw things off? When your instrument is easy to hear, bad timing can be a big deal. I still cringe when I remember it.
That brought to mind another mistake with even bigger consequences. A friend and I once managed to evacuate an entire college residence hall. In Minnesota. In January. We had a craving for fried plantain, so we purchased one from a grocery store, sliced it up, and started deep frying it in oil in our dorm’s kitchen. We were so busy talking and laughing that we weren’t keeping a good eye on the hot oil. It started to smoke, which set off the fire alarms. Nothing was actually on fire, so we weren’t sure what to do. In the end, we decided to turn off the heat and leave the dorm with everyone else. People were standing outside in the cold without coats, asking each other what had happened. Apparently someone overheard the firemen say “someone was frying a banana.” Close enough.
Of course, both of these examples are negative: One musician throwing off a band performance. Two college students causing a dorm to be evacuated. But if I can manage to cause that sort of chaos by accident, what sort of good could I really accomplish if I set my mind to it?
You’ve probably heard the saying “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” It’s another negative example, but it’s a good one. There’s nothing like the high-pitched whine of a mosquito at night to cause sleeplessness. Small things really can make themselves felt.
Sometimes we read about people who start social enterprises or raise a lot of money for a charity or advocate successfully for social reforms. It’s easy to think that those are special people. We’re not like them.
But when I think about my “disaster” stories, I wonder… Am I failing to realize how powerful one person, even me, can really be? Maybe, just maybe, each and every one of us is more powerful than we think. Let’s own our power and figure out how we can use it for good.