In Other Words

One

Everybody always says that one person can't make a difference. I'm sure you've heard it. You're talking to somebody and you're getting really worked up about something and then they go and deflate your bubble by saying something like 'yeah, but one person can't make a difference'. They might say it about voting, or about a new idea, or about something you vehemently disagree with in politics.

Today I will try to show why that sentence is so much rubbish and that people that say it should be smacked in the back of the head. Except for the obvious self defeatism of that statement, it is also complete bullox. One person can make a world of difference and, in fact, it has always been one person (albeit different people in each instance) that have made all the differences in this world.

Pretty daring statement, yes? Well, its meant to be. Now for the proof. Every idea, every revolution, every invention, every discovery, every war, every book, every fad was originally thought of by one person. One person, somewhere, going 'yeah, but what if...' You don't think its true? It has to be true. Until we can absolutely prove the existence of telepathy we have to accept that our thoughts are our own, meaning that every thing revolutionary idea is voiced by one person somewhere.

Every single one. It is one person who starts bringing like minded people together to affect change. It is one person who comes up with the breakthrough idea that changes the course or research. It is one person who voices the winning strategy. It is always one.

Don't get me wrong, most great things are accomplished in groups, with thousands if not millions of people involved. Yet even then it is one person who changes the route that that group takes and it is one person (and only one) who has the original idea that turns into a world altering event.

Other people might add to the crucible that is the mind, but the breakthrough must come from one mind. Every single revolution starts with one person saying 'I'm not taking it any longer' and uniting others behind them. Hell, that person might actually unite others in front of him (he doesn't make good leadership material), but he will still be the originator.

It is such bullox when people say that one person can't make a difference, and I say, don't let yourself be brought down by that. Nothing ever starts big. Everything starts with one and then either expands slowly or blows up in no time at all.

Just like every rich person was at one time poor or had a poor ancestor who then made the money that makes that person rich today. Every revolutionary was at one time only known by two people, her mum and her dad (and she pooped her pants too!).

Everything starts out with one. We start out as one cell, ideas start out from one thought, revolutions start with one person, change starts with one man or woman. Don't ever let anybody say that one person can't make a difference. Every single things (and I mean every single thing) that we've achieved in this world was originally the work of one. Even if you're alone, sometimes that's enough.

posted by Symbol @ 22.4.05