You Can Only Be the Revolution: Ursula K. Le Guin Wi

I am prone to thinking, "If they can change the world, I can change the world.”

Which makes me prone to hearing an idea like “Nobody knows how to talk to anyone anymore,” and then googling global population (8 billion) to think about how I can help.

Dismayed by that number, because 8,200,000,000 is a big number I do the next best thing.

“What’s the global population of English speaking people?”

Let’s just say I have to brush up on those other languages.

I’m trying to make it more realistic, you know?

There are 1.46 billion of those.

1,460,000,000.

Ouch.

OK so I can’t reach that many people in any easy way and ask them to be better at talking to each other.

So what’s next?

Old fashioned ways. Elbow grease. Let’s take it a few at a time.

Giant baby steps.

Just Press Record is based on the idea that the world has gotten worse at genuinely connecting with each other so I’ll connect 2 people at a time and see how far I can get.

Those numbers say I won’t make a dent.

Those numbers say I won’t change the world.

There’s a Hallmark card or at least a Target teacher’s classroom sign encouraging me to “Don’t change THE world, just change THEIR world” or something like that, I’m sure.

But I’m going to overlook kitschy slogans.

I am going to stare into the abyss of the really big numbers, however, and embrace being just one of them.

And that feels pretty good too.

You can’t be 6 or 37 or 8 billion. Me and you are both stuck on one and one. It makes you wonder how anything ever gets done, and stuff definitely does get done, so - wonder with me on this a minute more.

There’s an Ursula K. Le Guin quote (h/t James Clear) that nails the sentiment - way better than those other versions for me.

The numbers are too big for you to do it alone.

The numbers are too large for any one person to predictably be the proverbial butterfly wings that trigger the hurricane.

But - the singular number that is you, if it’s present, can start there, and that’s the only number that actually counts.

We’re right here.

Pick your version and go find your revolution.

Just Press Record will gladly continue to ship one captured introduction at a time - ready or not, here we come.

ps. Speaking of right here, would you take the DMX version or the SWV version (I think I’m on SWV, if I’m being honest)