A Cup of Joe That Changes the World
It's so tempting to take refuge behind the old smoke screen when someone comes at you about fair trade and making a difference, I know. "I'm just one person, what could I do?" can really help to quiet any niggling inner voice and let you feel like you're off the hook. That argument, however, is no more effective at holding the truth than a sieve would be at holding your morning cup of joe. If you can take pen in hand to write a letter; if you can move your fingers across the keys to type an e-mail, then you can indeed change the world.
Think about it. No-one has ever changed the entire world in one fell swoop. It always takes small parts being put together to make the whole. Just look at how many sayings folk wisdom has accumulated to make that very point. You know - to reach the top of Mount Everest you have to take that first step at the bottom - the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You know the ones I mean, and they're all out there to tell you and me that we can do it. We can achieve even the most difficult goal if we just take it one step at a time.
Now, let's get back to your morning hit of caffeine. When you're sipping your morning wake-up, the impoverished coffee workers in Brazil and Kenya seem so far away, so impossibly difficult to help. After all, in 2006 coffee imports in the U.S. alone reached $3.3 billion. Your latte cost what fraction of that?
Actually, that latte could add up to one very significant fraction if you followed the example of the regulars who frequent Zabar's, the New York City delicatessen. Since it's described as a "giant", you might not think that a few letters would pack enough punch to dictate how owner Saul Zabar conducts his business, but think again. Last month, Mr. Zabar's delicatessen began selling fair trade coffee "in response to letters and requests from groups and customers in its Westside Manhattan neighbourhood."
Obviously, enough "just one person" individuals took a few minutes to voice their concern. There were enough people who stepped out from behind that comfy smokescreen long enough to change the world. They took that first step on the journey toward sharing the wealth and caring about their international brothers and sisters. Now think of the incredible potential if we all did the same with our favourite purveyors of the coffee bean. When we all take more steps like that, reaching the summit of Mount Everest will become old hat.
When are you going to take a step to become a world-changing force?
Think about it. No-one has ever changed the entire world in one fell swoop. It always takes small parts being put together to make the whole. Just look at how many sayings folk wisdom has accumulated to make that very point. You know - to reach the top of Mount Everest you have to take that first step at the bottom - the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You know the ones I mean, and they're all out there to tell you and me that we can do it. We can achieve even the most difficult goal if we just take it one step at a time.
Now, let's get back to your morning hit of caffeine. When you're sipping your morning wake-up, the impoverished coffee workers in Brazil and Kenya seem so far away, so impossibly difficult to help. After all, in 2006 coffee imports in the U.S. alone reached $3.3 billion. Your latte cost what fraction of that?
Actually, that latte could add up to one very significant fraction if you followed the example of the regulars who frequent Zabar's, the New York City delicatessen. Since it's described as a "giant", you might not think that a few letters would pack enough punch to dictate how owner Saul Zabar conducts his business, but think again. Last month, Mr. Zabar's delicatessen began selling fair trade coffee "in response to letters and requests from groups and customers in its Westside Manhattan neighbourhood."
Obviously, enough "just one person" individuals took a few minutes to voice their concern. There were enough people who stepped out from behind that comfy smokescreen long enough to change the world. They took that first step on the journey toward sharing the wealth and caring about their international brothers and sisters. Now think of the incredible potential if we all did the same with our favourite purveyors of the coffee bean. When we all take more steps like that, reaching the summit of Mount Everest will become old hat.
When are you going to take a step to become a world-changing force?
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