No Impact Man

One thing I can always do

People ask me all the time what they can do to help. I have a list of things that you can find here. But there are times when it seems like nothing I can possibly do on that list or any thing else help the world. I don't mean to sound pious, as if I spend all my days trying to figure out how to help--I don't.

But there are times when I become aware of so many things that seem to be going wrong and I feel powerless in the face of it all. At that moment, there seems like there is only one thing left I can do: I pray.

I know this might offend some people. It will offend some people because the idea that prayer is an answer to the world's problems sounds weak and overly supernatural. It will offend others because the idea that prayer is a last resort instead the first sounds like an error.

But I am not talking about what other people do or should do. I am not talking about how other people or even I should do things. I am just talking about what comes naturally to me.

When it seems like there is nothing left to do, I pray. And because I pray, I feel I am doing something that is, at least, better than nothing. There is always one thing left to do. And because I pray silently and privately, and because I know some other people do so too, I feel solidarity with them.

"Prayer" is just the way of talking about what I do from my own spiritual perspective. An agnostic or atheist, at that point, might simply hope or aspire. Perhaps a Buddhist would chant.

I know that I'm risking sounding like a crackpot to some people, that I'm taking the risk of sounding irrational. But here is the thing, I think we--meaning the human race--has come to depend too much on its rationality. We have come to worship our brains when what is best about us may be our heart. We imagine that intelligence is our highest function when, in fact, that status may belong to our compassion.

So I figure I should pray. Or hope. Or aspire. I'm not saying that I should stop doing everything else, but maybe there is something to the intentionality that comes when we privately aspire, through the function of our compassion, to do something great.

Anyone want to join in?

A nice quote and a talk by, well, me

Hi folks, I'm sorry I've been so absent from the blog lately but I'm on my way back. I wanted to share a great quote with you and also to let you know about a BookTV talk I gave that you can watch online.

"Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." 

-- Howard Thurman

Is he right? What do you think?

Meanwhile, If you have a spare hour and you want to spend it listening to my BookTV talk about my No Impact Man project, you can do so here.

Try living No Impact for a week

The No Impact Experiment, brought to you by the No Impact Project, is a one-week carbon cleanse. It is a chance for you to see what a difference no-impact living can have on your quality of life. It’s not about giving up creature comforts but an opportunity for you to test whether the modern “conveniences” you take for granted are actually making you happier or just eating away at your time and money.

Joining is simple! Click here to sign up for our January 10th program. Visit How It Works for step-by-step instructions and download our How-To Manual for day-by-day guidelines. Watch inspiring videos from past participants about their lessons from the week and what motivated them to try it.