Making Contributions

As children, we concoct imaginative aspirations for adulthood. We want to be astronauts and firefighters and superheroes…we want to save the world. Yet as adulthood rears its ugly head around the corner, our aspirations shift gears. We start to understand the concept of “standard of living” and see no other option except maintaining it. To get there, career aspirations shift in favor of the almighty dollar, leaving us with degrees that lack specificity and more importantly, heart.

We believe that these degrees, these cubicles, these white-picket fences verify ourselves as contributing members of society...but what are contributing members of society actually contributing?

They’re contributing more waste, more CO2, more malaise and entitlement. Why to be a contributing member of society do you need to keep within the box of conformity, when it’s that box that got us in this mess in the first place?

Today, the individuals making a conscious effort to actually make the world a better place are a rarity. People are much more concerned with leaving a financial legacy for their family than doing something that will truly leave a legacy and make a difference. And unfortunately, some people who want to make a difference are stuck not knowing what to do…how to help…where to start. You can’t search on Craigslist for a job to “make a difference” or pick the “superhero” category from a drop down. How do you gain the knowledge and qualifications to help save the world? What do you major in to get there?

So going back to childhood, the time where hope isn’t jaded and creativity is in it’s purest form, can we start teaching future generations that the way to contribute to society is to actually make it better? That a cleaner, safer, smarter, happier and healthier world is so much cooler than conformity. I would love for that to be my legacy. I’m just trying to figure out how to get there….