The way we live and ideas that change the world

I often like to indulge in a little armchair politics which, much like armchair surgery is considerably easier and more comfortable from an armchair than from the surgery or Oval Office. Part of the trouble with being president is you can never really please anybody all of the time and you have to take so many others into consideration. This is where I come in, unfettered by any of the annoying political debris, sitting comfortably in my chair, I am able to directly issue sweeping proclamations with minimal regard for logistics or political correctness.

The ultimate advantage of this is that I am, of course surrounded by an adoring audience who cheer my every move and nod sagely at my wisdom - and it's not a bad way to pass the time, solving the world's problems. I suspect that I am not alone in my reign and, truth be told, there are probably a good many personal kingdoms out there with wise and gracious rulers.

 What turns a good idea into a great idea? Is it the idea itself, how it's marketed, whether it catches on? The face of the world has been changed by many ideas, some good, some not. What would the world be like without paperclips, or sticky notes? - and how could we live without our travel mugs and latte makers?

Some ideas change the way we think, like the theory of relativity, others change the way we see things, like Alan Ginsberg's "Howl" or Duchamp's urinal. Still other ideas function to keep us in the status quo, like political theories and religion. Ideas can serve both a freeing and a binding function - each just as essential for society. - and sometime really bad ideas can seem like good one's - somehow looking for wmd's seemed like a good idea to someone.

It seems that perhaps, it has less to do with the ideas than what we do with them - the invention of nuclear bombs was not quite what Einstein had in mind, ...but someone thought it was a good idea.

I recently read a book which proposed that it takes only 1% of the American population to establish a trend - something that would make a significant impact to an industry, begin a new theory or significantly impact people's consciousness. That's just 1 out of every 100 people.

In the vein of the butterfly's wings leading to a tsunami - a small and perhaps inauspicious beginning can snowball and begin to create it's own momentum. If there are about 6 billion of us out there - even 1% is a substantial number of people, and if it takes only 1% of the American populations to create a trend which spawns jobs and industries. Could it not be within our power to make radical change?

So my thought and challenge to you is this - what ideas do you have - big or small, we need them both that could really make a difference if 1% of the American population agreed to do it. Think about it - who first thought of recycling? - and look what a difference it makes! If 1% of the American population would switch off their lights for an hour, or donate a dollar towards establishing gardening programs in communities to make sure people have fresh fruit and vegetables, or say 1 nice thing to someone every day, or think of something to be truly thankful for - what kind of change do you think we could make? I bet it would be substantial.