I was in the middle of preparing my to-do list for tomorrow when my phone pinged. Like many I think I’m so important that I need a phone to tell me when I get an email. I was surprised however when I saw that it was telling me someone had liked the Facebook page for this blog. I don’t have many Facebook fans, and those I do are almost all people I asked to like me. So I decided to see who this David Rivera was.
When I got to the Responsible Activism Facebook page I noticed he had also shared a link. So I followed it. The link took me to a CNN iReport page where Mr. Rivera had posted a video to share with others about a project he was taking up. After listening to what he had to say I wasn’t sure if I was going to follow the next link to his website, or if I was going to hit my home button and finish my to-do list. Thankfully I chose the path to his website at www.myseedoftruth.com.
My Seed of Truth is an amazing concept and idea. David Rivera is using the project to share a dream of his that I think is one worth getting behind. Imagine all those times you made mistakes in your life when all you needed to prevent those mistakes and their inevitable consequences was to have a little guidance. Now realize that in a world of several billion people your mistakes and lack of judgment are nothing new. Others before you have done the same if not worse. To give this some perspective, if I were to tell my wife she was one in a million I’d really be saying there were 1800 people just like her in China. There really are just so many choices and outcomes we can have. And in the grand scheme of things histories just repeat themselves over and over in a never ending loop.
Now we get to Mr. Rivera’s dream. Imagine if people from all over the world shared those little bits of wisdom they gained from their mistakes in a central place where all you needed to do was look. Imagine if you could get the knowledge you needed to skip the mistakes they made, before you yourself made the same mistake. Now imagine sharing your own mistakes in return so others can benefit from your wisdom. It really is that simple.
Now I know what you’re thinking, because I thought it at first too. I’ve been given advice many times and it changed nothing. I always did my own thing, learned from the screw up and was better for it. But this is different. We almost never listen to those we are closest to when we should. That is the premise of this blog. I know my son won’t listen to everything I have to say. I know he will make mistakes I tried to prevent by giving him advice. And I want him to find this blog one day when he is older and less likely to think dad is just trying to control him. I want him to see that the things I tried teaching him were things I really believed in. then maybe he will take them to heart.
So why do I think My Seed of Truth is such a great project. To put it simply I think we should not discard the power of well meant advice from a stranger. Advice from friends and family is easy for young people to disregard as unimportant. It is easy to just think they don’t want you to have fun, or that they are only trying to protect their own interests. But what of advice that comes from someone with no stake in the outcome, or guidance that comes from an invisible face who cannot judge? I think such advice just might have a better chance of meeting its target.
I challenge you to first visit the CNN iReport page David has set up. Watch his video. Don’t judge it by the presentation. But judge it by the content, and by the message. After you have heard what he has to say I challenge you to click the Facebook recommend button at the top right of the screen so you can share this with your friends. And I further challenge you to go to his website and see for yourself the advice and little life stories that others have shared so far. If you think then like me that the project has potential then you should make the decision whether or not you will make your own contribution to the project. I know I will.
