Imagine, Connect, Act
Imagine, Connect, Act is a new initiative from Idealist.
Ami Dar:
It's time for the world's idealists to work together (seriously)
Walk down the street or open any newspaper, and you'll see something that will make you think, “It's 2009, we have governments, organizations, universities, TV, radio, email, cell phones, a space station... and this is happening? Why?”
Probably for many reasons, all of which can seem beside the point. You know that this—whatever story or situation struck you—is wrong or sad or scary or a horrible waste. And we all know that with all the resources we have now we should be able to do much more about so many of our local and global problems.
The trouble, of course, is that life is complicated. People have egos and interests and different opinions, and groups have histories and conflicts. These things are real and they will always be with us, but what if there is a way around them? What if by looking at the world from a different point of view we can quickly build a network of people and organizations that will allow us to make the most of what each of us has to offer, online and in person?
What you'll find here is a vision for this network, a path and a timeline to get there, and an invitation to be part of this movement from the very start.
Three challenges that can bring us together
When we look at the news now, problems of all kinds come at us and overwhelm us. War, poverty, corruption, climate change, financial crises, broken health and education systems… These problems, and many others, are big and complex, and we can't just get up and solve them.
But let's shift our perspective for a moment. Instead of facing this torrent of news, step aside and watch it flow beside you for a minute or two. If we do this, we can see three challenges that run across all issues and communities. These challenges are quiet—you'll seldom see them in the news—but they affect all of us. And if we can overcome them, most of our other problems will be easier to deal with.
These three challenges are:
- A big gap between our good intentions and our actions.
- Our problems are connected, but we are not.
- The world is full of good ideas that don't spread quickly enough.
Let's look at each of these challenges and then see how by using every available means—from the Web to a bulletin board on a village tree—we can do something about them.