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Stay In The Game Ignite Presentation

by Ian Rhett on Apr 08, 2010

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"Stay in the Game" slides from the Nonprofit Technology Conference Ignite session.

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"Stay in the Game" slides from the Nonprofit Technology Conference Ignite session.

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The title of this presentation is "Stay in the Game! Why Working for Change matters even if you think it doesn't". When I first proposed this title, I imagined creating a presentation that would really inspire each and every one of you, that would have each and every one of you feeling not just hopeful but excited about not just your jobs, but your LIFE! and all the amazing opportunity and possibility that exists! Title Slide (maybe a baseball image, it would tie our three slide decks together, both jenn and i used a ballpark image unbeknown to each other.)
I wanted to leave you inspired that one person CAN make a difference. You REALLY CAN! We are all humans with an ever-level playing field of ideas.
I wanted to find obscure characters in history and make fascinating connections illustrating some fundamental insight into human culture. I wanted to demonstrate how one person's strength to stand out inspired millions and made an actual, measurable difference in the world.
I wanted you to be so inspired that you'd tell all your friends about this awesome presentation so that they would get inspired, maybe some of them for the first time, to get active and engaged in our collective life on planet Earth.
I didn't really understand it at the time, but it turns out that I subconsciously chose this topic in order to work out some of my own issues around "working for change" and "staying in the game." You see, several times a day, I have a thought that looks like this:
With population doubling every 50 years, my already miniscule chances for affecting global change are constantly diminishing. the problems are exploding (literally) my one-in-seven-billion chance is looking smaller and smaller every day.
I had no idea how confronting writing presentation this would actually be for me. How could I authentically stand in front of an audience of activists and talk about overcoming what for me is a persistent and recurring doubt. The more I tried to write, the more stuck I got. Like mental quicksand. And yet despite this recurring thought, I still "stay in the game"
My job is to manage a company that provides a livelihood for dozens of families of technologists who, like me, want to use their talent to make a positive difference in the world working for people like you, who are on the front lines of change. What few hours that are left in my day, I spend pursuing my passion - making art for and about change.
And yet, it still NEVER FEELS LIKE IT'S ENOUGH!
What totally knocks the winds out of my sails, though, is not the mainstream media perpetuating an unsustainable culture. It's that HUMAN BEINGS are so prone to "buying" into this culture. And in mass! I think "How on earth can I possibly do anything about this?" I feel like I'm swimming next to a giant oil tanker that's steaming its way towards an enormous waterfall and I'm pushing on it, trying to get it to change directions
It seems that every day, I'm confronted with more evidence that no matter how hard I try, no matter how fully committed I am, now matter how much of myself I give - it will never be enough. I am not going to save the world, and this is something that I keep learning, over and over and over again. And each time, that insight leaves me feeling powerless and ineffective.
And yet, every day, I make the choice to "stay in the game." I keep choosing to work for change even though I'm not entirely convinced it makes any actual difference.
Why? Why do I do that? Why do YOU do that? I have spent hours and hours trying to answer this question. WHY STAY IN THE GAME
I once heard a union organizer talk about righteous anger. He said that social progress is born out of people's anger at injustice. After literally hours and hours of thinking about MY answer to the "Why" question, the only thing I've come up with is "Love"
When I think of humankind and "Imagine" the world John Lennon sang about - I feel what I can only describe as love. When I think about starving children, I feel love. When I think about the abused, I feel love When I think about NTEN, I feel love.
Buckminster Fuller:"Love is omni-inclusive, Progressively exquisite, Understanding and tender And compassionately attuned To other than self."
THERE IS NO GAME! There is no “Winning” There have been poor people FOREVER. Mankind has acted against its best interests FOREVER. No matter what happens in the next 50 years, one thing is certain: "The more things change, the more they stay the same" Life iis, in fact, an endless process called evolution. The only reason to be working in this field is because you want to express your love for something.
There are hundreds of paths up that mountain. There are innumerable ways to express your love If the path you're on doesn't make you happy or fill you with some kind of joy, go find one that does. Because Life is Short.
So here's what I've learned. My big aha. Stay in the game not because you are attached to "winning it" because it's not a game that can ever be won. Stay in the game because it's a chance for you to express your love. Do what you love And love doing it. And that will be exactly enough.

Stay In The Game Ignite Presentation — Presentation Transcript

Stay In The Game! why working for change matters even if you think it doesn't flickr:emily_hammie @ianrhett
"Anyone Can Make a Difference" Me You The Person on your Left The Person to your Right
Inspiring Examples In History
Wanted to Inspire you to Tweet and blog about it! #NTCNTC #10NTC.ignite @ianrhett
However...
"Nothing I do will make enough of a difference"
"I am a hypocrite"
"Despite everything I do...
... it never seems to be enough."
"I'm overwhelmed. And so is the planet."
“ I am not going to save the world.” X X
And yet everyday, I stay in the game.
Why?
Injustice -> Anger -> Change
Actually, I think it's all about love
What is Love? "Love is omni-inclusive, Progressively exquisite, Understanding and tender And compassionately attuned To other than self. - Buckminster Fuller
Do it for the Love of doing it.
If you don't love your job, go find one you do.
Life is short. Do what you love. And love doing it. And that will be exactly enough. Email: ian@civicactions.com Twitter @ianrhett

Stay In The Game Ignite Presentation

by Ian Rhett on Apr 08, 2010

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Stay In The Game Ignite Presentation — Presentation Transcript