Day 2 – The Ripple Theory of Impact
We do not always know the impact of our words or actions. While this TedTalk from Drew Dudley focuses on “Everyday Leadership”, the reality of his experience is that he made an unknowing life-altering impact on a person he didn’t even know. This TedTalk made me remember a book I just recently read, All the Light We Cannot See.
I’ll try to not ruin it for those of you that may not have read it yet, but there is a persistent image of influence. Influence that is able to travel through time and space; unseen, unaware, but always making a difference. The commonality in both of these experiences is that when we put “good” into the universe, even when it feels futile and ignored, it will resonate with someone. Maybe not today, but that the effort alone is enough for someone, somewhere, sometime.
I think that is may be why many of us have become teachers. We see tangible, daily evidence of making a difference. The impact we make is right in front of us. But, I wonder if we were more cognizant of the ripples we make beyond that day, that class, or those students would that change how we do our work? Do we have an obligation, a duty, to do “good” in order to make a difference for those that we’ll never know?
““It seems big enough to contain everything anyone could ever feel.””
To me blogging about my practice is one attempt to do this. I’m not concerned if people read what I write, even though I may Tweet a link from time to time. My goal is to put a model of “good” out into the universe and through the power of the web, my thoughts and ideas may resonate with someone I’ll never meet. The image of the ripple, not the splash, conveys teaching and learning. Ripples last, move in all directions, and move, however little, everything it touches.
What have you done today to make a ripple?