The power of one! How often have you felt you cannot make a difference? Or that your voice is not heard? I have been contemplating this since the story of child abuse and the institutional inertia present at Penn State University, which led to the firing of Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier.
An assistant coach, Mike McQueary, has been a subject of much discussion related to this scandal. He witnessed the rape of a ten year old boy by Jerry Sandusky. He told Joe Paterno about what he
witnessed, but did not intervene in the locker room. Nor did he go to police when administrators did little in regard to what McQueary witnessed.
It is easy to see more should have been done. One wonders if McQueary had actually believed in the power of one, if history may have been different?
A landlord left on a trip and gave three persons some of his property for them to oversee. One person was given 5 shares, one person 2 shares and the last one share. The first two put their shares to work and eventually doubled the value. The third person simply buried his share, desiring to preserve it. When the landlord returned from his trip, he commended both of his stewards who doubled the value of his property and chastised the one who buried his property to simply preserve it.
How often have you failed to believe in the power of one, like the third steward? Like McQueary? Because of fear, lack of confidence, or feelings of inadequacies, you may have failed to believe in the power of one.
Do you have the audacity to believe that you can make a difference? What you do on a daily basis in caring for your children, matters! The way you represent your clients and handle your matters with the highest ethical standards, matters! Your voice in speaking out against injustice, intolerance, hatred, and unethical behavior, matters. There is the power of one.
It may seem as though your voice is not heard. Your speaking out is ignored. You may even lose relationships or clients because of the resistance to your voice. However, know, there is the power of one. Eventually, if not in your lifetime, that power of one will begin to grow until humanity resists the injustice and intolerance which is now accepted. There is the power of one.
Now is the time to persevere. Now is not the time to grow weary. Now is the time to believe in the power of one. You and I can and will make a difference in this world when we actually believe in the power of one. The power of one.
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