We all have a responsibility to use our talents to positively impact the lives of others. To use them for anything other than positive impact is a waste.
Two great examples emerged this week of people using their voices to impact broad change. In one, the masterful Gary Clark Jr. dropped a new video and it’s for real. He could have done a lot of different things with his talents. Thankfully, he chose to use those gifts to attack systemic issues that affect a lot of people.
In a second case, Gillette released a short film that hits at the heart of a completely different societal issue – how society teaches men to behave. Sure, they’re going to sell more razors because of it and positively impact their bottom line, but the reach will go much deeper than that.
This is how momentum grows and change occurs. As I watched both, I found myself wondering about the road ahead of my kids and my friends’ kids. I’m not a person of color and can’t speak for anyone of color, but who just saw the Gary Clark Jr. video that will make my buddy’s kid’s life easier in 10 years? Will my daughter’s future boyfriend see the Gillette commercial and decide to treat her a certain way because of it? When I act a certain way because of these influences, and my kids witness those actions, how will they treat people better? What positive impact did these two short influences spark?
We’re a product of the influences around us, but conversely, we produce the influences that shape others. We have got to own that by using our talents as individuals first, and then as communities. That’s how positive change occurs.
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Photo by Claus Grünstäudl on Unsplash