One Thing: What 1 Thing defined your generation?

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series One Thing

OurValues Defining Moments for American Generations Depression Vietnam JFK Assassination 9 11DOES each generation have One Thing—one big national or world event—that shapes and defines it?

Do events such as the Great Depression, the Vietnam War, the assassination of John Kennedy or the 9/11 terror attacks leave an indelible mark and define a generation’s worldview?

This week, we’ve seen that One Thing can be a transformative moment, ranging from a short video about conservation and paper towels to the monumental shift in perspective that astronauts and cosmonauts have when they view the earth from space. It can also be one’s singular strength or focus, such as the harmonica music of legendary Bluesman James Cotton. It can also be a warning that success is never based on just one thing, as the leaders of Zingerman’s know.

We’ve also seen that One Thing has many interpretations. One reader asked, “Is this the same as The Last Lecture? Trying to sum up everything in 1 place, or like Einstein’s search for a grand theory of everything?” Another reader said, “I like looking at lists of epitaphs and eulogies.” Journalists who write obituaries have to sum up a life in a headline or a first paragraph. It’s the one definitive thing.

It turns out that generations do have experiences in their “critical years” (childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood) that define and shape the rest of their lives, according to a just-published paper by Howard Schuman and Amy Corning.

They compiled data from surveys in seven countries, including the United States. For Americans, they examined the effects of the Great Depression, Vietnam, the JFK assassination, 9/11—and more. They examined the effects of comparable events in other countries.

Their conclusion: Certain events experienced in the critical years have “a disproportionate effect on memories, attitudes, and actions in later life.” So, maybe there is One Thing for certain generations

Do you have a singular strength or focus that is your One Thing?

What’s the One Thing that shaped your generation?

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Categories: Self-Reliance
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One Thing: Does Zingerman’s prove the exception to this rule?

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series One Thing

Ann Arbor ZingermansWhat’s the secret—the “one thing”—that makes life successful?

In various forms, that’s the question Ari Weinzweig, CEO and Co-Founder of Zingerman’s Community Businesses, gets asked over and over again. Reporters on deadline ask Ari for the one thing that makes Zingerman’s so successful. Entrepreneurs about to launch businesses ask him to identify the one thing. Competitors search desperately for the one thing.

Do you know the Zingerman’s answer to—one thing?

Ari spoke this Monday at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, sponsored by the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship.  The title of his talk was “Fixing the Energy Crisis in the American Workplace: Living the Twelve Natural Laws of Business.” He revealed the one thing, which, as you might guess from his title, was this:  There is no one thing. There’s no single ingredient that creates success. Rather, it’s a combination of multiple ingredients that somehow work together to create a successful business.

He drew an analogy between organic farming versus monocropping. Organic farming includes, among other things, crop rotation, natural pesticides, no additives, no genetically modified organisms, natural fertilizers, and adaption to local conditions. In other words, it’s the way farming has been done for eons.

Monocropping focuses on one thing—one crop year after year, usually corn, wheat, or soybeans. Producing high yields requires lots of artificial fertilizers and specialized equipment. Ironically, producing one thing requires many things.

So, is the idea of one thing misguided? A reader of OurValues.org sent us this observation: “Nice to think of 1 thing, but life is messy for most people.”

Is one thing the wrong goal?

Is life too messy to reduce it to one thing?

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One Thing: Have you found your … harmonica?

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series One Thing

James Cotton with his harmonicaOne thing can change a life. For James Cotton that one thing was—and still is—a blues harmonica.

Cotton, along with Blues singer/guitarist Keb’ Mo’, was just interviewed by Scott Simon on NPR’s Weekend Edition. (You can listen to the podcast here. In addition to Cotton’s words, you’ll be treated to some great music.) After one audio clip of Cotton’s music, he says, in his now-raspy voice, “I guess I was born with the Blues. And I don’t know nothing else but the Blues.”

“When you get one thing right in life, you know,” says Keb’ Mo’

“Yeah,” says Cotton.

“Yeah,” Keb’ Mo’ agrees. “That’s all you need to do, is get one thing right in life. You know, you get a whole bunch of things and that one thing right that you get in life. But if you do that one thing and you put your heart into it, that makes it easy.”

That makes it easy?
What do you think about that?

One thing is certain: At age 77, Cotton’s singing voice is shot due to throat cancer. That would be the end for many blues musicians—except that Cotton can still play a mean harmonica. As he said in the interview, “The voice is gone, but the wind is still there.” Whatever else he did or failed to do in his life, Cotton chose well. He’s still going strong with his one right thing.

Do you have one right thing?

Do you have another good example of someone who found the right thing?

Thanks for Terry Gallagher for calling this NPR podcast to my attention. Terry is a regular guest author on OurValues.org, and will be returning soon.

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One Thing: The Overview Effect?

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series One Thing
NASA astronauts captured this famous Earth Rise photo while high above the Moon.

NASA astronauts captured this famous Earth Rise photo while high above the Moon.

Can a change of perspective be the “one thing” that shifts how we think and feel? This shift occurred for the astronauts who saw Earth from space. It’s called the Overview Effect. Does this effect have ancient roots in the human experience?

“Once a photograph of the Earth, taken from the outside, is available,” said British astronomer Fred Hoyle in 1948, “…a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose.” This quote begins “Overview,” a documentary by the Planetary Collective about how the view of our planet caused many astronauts and cosmonauts to have a “cognitive shift in awareness.” (You can watch the video at Upworthy.)

The Overview Effect was felt acutely by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell. He had free time to “earth gaze” on the return trip from the moon because his primary jobs—lunar module pilot and science on the moon—were over. Here’s how he described it: “After I came back and tried to understand what this experience was all about, I could find nothing in the science literature about it, and nothing in the religious literature that I looked at, so I turned to the local university and asked them to help me with what I saw. When they came back to me a few weeks later, and said, ‘Well, in the ancient literature we found a description called savikalpa samadhi.’ That means that you see things as you see them with your eyes, but you experience them emotionally and viscerally, as with ecstasy, and a sense of total unity and oneness. And I said, that’s exactly what the experience was.”

Here’s how Sri Chimnoy defines savikalpa samadhi: “For a short period of time you lose all human consciousness. In this state the conception of time and space is altogether different. For an hour or two hours you are completely in another world.”

Does the Overview Effect make sense to you?

Can a change of perspective change your life?

Is there a story or event that changed yours?

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Categories: Freedom
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One Thing: Can it change your life?

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series One Thing

Jack Palance as Curly shows One Thing in City Slickers“Do you know what the secret of life is?” asks Curly, the grizzled cowboy played by Jack Palance in City Slickers.

Then, he holds up a finger. “This.”

“Your finger?” says Mitch. In the throes of a mid-life crisis, Mitch (Billy Crystal) and his buddies came out West to sort things out.

“One thing. Just one thing,” answers Curly. “You stick to that and the rest don’t mean s–t.”

“But, what is the ‘one thing’?”

Curly smiles, saying, “That’s what you have to find out.”

Is there one thing that could—or has—changed your life in an instant? You could find yourself facing a diagnosis as serious as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. In the story I reported on Friday, that seemingly devastating moment transformed one family’s life in a dramatic way. Their “one thing” ignited a huge wave of compassion and creativity, including the just-released documentary, One Step Ahead.

This week, I’ll tell you about people who are searching for “one thing.” I hope you’ll take a moment to add a Comment and tell us: What “one thing” have you encountered? Or, tell us: Where do you look to try to find such “one thing” inspiration?

I’ll start: Here’s “one thing” from my life. My wife and I were expecting a child to be born in January 2002. On September 11 2001, I realized that he was going to be born into an entirely different world from the one I was born into. He’s 11 now, and knows far more about the world’s dangers than I did at the same age.

Where do I look for “one thing”? I often look for such ideas online. Until this past weekend, I had never seen the amazing little Paper Towel video. Now, I can’t wash my hands without thinking: Shake. Fold. Have you seen this short film from a TEDx conference? I dare you to watch the Paper Towel video and not have it change your life. Heather Jose in the Caregivers department of ReadTheSpirit is showing and discussing this famous video today.

But, please don’t forget! Other readers enjoy seeing your comments. I answered today’s 2 questions. Now it’s your turn:

What “one thing” have you encountered?

Where do you look to try to find such “one thing” inspiration?

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Categories: Self-Reliance
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Compassion: A community rallies to cure ALS

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Compassion
One Step Ahead video on campaign to cure ALS

Click this image to visit the free Vimeo video page where you can watch this inspiring 28-minute film.

“We had one life that we planned,” said Gretchen Spreitzer, “and that got taken on a different trajectory after Bob got diagnosed with ALS.” Better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, about 5,600 people are diagnosed with it in the U.S. each year, according to the ALS Association.

What happens when life takes us on such a dramatically different trajectory?

Today, I’m wrapping up our series on compassion with a special video I’m asking you to watch. We started the week with a free online quiz about compassion in the workplace and discussed why compassion makes business sense, how we are hardwired for compassion, and three types of givers.

To conclude our series, let’s move from theory to a personal story—how Bob’s and Gretchen’s lives have been shaped by the generosity of family, friends, colleagues and even strangers. Bob and Gretchen are married with two children. Both are professors at the University of Michigan. Their response to the dire news of ALS is testimony to what Dr. Viktor Frankel said about freedom: No matter what, each of us is free “to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Bob and Gretchen chose a positive approach to Bob’s illness, inspiring the creation of Ann Arbor Active Against ALS, the grassroots movement that “searches for fundraising ways to shore up cure-based funding for ALS.” A2A3 hosts a range of fundraising activities, such as the annual Electric Bolt run. This year, the run is Sunday, July 28th.

The outpouring of compassion also inspired the making of “One Step Ahead,” a documentary that premiered this week on Detroit Public Television. It is available 24/7 on Vimeo, so you can watch it anytime. (Just click the image above.)

Here’s a description of the short documentary: “One Step Ahead” explores how this positive approach guides the professor, his family, his medical team, and his supporters. Fundraising efforts highlighted include six women who swim the English Channel to raise global awareness about ALS, as well as raising money for ALS research; the joint effort of A2A3 and U of Michigan’s Phi Delta Theta, and their annual Boxcar Derby; and A2A3’s Family Fun Day, where examples of an active lifestyle are encouraged and demonstrated.

Typically, I end each column with two or three questions. Today, however, I end with a request and a single question:

Would you watch “One Step Ahead” and tell us what you think?

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Compassion: Are you a Yeppie, Rapid Responder, or Mission-Minded giver?

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Compassion

US Navy volunteers at a soup kitchenSuppose you were given $100,000 to donate to charity. Where would you donate the money? Would you spread it out, or concentrate on a single cause?

Food and shelter for the needy was the top choice for Americans, according to a national poll sponsored by PARADE in 2010. About $16,000 of the $100,000 would go for this cause. Research to cure disease was a close second, followed by animal welfare, youth programs, and poverty relief.

What was at the bottom of the list? Promoting world democracy and the visual/performing arts got the smallest shares of the $100,000.

The same survey named and described three types of givers. Different motivations and beliefs drive each type’s responses to social problems and needs.

According to this report, “Yeppies” stands for “young, engaged problem solvers.” They like to volunteer and are optimistic about fixing social problems. Social networks play a key role for them. One reason they like volunteering is the connections they make with peers. And, they often get involved because someone asked them to.

“Rapid Responders” focus their efforts on specific needs and problems. They aren’t out “to improve the entire world.” They might organize community events, raise funds, or get involved in local efforts.

The “Mission-Minded” tend to be older, and are motivated by their religious faith. For example, providing food and shelter to the needy is a religious duty. They believe that religious groups can fix the world’s problems.

If this poll were conducted again today, would we see similar results?

Are there other types of givers?

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