Self, And Importance - A call to Reflection and Action - Scott Ballum

It is a common cry,

the desire to have an impact on the world.

We want to find meaning as to why we are here and a purpose with which to leave our mark.

We did everything right, finished our homework, followed the rules to get ahead, working to get to

the top of the ladder or in with the right crowd where we would finally have the opportunity to make

decrees or solve the great problems of our time. But we feel trapped somewhere along the way,

waiting for our big break, and are dejected—or at least impatient—while we wait. Our lives seem

inconsequential until that time when we will be deemed important, and we spend our daily lives

going through the motions until we reach this imagined level where people begin to notice us and

our actions will actually start to matter. Until then, it seems, no one cares what we do, and we do

nothing that anyone cares about, a cycle that ensures we remain either cynical, or apathetic at best.

“No matter what one’s class, race, gender, or social standing... without the capacity

to think critically about ourselves and our lives, none of us would be able to move

forward, to change, to grow.”

bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

In believing that we don’t make a difference, not yet, we ignore the impact of our daily decisions and

allow ourselves to let others think for us. Whether to politics or religion, or branding and marketing,

we subconsciously look to outside influences to dictate our desires and behavior with continued

disregard for their motivations. When we are not overtly asked for our opinions, we will not bother to

form them—the popular views or the status quo are good enough, at least for now. At least until

we’re “important.”

The underlying assumption is that someone else thought these things through, and by making the

acceptable choice we are making the best decisions—from the best brand of sneakers to the balance

of responsibility between spouses or the appropriate stance on our country’s foreign policies. When

we align ourselves with the opinions of others without examination, we are robbing ourselves of the

opportunity to analyze our own preferences and desires, to determine our own solutions. We miss

the chance to review the criteria others are utilizing, to question their biases and seek our own

inspiration. In stunting the development of our own individual perspectives and initiatives, we trap

ourselves in lives that appear to be predestined, and deny the possibility of realizing our personal

potential.

Individual daily actions, as insignificant as they may feel, impact the world around us in a multitude

of ways. Consider at an example that may seem trivial initially: perhaps our most frequent interactions

with the world are financial transactions. The ways in which we spend money and make money

are the easiest to study and yet often the most overlooked. Perhaps it is because of their frequency

that we deem them too challenging to process, but to ignore them is to neglect a major role we play.

From consumption to production, we are indispensable parts of a chain that reaches thousands of

others in every direction. We have the opportunity to examine our motivations and calculate our

actions of purchase, or in fact decide not to make purchases at all. We can pay attention to a product’s

cost and value in regards to environmental and social factors, and we should ask ourselves, “If I

were not getting anything in exchange for my money, if I were merely making a contribution, is this

the type of corporation that I would support?” By understanding where businesses are located and

how they treat their employees, we have the opportunity to questions whether there is another

manufacturer offering a similar product that we would rather sponsor. We can examine the added

costs and added values in choosing to finance one company over another. We will begin to see that

we hold the greatest power when choosing to trade with smaller businesses—for whom our contribution

may mean whether they meet their bottom line on a particular day—versus the relatively meager

effect we have when choosing to offer or deny our funding to multinational institutions for whom our

few dollars are insignificant.

In addition to the impact of our purchases, we can also examine our motivations. When we have not

done significant research to determine whether a product or service is particularly appropriate for

our specific personal needs, but rather reach for the commodities that are popular or are marketed

to our demographic, we essentially let advertisers and focus groups make decisions for us. Our

choices of brands and styles, from clothing to cars, are often guided by a desire to be accepted by a

certain social class. In examining our reasoning to lean towards particular products and deciding

who is making the choice, we can discern whether it a personal one or one made by celebrities or

social groups. In nearly every case, there is likely a product that will do what we need it to do better

and cheaper than what is popular or well advertised. Even more probable is that our “need” is questionable

in the first place.

As we broaden the scope of how we examine

our possibilities of choice and impact, the

critical eye can be turned towards how we

have decided to earn our income, as well.

Certainly, it is not challenging to judge some

occupations and industries as more altruistic

than others, and it may be naive to suggest

that our economy could subsist if everyone

worked for libraries and art museums (though I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing us try). Regardless,

we must consider whether our income is at the expense of others, is unfairly weighted higher or

lower than others doing the same work, or if it is in return for assisting the creation of a good or

service that betters our communities. Beyond denouncing occupations that make a profit at the

detriment of others, take the tobacco industry, we should also examine whether a career that does

nothing to change our situation or improve the lives of others is, in fact, superior.

Engaging more deeply with the multitude of businesses we interact with daily and making informed,

considered decisions, is a fundamental way in which we can shape the world we inhabit. Far more

difficult, though, are the questions this then forces us to turn

upon ourselves and our instincts. Cultural subsets of regions,

religions, races, and economies pass sets of values from one

generation to another with little investigation as to their contemporary

relevancy or accuracy, so we should not only examine

our prejudices and preconceptions, but also our traditions

and trends. We must assess if we accept an entire dogma as

written, rather than choosing the facets that resonate with us

and denying or challenging others. Closely held beliefs as disparate as our politics and sexualities

are typically defined more by the families and communities we were raised in than by a free and

open introspection. Asking these questions opens the possibility of options and personal choice for

both ourselves and for others. Even if our ultimate conclusions fall near our original biases, we have

at least considered that the answers may not be the same for everyone. In allowing for discussion

and debate, we do not force our beliefs and judgments on others, but permit freedom of thought

and representation for the people around us, and foster considered actions in others.

“This does not mean opposition for opposition’s sake. But it does mean asking

questions, making distinctions, restoring to memory all those things that tend

to be overlooked or walked past in the rush to collective judgment and action.”

Edward Said, Representations of the Intellectual

Aware of our motivations, our options, our personal preferences, and our impact, we become obliged

to take measures to realize those impulses and to engage actively. Rather than coast along allowing

the influence of others to determine our path, waiting to be told of our appropriate role, we become

responsible for calculating our every behavior. Assessing and composing our own working values

requires actions that support them and the forging of a path or place in our communities which

exerts control over the way we impact the world. Coming from a place of constant and consistent

examination means that every course is a deliberate decision, maximizing our chosen influence with

every interaction.

We are also compelled to make decisions that are not only the best for us personally and individually,

but also choices that are the most responsible to our communities, our society, and our environment.

Whether it be the choosing of manufacturers that display high standards for treatment of their

employees, for example, or proactively championing fair labor and workers rights, once we have

identified the criteria that matters to us, they will become the issues that motivate us as well. If we

cannot find practices that satisfy our scrutiny we must forge new paths and start new processes, or

make do without. Where we see disparity and discrimination, we must be driven to not only refuse

our support, but to eradicate it. Our positive impact on the world around us grows proportionately.

It is true that an individual alone, however, will not fully transform a society. A single person acting

out merely checks out of one system, but cannot affect larger change. In order to take our passion

for reflection and outreach to the degree at which movements form and cultural habits are broken,

we must offer ourselves to others with complimentary strengths to increase the power of our messages

and causes. The history of the potential in the individual voice is in its ability to rouse others

to action, to organize and inspire others to look at their lives and possibilities. We are compelled to

encourage others to examine and determine their own paths, to see how their actions can make

greater impacts and make choices for the greater good. Grouping ourselves together with others

willing to ask questions and challenge the status quo heightens the possibility of effecting change

and becoming an active participant in the direction of our lives and our communities.

Reaching out can be as abstract as expressing our ideals in a public manner and awaiting the response

of others who will gravitate towards it. More effectively, it can be concrete as seeking out and

joining existing organizations supporting human interests and the rights and responsibilities of

individuals. As we explore our personal desires, our priorities will be as varied as our expertise.

Depending on the ideals we hold, about which we find ourselves passionate, we can present ourselves

to labor unions, educational communities, social movements, or cultural institutions. The

fields of environmental and societal advancement and sustainability will always need the input and

cooperation of engaged thinkers, creatives and laborers. The self-held belief that we do not know

enough, or that we can’t do everything, is a dispensable crutch that hinders our willingness to find

our personal value and make contributions. The ways in which we can take advantage of our opportunity

to wield complete control of the directed impact of our actions is limitless, and bound only by

our abilities to imagine the possibilities.

Importance is not an attribute bestowed upon us by an unknown force or governing body.

Significance is an action taken by individuals confronting their desires and creating meaning and

discussion. Just as we currently may look to others who appear to be forging trends and starting

movements, others will be drawn towards those who

make a conscious decision to declare their own autonomy

and engage in the progress of our society.

Historically, the instinct of the many is to follow the

decisions of the few, perpetuating stagnancy and dulling

personal independence. The truly influential will defer

such a following in the determination to encourage

others to deny that instinct within themselves, make

increasingly personal choices, and take steps to correct

the cultural debasement those tendencies have inflicted.

It is definitively the act of overthrowing the status quo, in any minor or revolutionary way, that

denotes the influence of an individual.

About the Author

Scott Ballum is a designer and author in Brooklyn, NY. He is the founder of Sheepless Co., a creative practice

dedicated to providing deliberate, considered solutions in design and advocacy for small businesses and

artistic or cultural organizations intending to affect positive social change. Visit Scott online at www.

sheeplessco.com.

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