It’s fair to say that the U.S. has not witnessed so much divisiveness since the Civil War. In places, and in families, where there had been a measure of toleration, enmity now flows. Peaceful coexistence, let alone fruitful collaboration, seems a long way off — if not an impossibility in today’s climate of strife and misinformation.

Margaret Mead was a prominent cultural anthropologist in her day. I have always taken heart in her statement: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Note that Mead uses the word “group.”  For without the many acting as one, the prophetic vision of many brave and remarkable individuals like Lincoln, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela could never have been achieved.

What are the conditions that bring about a positive transformation wherein the many adopt a united front? Can we do better at catalyzing such changes? Or do they simply occur when the time is right, and there is no hastening the event?

Part of the answer for me lies in another key word in Mead’s statement: “thoughtful.”  That makes all the difference. Groups may coalesce around very inane ideas. And then collectively act on their worst impulses.  Such cohesion does nothing to bring about a positive change. In fact, it usually sets us back. Instead of a group acting with unity, we find a mob acting with impunity.

“Thoughtful,” then, is the operative word. And all its associations — reflection, mindfulness, exercising good judgement, displaying understanding, consideration for others, etc., — are vital to bringing about positive change.

It sounds simple, because it is. You can feed all you want on moral philosophy, from Kant to Plato, and I have. But I still come back to Mead’s statement for inspiration.

In The Further Shores of Knowing our hero sets out to re-light a star to bring light and wisdom back into the world.  But we know he could not succeed on his mission without the help of a small group of “Castaways” that realizes the purpose of his journey — and adopts it as their own. 

If we choose to model what is “thoughtful” in all its associations, we won’t resolve our differences overnight. But you can be certain we’ll be on a better path to reconciliation.