It occured to me today that Influence is a curious thing. I don't quite know why it didnt occur to me before with such clarity. I have dwelled a little on the influence others have had on my life, but never focussing on the negatives. A fortunate thing I suppose, because what use are they to me?
The TIME 100 most influential people poll is open for another week, closing April 6th (View Full List Here). It's the first time I paid any attention to who was in it. I admit to being a poor reader and rarely make the time to sit with magazines or other literature beyond what appears on the Twitter timeline (@jeditraining). but when I saw the list of candidates it hit like a brick, a relatively small one, more like a stone, but it did hit me that these are a right mix of people.
Considering the impact that some of these people have, for good or bad, it challenges me to accept the reality that Influence is not always the positives that I have been focussing on.
One person who caight my eye was John Prendergast. He works for the Enough! Project; focussing on conflict in Congo, Africa. I came across a short video a couple of years ago and I use it frequently in my Global Justice in Youth Work course to begin a conversation around the impact of peoples purchasing power on other peoples lives. You can watch it here if you're interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-sJgcoY20
I like the video because it is short and to the point. If you have watched the KONY 2012 video you might also remember him as he makes a brief appearance. I compare him to lets say, Daniel Craig whom you might know better as James Bond with a 6 pack tummy. No doubting he has influence, but is in the same paradigm as John Prengergast? What about Kim Jong Un, the new beloved leader of North Korea? Yes he's there too and yes he is influential. I recal a photo I saw in the international media the other day of Obama (also on the list) viewing North Korea through binoculers from the deminlitarised zone, I would say that if you can make the USA take notice of you, there is a big enough reason for that.
You have the link, so if you'd like to vote, click away.
Influence on a personal scale. Today I make the journey to Kilcranny House, a small peace centre in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. A man I know, respect and deeply admire passed away early this month, his name is Conn Mulvenna. I know Conn since his time as a facilitator on the Glencree Youth Group back in the late 90's. My first immersion into peace work and International youth work. It would be years after that myself and Conn would meet again, in Glencree while I was facilitating similar programmes to those he inadvertantly got me addicted to. Conn never set out to influence the direction my life would take, or at least he never told me so :-) and I am sure that he never realised the impact he had on other peoples lives as he did what he loved to do, create spaces for people to meet. Conn is one of the reasons that I am now doing what I do, training youth workers. Indeed, the day I got the phone call from the National Youth Council of Ireland to inform me that I was being offered the job as Development Education Trainer, I was in a car on the way down the mountain after spending an overnight residential in the company of 15 teenagers, another facilitator and Conn Mulvenna. There is no coincidence for me that the offer came while I was surrounded by a place and its people who gave so much to me in terms of my development as a person.
I miss you Conn and I honour you as a being through my lifes work. Thank you for everything you gave me, and others.
Peace
Alan
