How One Simple Action is Changing History

Imagine if someone with vast amounts of resources, fruit of one of the most successful businesses in history wanted to make a difference with their life. You actually don’t have to imagine. If you are reading this post on a personal computer, there is a good chance it uses the world’s most popular operating system, built by Microsoft. Its founder, Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are two of the richest people in the world. A few years ago, they decided to invest much of their fortune in charitable projects, investing billions of dollars in initiatives that help people in need.

Now, imagine you could influence a person like that. Meet Nicholas Kristoff, who wrote one single article that may help change the world. To make a long story short, he wrote a piece on the New York Times about how water can be deadly in the poorer parts of the world. Gates read it and decided to apply his genius brain and resources to finding a creative solution to the problem. History is still being written on this matter, as scientists and industrialists try to figure out how to build better toilets and sustainable sewage treatment systems for the developing world.

There is a lot to read about the project on the Internet, including Gates’ personal blog. What drew my attention in this whole story was how one newspaper article was responsible for the shift in one person’s mind (the right person). In the author’s own words,

“This was probably the most important article I have ever written.”
Nicholas Kristoff

The article describes in graphic detail the dire consequences of living in places where water and human waste get mixed, painting a grim picture of the world we live in. By describing the need in vivid detail, Kristoff kickstarts the same process in Bill and Melinda that happened with Nehemiah’s and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in the fourth century BC, which we read about in the Bible. This is what happened to the computer genius and his wife.

1. They saw the need of children everywhere.

2. They felt the need personally. At the time they read the article had a small child and began imagining how their child would survive if they had to live under those conditions.

3. They bonded with the need, which is evidenced by the fact that they are still engaged with its solution, many years later.

4. They felt they could be part of the solution by asking the question: What can we do with the resources we have?

5. They took the initial step and created concrete initiatives that launched this project. History is still being written, as prototypes are tested and manufacturers figure out how to lower the costs of creating solutions.

You and I may not be wealthy and powerful enough to invest in reinventing the toilet, but we can learn about needs, then write, preach, teach, and otherwise influence those who will bring the life-transforming changes that will change history. Who knows, one of them may read this very blog and decide to change the world.