Great People and Ideas

You've seen this quote:

"Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about other people."

It struck a chord with me, as it invariably does every few years I see it.  I haven't had a good brainstorming session since college.  Most of my conversations revolve around work, student loans, and pondering the stupidity that surrounds the world and its people.

Listening to This American Life as I was walking home from work, they touched on Honduras  the murder capital of the world, where politicians give-aways, in lieu of stickers or phone cases or T-shirts, came in the form of coffins.  The people there are so poor, and the murder rate is so high, that coffins are a great way to gain favor with the masses.  Believe it or not, a few people are trying to fix this problem with radical ideas that abolish the whole system and start from the beginning.  A few brave people will take Honduras from a suffering state into a thriving nation by put their ideas into action.

This led me to thinking about why there isn't an organization in the city that is addressing the problems humanity is facing in Philadelphia.  I mean, I'm sure there is, but why don't we know about it?  Who is talking about the violence and poverty?  Who is addressing the sad and inferior state of the public school system?  Where are the people willing to implement mass plans to teach everyone, yes, even those residing in Kensington, a healthier way to eat.  Then, who will implement the plan to get them access to fresh fruits and vegetable?  Where are the community gardens?

Where are the people that care?

My thought is that most people think they can't make a difference alone.  Why would their idealism produce viable plans that create positive change?  But that is the kind of thinking leads to deterioration of society.  Why can't an open forum be started by one person?  Start in a neighborhood, expand to other neighborhoods, and then start impacting the city.

I have ideas.  I have ideas about injecting morality back into society and holding people responsible for their actions.  I have an idea about where to start talking about teaching kids health, nutrition, respect for themselves and others, teaching them to think for themselves and ask the hard questions.  I have a lot of ideas.

Do you have ideas?