h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

To do much you need a movement. When I was reading about Le Chambon-sur-Lignon ( the village that saved lots of Jews) I found Wikipedia gave most of the credit to Pastor Trocme. In fact, a number of individuals in the area, and a number of organisations outside were involved.

And if you write, you need a readership. You could spend five years, say, writing a decent novel. Then you need it to be published and publicised.

You know, I'm sure that's true. But I also think that a lot of good things never get started because people say,'To do this, you need a movement...' And then never start the movement.

I suspect that movements get started because one person said, 'I don't care what anyone else does, I'm going to...'

Here's what I mean: for the last couple of months I've been making these 'washmitts' for the church's Christmas project. I was kind of disappointed when the lady said they now had 300 and I could stop.(It's good therapy for weird Editors, very relaxing.) So I thought about it, and asked her if I could contribute some of my loom-knitted things as fund-raising items for the town's fall festival. She liked the idea, and so did others, who are coming up with new ideas for homemade items to donate. (We need money for postage, that's a lot of boxes to send.)

So yesterday, someone sends me the link to a pattern for 'Chemo caps', hats for cancer patients...which would make a great item. Donate a few dollars to charity, get a cap to give to a friend in hospital...the ball seems to be rolling. This is not a huge deal - but it doesn't have to be. Those kids who get those Christmas boxes write the most incredible thank-you letters. And if a child on the other side of the planet can get a present who never had one before in its life, it's worth taking the risk of looking foolish.

Ideas might work, and they might not. But it has to start somewhere,and sometimes, persistence pays off.

Here's another example: Wangari Maathai.

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai

She got millions of trees planted. But she didn't start with a big movement - she started by studying veterinary science.