Pushing for the Change Together

“We are by no means strangers, and we are linked by a common destiny. And these turbulent times must bind us ever closer together.”

Christine Lagarde,
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund [76]

All the changes we have described so far in both the adult and the children’s societies will create a new atmosphere in our surroundings. As we could see, these changes will affect every part of our lives—work, family, friends, school, the judicial system, the media, interpersonal relations, international relations, trade relations, and so forth.

Interestingly, we do not need all of society to set this transformation in motion, but a relatively small number of people. Scientists at the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) discovered that even when only 10 percent of the population shares a conviction or belief, the rest of society adopts it. The mathematical models show that there is a sudden leap in acceptance: below 10 percent, the effect is barely discernible, but once the 10 percent mark is reached, the view spreads like a wildfire [77].

Considering that the internet in general, and social networks in particular, enable the rapid spread of ideas, it is enough that we begin to talk about the need to connect above all differences for the future of all of us, and invoke as many people as possible into that notion. The scientists at RPI gave Tunisia and Egypt as examples for such a process, saying, “In those countries, dictators who were in power for decades were suddenly overthrown in just a few weeks.”

When you think about it, there are likely far more than 10 percent who want to have a safer, friendlier world than the one we have now, so the chances of making 10 percent of the population adamant about it, thus instigating the shift, are far higher than may appear at first glance.

[76] Christine Lagarde, “The Path Forward—Act Now and Act Together,” International Monetary Fund (IMF) (September 23, 2011), http://www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2011/092311.htm

[77] “Minority Rules: Scientists Discover Tipping Point for the Spread of Ideas,” SCNARC (July 26, 2011), http://scnarc.rpi.edu/content/minority-rules-scientists-discover-tipping-point-spread-ideas