Finding Meaning in Me to We

In 1972, Alice Isen and Paul Levin carried out a simple experiment in different shopping malls. They would leave a dime in the coin-return slot of a payphone, and when a person left the phone with their new dime in hand, they would then see a man in front of them drop a folder full of papers. Only four per cent of shoppers who had not found a dime stopped to help the man who dropped his papers. But 84 per cent of shoppers who had found a dime stopped to help!

You never know what will come of a small act of kindness. Read ahead and find out how another small act changed the life of a good friend of ours.

When Ed Gillis was in high school he was desperate to be class president. But he was shy, a bit awkward, and above all goofy. He was about as far from being in the “cool” crowd as anyone could possibly get. His chances of getting elected were slim but he was determined and ran for office every year for three years in a row. Every year he ran, he lost. And not only did he lose every time, but everyone teased him and he became the butt of everyone’s jokes. 

By his senior year Ed was discouraged, and with application in hand he made the decision not to run for class president. As he turned to leave the office, he collided with another student—one of the most popular guys in his class.

“What do you think you’re doing?” asked Ed’s classmate.

“I can’t take it any more!” Ed burst out. “Every year I run for president, and not only do people not vote for me, but they go out of their way to make me feel horrible! Now I’ve had enough, I quit!”

The direction of Ed Gillis’s life was changed by a small Me to We action of a classmate. Ed went on to pursue several degrees in international politics and joined a speaking tour addressing more than 150,000 students.

This could have been the end of the conversation, but instead of walking away Ed’s classmate stood there for a couple of minutes. “You can’t quit,” he told Ed firmly. “Your being in the race is just about the only school tradition we have. You have to run.” The popular classmate promised to vote for Ed if he decided to run just one more time.

Ed was shocked. Here was someone who had never even seemed to notice he was alive, and now he was encouraging him to keep trying, and even offering his support! Ed decided that he would run after all, and he worked on his speech late into the night.

That year Ed was elected class president. He was excited and proud to be elected, but what made it even better was that he had learned that he wasn’t alone; he had gained the respect and support of his classmates.

Becoming class president was only the beginning for Ed. With his new-found confidence, he went on to pursue several degrees in international politics and he eventually joined a speaking tour that travelled across North America addressing more than 150,000 students and teaching them about social awareness. Who knows, you may have been one of the many youth whose life has been touched in some way by Ed.

We love this story because it’s a perfect illustration of how change happens: through small, everyday Me to We actions that bring people—and the communities in which they live—to a turning point.

The Me to We philosophy is about improving our lives and our world by reaching out to others. It involves focusing less on “me” and more on “we”—our communities, our nation and our world. Craig and Marc Kielburger are excited to tell you about the fully-revised, second edition of their bestselling Me to We book. Look for Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World in October on www.amazon.com or in bookstores near you!