A Lesson Learnt From Dead Islanders
In December, I visited Banda Aceh, a city in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, which was hit by a 12 metre tsunami on 26/12/04. The wave destroyed everything in its path, killing a third of the population.
But Banda Aceh wasn’t the first place to be hit in Indonesia, Siberut Island was. The wave that smashed the island was 30 metres high but amazingly only a few people died.
So why did one place lose a third of its population from a 12-metre wave yet the other location hit by a 30 metre wave lost almost no one?
100 years ago, Siberut Island was hit by a similar tsunami that killed a large percentage of the population. The surviving islanders decided to create protocols should another huge wave strike the island. The action of these people saved thousands of lives but none of whom they would ever meet. They didn’t save their children, their grandchildren or even their great grandchildren. It saved their great great grandchildren.
Their actions saved the lives of thousands even though they didn’t benefit from it at all (such as fame, fortune or status).
That is what you call a true legacy.
This Section Is A Bit Of A Rant But It’s Worth Saying.
I often people hear people talking about how they want to change the world. But what they actually want is the status and accolades that come with the big change. I’ve found this simple question works well to find out what they really want “Would you want to cause change if it used up all your spare time and mental capacity and you could never take credit for the results (possibly the results you want happening after you die), and you would die not making a penny from it?”.
Usually, I can see they are thinking no but they say yes because that’s the right thing to say.
If you had asked people like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela or Gandhi the exact question, I’m guessing they would say yes.
Being driven by potential fame and fortune means most people will fail to make a change.
Making a big social impact which can get them the fame and status they desire, requires a lot of effort, both mental and physical, over a long period of time. And there is no guarantee their effort will lead to the result they want.
You have to have internal motivation to sustain this type of effort. The exception is if you are rich and can throw a ridiculous amount of money/resources at the problem.
If you are after fame and status, you are making better off becoming rich first and then making a change.
Prevention Rather Than Cures
Recently, I’ve been thinking about legacy and what these islanders did after reading Upstream.
There are two ways to fix a problem: cure it or change the system to prevent it from ever becoming a problem. The book focuses on the latter solution and refers to them as upstream solutions – fixing a problem upstream in the system.
Usually, upstream changes have a bigger and longer lasting effect.
In most cases, successful upstream changes started first by focusing on a small select group of people and solving their problems. Once they have been successful, they started to expand and give it to other people creating big change on a big scale.
I’ve been thinking about ways I could help the people and communities around me in a similar upstream way.
I’m considering offering free injury rehab (which I do professionally) at an old people’s home. It’s a problem I know how to solve easier and could help the old people get out of pain and live a more comfortable life.
But there are much bigger issues I’d like to fix but have more difficult solutions. In some cases, I have very little idea of how to fix them. These include:
Helping the boys who are growing up in Limehouse, the area I also grew up in. Limehouse is a typical low income council housing area (US social housing equivalent) in London. Crime is high and very alluring to the boys (quick money and status). There's also an issue with drug use. I saw many good people get addicted and destroyed by drugs when I was growing up. I have no idea how to fix either of these but of all the problems on this list, this is the one I want to fix most. But it’s also the one I have the least ideas to solve.
My old primary school is located next to the DLR railways (overground) which makes lots of noise every few minutes. It is well known noises like this affect children’s learning. Reducing the noise could have a huge effect on the children’s lives, especially when you consider these side effects compound year on year. I don’t know if this is a problem the school knows of but I’m planning to email them in the next few weeks with some suggestions. And I will include some research that showed adding noise-reducing material to tracks reduces noise and distractions.
Homelessness is a big issue in London. It is so common they have become part of the scenery, and I often walk past them without giving them any notice. It’s like they have become invisible to me. I have never spoken to a homeless person so I don’t know what the problem is, let alone the solution. I want to one day sit and ask some of them questions and see what the causes of their homelessness are. Essentially market research. And then try to help at least one or two of them.
My hope is I can become like the islanders and try to fix a problem. The results might not be as big and they might not happen in my lifetime and I might never get the recognition for it. But at least I can say to myself I tried.
Social Change Through Capitalism
I like the idea of social change being driven through business and profits. Yesterday I walked past a coffee shop that only recruits former homeless people and a few years ago, I attended a training course at a centre that also only recruits homeless people. Both make a small profit which provides clear, measurable and immediate benefits to the owners. And crucially it means their system can be scaled and theoretically, big profits can be made.
I’ve been looking into importing and selling high quality chocolate paste (grounded down beans) from Ecuador. During my trip there last year, I drank the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tried and I have drank a lot of hot chocolate – it’s my favourite drink alongside milkshakes which is just a cold version. I brought some from my last trip and everyone who tried the hot chocolate said the same this: “this is the best drink I’ve ever tasted”. Importing the beans is a lot more difficult and costly than I thought.
But if I can find a way to do this, I could make a good profit and also help improve the lives of farmers but paying them more than the market rate. I could also employ former homeless people if I open up a shop.
Assuming sales are good, their no reason I couldn’t expand and help reduce homelessness on a large scale.
“Be impatient for action but patient for outcomes.” - Brian Tracy
A Question For You.
What legacy are you willing to work for even if you get no benefits from it?
This was a profound essay, Mak. It resonated on so many levels.
- Because I remember the tsunami
- Because 100 years later the elders of Siberut Island saved their "great-great grandchildren"
- Because weeks later we were walking through Bali and watched the water management strategy
The upstream legacy. We plant trees because we want to provide shade for those who will never know our names.
This is a profound line of inquiry Mak. What change would I dedicate myself to making, even if there is no personal benefit to myself? For me it would be supporting humans move past fear and express their authentic selves and enjoy the benefit of being truly seen as they are. I know that's a mission that's not tied to a specifically tangible group or circumstance, but it's what moves me in life. If my bills were automatically paid, I'd happily contribute to that cause anonymously.