One Man Can Make A Difference

Today I happened to come upon this book at Times Bookshop, "The Tipping Point". Curious, I started reading it. Its basic premise is how just one or a few tiny, tiny factors can trigger off an epidemic, be it an infection, or an unforgettable ad slogan, or an "earworm".

I learnt that as a general principle, 80% of the spreading is done by 20% of the spreaders... they are the classic 'super-spreaders'. And read the fascinating tale of Paul Revere's famous night attempt warn his local town militia in the face of the impending British invasion.

Paul Revere, as every American schoolkid will know, in the span of two hours, managed to pass on the news, "The British are coming!", starting off a wildfire of news-networking by other minutemen on their own horses, which ended up spreading across half the known American countryside in one night... and, like they say, the rest is history.

I was thinking of Saint Paul too, who was definitely a 'super-spreader' when it came to the good news too. As he wrote to the Romans, "So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known..."

But there is a dark side to all this 'super-spreading'. For instance, there was this French air-steward, in the 1980s or 1990s, who had 2,500 sexual partners in North America alone... and he was infected with AIDS.

So what did all these 'super-spreaders' have in common? They had a certain charisma, and LOTS of connections.

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That was a very thought-provoking concept, and I started thinking about it. Tried writing out my thoughts on the handphone, but... the handphone software died halfway through, taking my long essay along with it.

I should have saved it. Aww...

More seriously, it made me think about how to enhance my sub-district's vision more effectively. There's one aspect of it that aims to influence decision-makers. Often, we think of decision-makers as being those in the policy-making departments - read: the civil service, or as Colin Goh quipped, the Civil Surfers. ;)

But that isn't necessarily so. Opinion-setters (a term used in media studies) are those who have INFLUENCE on those around them, especially in terms of thoughts, values and beliefs - and they need not be in positions of power. Who are the opinion-setters of today? People like Mr Lee Kin Mun of "Mr Brown" fame, Colin Goh, Gurmit Singh, Oprah Winfrey, etc. People like Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, etc. People like your parents, your teachers... you and me.

But some are definitely more influential than others. These are the key people who, if they are won to Christ, can really bless and touch millions of lives for the better. And the surprising thing is, they don't need to be the outgoing sanguine kind of personality. What matters is how many people they know, how many people they are influencing in terms of opinions and ideas.

And even policy-makers are in the end compelled to listen to the opinion-setters, as PM Lee alluded to in his closing remarks on the S377A debate some time ago this year.

But it isn't enough to just win opinion-setters and decision-makers. We, we ordinary people, are ourselves called to become opinion-setters and decision-makers. Even ordinary fishermen can become world-changers. As a certain Carpenter told them one fine day, "Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

So feel more focused now. Think I understand the purpose of our sub-district vision more clearly now: to be more effective in our outreach by 1. becoming more influential and 2. winning the more influential.

Of course, God's hand is essential in this area: Paul was certainly a influential person, but before he became a Christian, he was zealously persecuting Christians and influencing others to do the same. Only God could save him... and he did.

So in the end... we have the best person with us even as we do our best to influence others to Christ: none other than Jesus Christ Himself! It is really good to know that He is with us always, to the very end of the age.

Questions for the day:
1. What is it about me that attract others to Christ?
2. What is it about me that do not attract others to Christ?
3. With what natural attractions/skills can I use to increase my sphere of influence? (e.g. good looks, brains, etc.)
4. How can these natural attractions be used to help bring people near enough for them to become influenced by Jesus? [the key thing is that Jesus Christ is NOT a concept, nor is He an idea. He is a LIVING Person, for Christ's sake! (pun intended!)]
5. Who are the people in my current sphere of influence?
6. Why are they in my current sphere of influence?
7. Why exactly do I want to influence others for God?
8. Where exactly is God participating in my sphere of influence?
9. Am I being an Optimus Prime or a Megatron? i.e. am I influencing others for good or for bad?
10. What are some misconceptions that hinder me from becoming a saltier and brighter influencer?