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Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World

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Overview

Imagine waking up every morning believing that your actions can make a significant change in the world.

For everyone who has ever yearned for a better life and a better world, Craig and Marc Kielburger share a blueprint for personal and social change that has the power to transform lives one act at a time. Through inspirational contributions from people from all walks of life and moving stories drawn from more than a decade of their experience as international change-makers, the Kielburgers reveal that a more fulfilling path is ours for the taking when we find the courage to reach out.

Me to We is an approach to life that leads us to recognize what is truly valuable, make new decisions about the way we want to live, and redefine the goals we set for ourselves and the legacy we want to leave. Above all, it creates new ways of measuring meaning, happiness, and success in our lives, and makes these elusive goals attainable at last.

After you've absorbed the ideas presented in this book, your life may not end up as you had envisioned. You may not acquire a house on a beach in the Caymans, but you may find your toes grounded in the sand. You may not see an enormous change in your social life, but in your life you may very well see enormous social change. You may not find the person of your dreams, but you will help people young and old go beyond their's. This book will open your eyes and change the way you look at life. Treat it as an invitation: an invitation to discover the power of the Me to We philosophy and to join the growing community of people around the world who are embracing this way of life.

Editorial Reviews

The Kielburger brothers have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their human rights work (they founded Free the Children, an international organization that builds schools in developing countries). In their first book a best seller in their native Canada they put forth their longtime message: when we find the courage to take on consistent and small but personally meaningful responsibilities through what we say, do, feel, and think, life becomes more an opportunity than an obligation. The authors suggest that recognizing our true natures and using our energy to foster a real connection between ourselves and the world (their "Me to We" philosophy) are key to maintaining our well-being and spiritual integrity. Each chapter contains three sections intended to motivate readers toward their own spiritual evolution. These sections enumerate personal questions to ask oneself, social issues to consider, and practical ways of taking action. Interesting personal narratives from everyone from ordinary citizens to celebrities (e.g., actor Richard Gere and the late humanitarian Mother Teresa) as well as generalizations of sociological studies and statistics are meant to inspire. Much of this is a reiteration of the age-old idea that compassion plus action makes a difference, but it bears repeating as guidance for a YA audience for whom all of this may be new. Recommended for the self-help collections of all public libraries. Lisa Liquori, MLS, Syracuse, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Marc Kielburger

Marc Kielburger is a Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar with a law degree from Oxford University. He is cofounder and chief executive director of Leaders Today and chief executive director of Free The Children. Marc is a columnist for The Toronto Star, Canada's most-read newspaper. He is one of the youngest recipients of the Canadian business community's Top 40 Under 40 award.

Bio of Craig Kielburger

Craig Kielburger is the founder and chairperson of Free The Children and the cofounder of Leaders Today. Craig has received the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award, the World Economic Forum GLT Award, the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child, the Roosevelt Freedom Medal, the Governor General's Medal of Meritorious Service, the State of the World Forum Award, and two honorary doctorates. He has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Fireside

Filesize

1.66 MB

Number of Pages

320

eBook ISBN

074329839X

Excerpt from: Me to We by Marc Kielburger

Craig's Story:
"I'm Only One Boy!"

Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.
-- VIKTOR E. FRANKL

Some people's lives are transformed gradually. Others are changed in an instant.
My own moment of truth happened over a bowl of cereal one morning when I was twelve years old. Sitting at our kitchen table munching away, I was about to dive into the daily newspaper in search of my favorite comics -- Doonesbury, Calvin and Hobbes, Wizard of Id. The cartoons were my morning ritual. But on this particular day, April 19, 1995, I didn't get past the front page. There was one headline that was impossible to miss: BATTLED CHILD LABOUR, BOY 12 MURDERED.
I read on.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- When Iqbal Masih was 4 years old, his parents sold him into slavery for less than $16. For the next six years, he remained shackled to a carpet-weaving loom most of the time, tying tiny knots hour after hour. By the age of 12, he was free and traveling the world in his crusade against the horrors of child labor. On Sunday, Iqbal was shot dead while he and two friends were riding their bikes in their village of Muridke, 35 kilometres outside the eastern city of Lahore. Some believe his murder was carried out by angry members of the carpet industry who had made repeated threats to silence the young activist.
(Used with permisssion of The Associated Press, copyright (c) 1995. All rights reserved.)
After reading this article, I was full of questions. What kind of parent sells a four-year-old child into slavery? Who would chain a child to a carpet loom? I didn't have any ready answers. What I really wanted was to talk to Marc, my older brother by six years, but he was away at college. I knew that even if Marc couldn't answer my questions, he would at least know where to start looking. But that day I was on my own.
After school, I headed to the public library and started to dig through newspapers and magazines. I read about children younger than me who spent endless hours in dimly lit rooms making carpets. I found stories about kids who slaved in underground pits to bring coal to the surface. Other reports told of underage workers killed or maimed by explosions in fireworks factories. My head was swimming. I was just a kid from the suburbs, and like most middle-class kids, my friends and I spent our time shooting hoops and playing video games. This was beyond me.
I left the library bewildered and angry at the world for allowing such things to happen to children. I simply could not understand why nothing was being done to stop the cruelty. How could I help?
I asked myself what Marc would do.
As brothers, we've never been rivals. We are too far apart in age to feel any sibling jealousy. And, as corny as it sounds, we've always been there for each other. When I was younger, I watched in awe as Marc seemed to excel effortlessly in everything -- school, public speaking, rugby, and tennis. But what set Marc apart was his belief that he could make a difference.
When Marc was thirteen, he turned a passion for environmental issues into a one-boy campaign. For an eighth-grade science project, he tested the harmful effects of brand-name household cleaners on the water system. Next he used lemons, vinegar, and baking soda to create environmentally friendly alternatives that did the job just as well, if not better.
Marc seemed to be unstoppable. He gave speeches, founded an environmental club, created petitions, and collected thousands of signatures. As a result, he became the youngest person in our province to receive the Ontario Citizenship Award.
A younger brother could have no better role model. I knew that young people could have the power to make a difference when it comes to issues they care about. Why not me?