What do we hunger for?

I've created this blog for a number of reasons, one of which being that I want to make a positive impact in the world.  Sounds simplistic and idealistic, I know.  But I believe that positive influence is something that the world hungers for.  

We live in a rough, rough world.  People are starving.  People are depressed.  Some people hunger for better jobs, more meaningful relationships, and granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.  Others are more concerned with where their next meal will come from.  Things are definitely not as great as they could be.

At the same time, we have on our planet all of the physical resources and all of the human capital that we could possibly need to make things better--exponentially.  There is enough food in the world to feed every single one of the several billion people who occupy the planet every single day, and have leftovers for the next day's lunch.  There are enough bright, talented, and energetic people to use the overabundance of raw materials and natural resources at our disposal and provide comfortable shelter, clothing, and even iPads for everyone on the planet.  (And we could even create UNLIMITED bandwidth to accommodate all of those iPads.)

So if there is so much abundance in the world--and if you're still reading this, I'll go with the assumption that you're at least willing to consider the possibility that the statements in the prior paragraph are true--then what does the world really hunger for?  What is the answer to all of the open questions, concerns, trials and tribulations, troubles and hardships, etc.?

Better food supply to starving populations?  Homes for the homeless?  Volunteers teachers, nurses, and builders?  Yes.

All of the above.

But we are not lacking any of the raw material, food supply, or human capital to provide any of those things.

What we need is organization and leadership.  Those are tricky areas, and especially so when there are powerful groups of people who organize and lead for other reasons (like oil).  In order for the resources of the world--people and things--to create positive change, there needs to be positive leadership in place painting a vision for what needs to be, and effective organization in place drawing a plan for getting their.

World leadership has been evolving for many centuries, and while many would argue that today's leaders are no better than the leaders of ancient societies, I would argue that the world is evolving and that there are leaders showing up in all of the places where they are needed.

Are you in a place to lead?  Where can you have influence?  Which positive leaders can you support, and what can you do to lead where you are needed?  

I certainly have my own opinionated answers to these questions, and those answers make up one of my major reasons for creating this blog.