Me to We Finding Material in a Material World

In life, we are told that easy answers are hard to come by. Many believe that they simply don't exist. We respectfully disagree. Not only do simple answers to life's burning questions exist, but we've learned that those that often appear most obvious can be profoundly life-changing. What's more, in our travels far and wide we've learned that the solutions to life's challenges both large and small can be found at every turn both here in North America and around the world. They are simply waiting to be recognized. What are we talking about? A life philosophy called Me to We, a way of living that feeds the positive in the world -- one action, one act of faith, one small step at a time. Living Me to We has the potential to revolutionize kindness, redefine happiness and success, and rekindle community bonds powerful enough to change your life and the lives of everyone around you. You may think we are rather young to be writing a book like this. You may also wonder what business two ordinary brothers from a middle-class suburban neighborhood have extolling the virtues of an idea as powerful as this one. But the Me to We philosophy does not belong to us. It belongs to you, and to all the others we've been blessed to meet through our extraordinary life experiences. Over the past decade we have had the chance to spend time in more than forty countries meeting with people from all walks of life. We have come to know some of the greatest spiritual, political, and social leaders of our time, and have been fortunate to learn from luminaries like the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Pope John Paul II. Countless others have inspired us with the beauty of their vision, the strength of their commitment, and the significance of their actions. Along the way we have shared simple meals of rice and roti with people struggling in the slums of Calcutta and attended opulent banquets with some of the world's most powerful business moguls at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In the war-torn villages of Sierra Leone, we've had discussions with people whose limbs were savagely amputated by armed militias, and at major United Nations conferences we've sat on panels with heads of state and royalty. We've spent countless hours playing and talking with street children from Brazil to Thailand, as well as meeting with tens of thousands of students, parents, and educators in schools around the world. We have learned important lessons from everyone, from human rights workers in war zones to moms and dads in suburbia, executives in marble-floored offices, and people without any place to call home. With each day that has passed and each new adventure, we've faced a mosaic of human experience and discovered the most surprising thing: amid the extremes of humanity's wealth and poverty, power, and exploitation, happiness is attainable for all. And the most crucial piece of the puzzle is this: true fulfillment starts with finding the courage to reach out. The main challenge, we believe, is that many of us don't yet know where to start. In North America, we have frequently been invited to speak at motivational seminars and conferences, where we have met people from all walks of life who are experiencing a sense of dissatisfaction. Many have difficulty explaining exactly what it is that they are looking for, but instinctively they know that something vital is missing. We believe that the Me to We philosophy can provide both a starting point for change and an antidote for what ails us. We want you to be a part of it, because in our view, this is just the beginning. When we first set out to write this book, we asked ourselves four key questions: 1. Why are so many people dissatisfied and seeking a different approach to life?2. What lessons have we learned about the shift from Me to We?3. How do people stand to benefit from adopting this way of life?4. How can people start liviKielburger, Craig is the author of 'Me to We Finding Material in a Material World', published 2007 under ISBN 9780743294515 and ISBN 0743294513.