Raindrops, Lone Nuts, and Medals: Completeness in Collective Impact

"No single raindrop believes it's to blame for the flood."

_{Attributed to Douglas Adams, source unknown}

THE MEAT (The Main Idea)

Picture a lone blade of grass, growing in isolation- it doesn't make a field. A single grain of sand on a shore hardly constitutes a beach. Likewise, a solo book on a shelf doesn't make a library. When these singular elements come together and multiply, their collective influence brings completeness. 

The author's quote speaks truth to the concept of shared responsibility and the ripple effect of individual actions. The metaphor of raindrops turned flood emphasizes how seemingly insignificant actions, when combined, can lead to significant consequences. 

Instead of singular or multiplied objects, now think of behaviors. How can a lone act or behavior have an impact when multiplied? This image encourages us to contemplate the interconnectedness of our choices and behaviors on a grander scale. Let's explore its depths. 

THE CHEESE (Added Depth) 

You've likely seen the viral video where a lone individual starts dancing at a festival. Initially dismissed as a "lone nut," this perception shifts when a second person joins in (with equally sweet dance moves). Within two minutes, the solitary dancer is no longer a lone nut but a spirited leader and is responsible for an impromptu dance party. If you've never seen this awesome video, narrated by Derek Sivers, hit play below: 

Let's dissect this transformation. The individual moves- a flap of an arm here, a jerk of a leg there, and a pelvic wiggle - are just simple movements of appendages. But when you combine these movements, they form a dance. When another person joins, the lone dancer becomes part of a larger system- the dance floor community, where each participant contributes to a system greater than the sum of its individual moves. 

Zooming out, we can view this dance party as a system. Donella Meadows, in Thinking in Systems, highlights the importance of understanding how various inputs impact that whole. Systems thinking encourages curiosity about what happened, how it happened, and why it occurred before attempting to change it. 

Let's imagine we see the lone dancer as a disruptor and stop him from dancing, we may stifle the potential for a movement. What if the disruptor isn't a troublemaker but a vital element instigating change? By reframing disruptors as catalysts within a broader system, we acknowledge the intricate dance shaping collective impact. If we mislabel the raindrop-turned-flood analogy as a flood, we may miss the potential of the combined force a million raindrops create. When harnessed appropriately, the flood becomes a force for electrical energy, as seen in phenomena like Niagara Falls. 

In layering these concepts of system thinking, curiosity guides us. We aim to understand how collective impact can create systems, appreciate their dynamics, and uncover potential forces without the assignment of judgment. 

THE OLIVES (A Surprising Element) 

Adams' language and word choice in the use of "blame" in the quote, really demands that we take another look. Why not just say, "No single raindrop believes it's responsible for the flood?" But instead, he uses the word blame. 

Blame insinuates fault. At its core, blame refers to the act of assigning responsibility for a fault or wrongdoing. It's a verb that indicates the action of holding someone responsible or accountable for something. It often carries negative connotations, implying judgment or criticism. These negative undertones can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, or resentment. So the raindrop feels no guilt for its individual contribution to the flood. Each raindrop understands its role in the collective downpour without shouldering the blame. 

The quote reminded me of an African philosophy called Ubuntu. Translated, ubuntu means, "I am because we are." It is representative of a value system where individual identity is inseparable from a larger relational and communal environment. To better understand my fascination with Adams' word choice, imagine the Olympics, where individual athletes compete to win medals for their country. When an athlete wins a medal, it counts toward the overall medal count for that country. It is not an isolated triumph but rather a contribution to the nation. The individual isn't blamed for the collective win; instead, the country celebrates its shared achievement. AH! Now can you see the peculiarity of Adams' word choice? "Blame" disrupts the communal spirit of the collective contribution. It challenges the conventional narrative of collective responsibility and shared success. The raindrop, just like the athlete, plays a part in the larger whole without being burdened by blame. 

As we move forward, it's essential to consider the flip side. When an athlete falls short of the win, the individual is not to blame for the collective loss. Success and failure in a communal setting are not solely attributed to one person (ahem, Buffalo Bills fans). 

_{(Thanks to Ryan Garey for submitting this quote for analysis).}