One Person Can Make All the Difference
My friend Mark Cherrington recently pointed me to his Discover magazine article describing how one man has managed to create a viable habitat for migratory birds in Israel that has actually saved a large portion of European birds and the ecosystems that depend on them on three continents(!). I responded to Mark with my concern that if so much depends on the work of one person, how can we muster much hope for the myriad of crises we face? His reply strikes me as persuasive recognition of the mystery behind redemption and a welcome apology for faith:

"I agree that the individuals on the front lines are sparse, and there's no question that the forces arrayed against them are formidable, but what I find really remarkable is how extraordinarily effective these few individuals can be. Reuven has saved billions of birds and the ecosystems that depend on them on three continents. And he's just one man. I know another scientist who is working with leatherback sea turtles (the world's largest reptile and severely endangered) in Costa Rica, and he started with a nesting beach where not a single baby turtle was making it to the ocean because poachers were taking all the eggs the turtles laid. This year, because of his work, 125,000 baby turtles made it to the ocean, the beach has been turned into a national park, and the poachers are now park guides. Again, the work of essentially one man. I know another person, an 80-year-old former nurse who started a project in the back country of Cameroon, where intestinal parasites are rampant and thousands of people die as a result. The area is so remote that regular aid agencies can't work there, and this woman walked in with her project to find the causes of the parasite problem and present solutions. She collected stool samples from dozens of villages, educated the people about the importance of clean water, built latrines and wells, and recruited villagers to work with her to spread the word. Four years later, the incidence of these parasites in central Cameroon had been cut by 40 percent and thousands of lives had been saved (and she has been officially declared a Princess).

"You see what I mean? Even though these are just individuals, they dramatically change the course of ecosystems, nations, and species. Politicians should wish for so much power. As long as those are the kind of folks who are out there fighting the good fight, I don't worry too much. And what a thrill it is to write about them." Here's Mark's article about the bird sanctuary.