Making ripples in history

Take a Saturday. A rainy day. Grey skies with not a glimmer of sunshine. Steady dripping. Puddles. Raincoats, opened umbrellas of varied sizes.

It's Saturday shopping fever. It's the "I want..." day of the week.

And in the midst of this was what a friend described "the rag tag army of God". A straggly group of Make Poverty History supporters. In the rain, steady dripping, in the midst of manic shoppers and Saturday enjoyers was this motley band of people.

Of striking diversity was this "army"; they were of different social backgrounds, spanned generations and ages (from 2year olds to 75 year olds), and different religious persuasions (muslims, christians and atheists). There were teenagers dancing to the drumbeats, their were the gothic contingent in full regalia - vividly black and wildly pierced, the demure elderly with shopping bags and cardigans, parents holding the hands of little lively 2year olds, a band of pulsating drummers, an over-enthusiastic labrador and even a green and cheery Robinhood.

If I had been tempted to think that it is pointless and despair of the leaders of the rich and powerful nations listening to voices scattered around the world, Saturday made me think again. We made a point - about Fair Trade, about justice, about changing lifestyles to accomodate a fairer and more equal world.

That was what Saturday did. It was a group of people saying something. Willing to look foolish, willing to be small but vociferous, willing to keep trying in the midst of discouraging odds against them. On a day that was so "I want" centred, a small group of people cared to dare the rain and focus not on "I, me, my", but justice for a part of the world they probably have never even seen.

Perhaps at the end of the day - changes may never come. I hope I am wrong and I hope that time will prove different. But at the end of the day what matters is that people care and want to make the changes.

And all we can do is try - where ever we are - to be different, to live differently and to speak out when and where we can.