People Who Lead Us to Our Soul’s Home Part 4

September 25, 2026

A statement commonly attributed to anthropologist Margaret Mead reminds us, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever did.” 

From time to time, I come across Dr. Mead’s well-known statement and am always surprised at its startling truth. Her few words remind me that our bodies, minds, hearts, and the souls that empower them are powerful beyond our imagination. Then I am reminded that only through the power of souls tethered to the Divine has any transformation in the world ever come about. 

Why do I forget the magnitude of such a truth? One likely reason is the sheer magnitude of crime, oppression, greed, hatred, violence, and aggression. It seems to breathe down our necks, coming into our homes through our devices and sometimes through people themselves. These destructive forces seem far too systemic, too entrenched, too rooted in the human condition, for a small group to tackle. 

But I am reminded that nascent and established small groups change the course of history and heal the world. 

Just think about the 2003 peace movement in Liberia during their bloody civil war. Leymah Gbowee and a small group of other Christian and Muslim women, gathered in a small room with about ten dollars. They dressed in white, fasted, demonstrated, and prayed. Most importantly, they stuck together and demanded that the men stop fighting. Thousands of women, one by one, joined them. They confronted the president and, en masse, physically blocked negotiators from leaving the stalled peace talks. These women were instrumental in the ending of the war. Only seven frightened, determined women began a force that altered the course of history. 

In 1787, twelve men formed the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, helping launch the organized British campaign against the transatlantic slave trade.

The Rochdale Pioneers (England, 1844) were only twenty-eight poorly paid artisans and weavers who opened their own store to sell their wares in a cooperative, democratic way. This small group created a new way for millions of ordinary people to own and govern economic institutions together. 

Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and a few other women helped build a movement that eventually secured voting rights for women in the United States.

Mahatma Gandhi and a hand full of followers started a nonviolent march against the unjust salt tax imposed by the British. They walked nearly 240 miles over 24 days and along the way thousands of ordinary citizens joined the procession. This movement was the beginning of India’s independence from Britain.

The Nashville student movement also mattered. Their lunch-counter sit-ins helped desegregate downtown Nashville. Those same young people went on to become central figures in the Freedom Rides, SNCC, voting-rights campaigns, and the larger American Civil Rights Movement. A handful of young people meeting in a church basement helped develop the leadership and methods that changed America.

These are people, who in small groups, lead us back home. They turn the tide; they defy popular misperceptions and take us in a new direction—they lead us home to the truth within us. 

Spiritual Practice

Do you notice any ripple effects from any small dedicated groups you have been involved with? How would you describe the power of that group? 

Inquiry

What truth within you was brought out by a small group? 

Prayer

Dear God, 

Give me the will and courage to stand in solidarity with those who are committed to making a difference.

Amen