World Vasectomy Day is encouraging men to join forces and take responsibility for family planning. This is an opportunity to bring people together to talk about our collective responsibility while offering men a concrete way to contribute towards a solution by having a vasectomy.
Jonathan Stack recognizes that life is not easy, “but nevertheless, the blessings that come from so much life far outweigh the burdens.”
Personal Journal: Aug 1, 2013
Life is not easy or pleasant when you’re begging for dollars to launch something as unique and complex as a “World Day” that involves a medical procedure, no matter how simple it may be. It’s not easy, money is not rolling in and the stress of the clock ticking towards October 18th is inexorable (I love that word … and waited 17 blogs to be able to use it) and intimidating.
And yet, today, I wake up in Conway, Massachusetts and the weather is perfect. The children, all six of them between my girlfriend and I, are either in camp or working and all are seemingly happy. And I am happy. No, life is not easy when you’ve made it as complicated as I have, but nevertheless, the blessings that come from so much life far outweigh the burdens.
Yes, crowdfunding can be humiliating and humbling and until I have figured out how to create “real crowds,” I don’t think I’ll be doing another one for a while. Yes, I love the idea of community created and community funded projects, but we all have so many competing interests, responsibilities and paths that joining together on one is almost a miracle. Yet, I’m heartened by the efforts of those who have gotten us this far. Indeed, inspired and motivated and kept focused by the incredibly dedicated, committed and thoughtful people who have gone beyond the call of duty and certainly beyond their pay scale.
There is the producer who manages the ridiculously complex web of bureaucratic requirements that an event like this inevitably has. I mean let’s face it, getting permission to do an open air vasectomy in front of a live audience of a hundred is not easy. The legalities, insurance and logistics are overwhelming. So when this happens, it will not only be a minor miracle, it will be the result of her unswerving focus on the prize ahead.
There is the online guru and her staff (of 0.2) who unceasingly gets materials out there, sets goals and standards and tasks and keeps the spirit going not matter how bleak it might feel. There’s the executive producer who might have bailed months ago, but stays strong throughout, somehow believing that the money “stream” will begin to flow in and not just out. There are friends in Colorado and Brooklyn who are there to listen, to plan, to pitch and help us figure out the World Vasectomy Day website. There is the “marketing guru” in Philadelphia and her team ready to turn an idea into a real life happening. And everyday something new and exciting and possible happens … despite the odds.
Crowdfunding, as it turns out, is not just be about money (BUT PLEASE KEEP IT COMING!!!! http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/world-vasectomy-day/.) Most importantly, it’s about community, about friendships, small acts of kindness, about thoughtful moments I’ll never forget and forever be grateful for, and people you don’t know showing up in ways you could not have imagined.
Yesterday I am reminded of why I am doing this and why we are asking all of you to participate. In the evening we spoke with the Programs Manager at the RiAus (Royal Institution of Australia), our partners in the project and the host venue for the event in Australia. The RiAus event will be the flagship event of the “vasectomy-athon” and the central gathering place of a lot of amazing people coming together to share and discuss critical ideas … the very ideas that inspired this whole venture. I told the RiAus Programs Manager how grateful I am for their support and she said, she is equally as grateful for what we were bringing and acknowledged how special this day was going to be for them as well.
Then we started talking about what the day will look like and how it would unfold. I can’t share details quite yet, but it will be beautiful and brilliant and all the suffering and all the sacrifice and all the effort by so many amazing people will have been worth it. I am sure of that today.
I remember that I am doing this not just to succeed but to make a difference. You see, the truth is, we do live in dangerous times and it is no exaggeration to say that the future of the planet is precarious for human life as we know it. It is also true that Earth is a magnificent place and to have been blessed with life is a gift that we should never take for granted. World Vasectomy Day is a chance to celebrate the very best of what it is to be human, by making the most simple, loving, thoughtful sacrifice a man can make. Not to die or kill, but to simply say, enough. I don’t need to make more life. I need to take better care of the life that already exists.
And I am reminded that we do it, not because it is best for the future or for humanity or for the planet, but because it is the right thing for those we should love the most … ourselves, and those closest to us. That said, I think it’s perfect that a small act of self loving can make a difference for now and forever … World Vasectomy Day is a celebration of our power as individuals to affect the world. Who we are matters and what we do matters very much as well.
The same holds true for crowdfunding. It might be just a little, but even the littlest contribution to our campaign can have the biggest effect … Thank you!
We want you to join in a new conversation about population and consumption, by asking men to take a very personal action to change the world.
Please contribute to our Crowdfunding Campaign. The countdown is on …
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/world-vasectomy-day/
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