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Small Thoughts, Big Impact

It is funny how how significant historical moments can often remind you of what you were doing at the time. I remember exactly where I was on the Sunday afternoon that Nelson Mandela was released, but heaven only knows what I did the day before, or after for that matter!

I remember that on May 10, 1986, I was a member of the Solihull School Under 11 Cricket Team that played against King Edward’s School at their playing fields in Edgbaston. Do I remember much of the match? No! Do I remember headed straight to my mum’s car to listen to the FA Cup Final after I was ‘unfortunately’ run out? Absolutely I do, and I nearly took the roof off when Ian Rush scored the goal that clinched the match for Liverpool!

My 10th Birthday is an easy recollection, because I sat and watched the great Vivian Richards defeat England almost single-handed with a virtuoso performance in the 1-Day International at Old Trafford. Don’t ask me about my 12th or 13th Birthdays however, or even the 1-Day International some 48 hours later, because I am unable to remember!

There are so many other random events that I remember lucidly, due to that association, like the trip home from Stratford Cricket Club listening to a certain radio commentary from Turin on July 4, 1990, or having chips for dinner on the day that dad unexpectedly brought Muhammad Ali round for dinner … now I could not tell you what I had for breakfast, although I would have definitely had some for fear of the wrath of mum if I didn’t!

All of this brings me to Saturday 13 July, 1985, another heavenly weekend in the life of the sports loving teenager. However, that day was not spent watching the Third Ashes Test Match on television, but glued to the family screen watching legends from all over the world appear in a festival of music, to raise money for Africa, principally the famine stricken Ethiopia.

It was exactly 25 years ago today that the attentions of the world turned to Wembley Stadium and John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia) for Live Aid. Memories of that day are clear and many, with the ‘immaculate looking’ Bob Geldof seemingly ubiquitous.

My particular favourites were Dire Straits, and the unlikely but spectacular duo of Bowie and Jagger ‘Dancing In The Street’. There was also the questioning look at my mum to ask how Phil Collins started in London but by dinner time was in America. The confusion was enough to distract me from the best of Captain Birdseye for the best part of 5 minutes!

The beauty of such spectacularly clear distant memories often present themselves in the ability to relate them to the here and now. Whilst Live Aid remains an iconic event and day, how is its success measured in the bigger picture?

We know that up to £30 million was raised by the event itself, but we also know that certain BBC reports have suggested that a huge proportion of this was siphoned into the wrong hands to purchase weapons. There are a small handful of people that will know the truth, but you and I are unlikely to be amongst them, certainly not I.

The most tragic truth, however, is that 25 years on, many parts of Africa remain deeply entrenched in famine, poverty, disease, political corruption and civil war. This is not, however, to say that Live Aid was not important, but it suggests that its biggest legacy will be the fact that it raised such awareness of the problems faced in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries.

We live today in a society absolutely brimful of charities and causes. It seems that you can hardly walk a few metres in our city centres without being accosted by someone wanting you to part with your contact details and eventually bank details.

It can be awfully frustrating, but only because of the guilt it provokes within, for whilst many of us would help every charity possible, there is only so much that you can give. So if I am limited in donating by Direct Debit to World Vision and the National Autistic Society, I make no apology because the bills are not going to pay themselves.

I think it is a testament to the good in people that despite the economic crisis that has affected all of us, many are digging deeper than ever to support our preferred causes. Just looking at the impact of Charity Tuesday on Twitter is enough to give hope to so many. At this point, I would like to mention the unbelievably valuable efforts of Iain Cooke, the Twitter feed (@TweeetStreet) of whom publicises a plethora of special causes.

As a child, I witnessed poverty in my home country of Guyana, and also in the townships of South Africa. I grew up acutely aware of the fortune that had been bestowed on me in my upbringing, and even now when things might appear particularly difficult, I simply think of the millions who have never had even a modicum of the opportunity that I have.

For those who think that there are too many charities, the solution is simple. Find just one cause which means something to you, and donate even the smallest affordable amount when you can. It will light you up inside for a moment, and it will have an unimaginably positive impact on the life of another.

I started by talking about the way that we remember significant events. I conclude with a simple reminder that the simplest gesture of faith or kindness from you, will create that significant event in the life of another.