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The GoodLetter Thursday, January 23, 2003
GoodThings, Inc. :: Stories, actions, ideas, and greeting cards that connect us.
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| This Week's Feature
A Farewell GoodLetter
by Barcy Fisher and Wood Turner, GoodThings, Inc.
All good things must come to an end.
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Dear GoodLetter readers,
Sadly, this is the final issue of The GoodLetter. It is a deep disappointment for those of us here at GoodThings and hopefully for those of you who have come to expect the warmth of a Friday morning GoodLetter in your e-mail inbox. But we hope that if we've accomplished anything over the past two and a half years of publishing The GoodLetter, it's that we've infused in you an appreciation of the possible, an awareness of the fact that every day throughout the world people are working creatively and constructively to build a better world. With that knowledge in hand, we can each go out and confidently do our parts, large and small.
The GoodLetter has been the way we've tried to do our part for awhile, and now it's time to move on and find a different way to contribute. So, this last GoodLetter is closure for us and a tribute to you, our faithful readers and supporters. If after reading this last GoodLetter you still have unanswered questions, please send us an e-mail to editor@goodthings.com, and we'll do our best to give you an answer. Also, we'd love to hear from you if GoodThings and The GoodLetter have made a small difference in your life. Your kind words of support and appreciation have kept us going over the years, and they'd be especially nourishing now.
We never actually imagined that this day would come, opting always for the optimistic possibility of growth and expansion, but here it is. And a simple farewell GoodLetter -- mixed in with a simple, heartfelt thank you -- will have to do.
For the past 121 issues of The GoodLetter, you, our readers, have helped us share ideas from around the world that have shown both the unwavering strength of the human spirit and the amazing things passionate people can accomplish. We've loved that The GoodLetter has evolved so much over time that it's enabled us to explore not only progressive issues such as human rights, the arts, the environment, global health, and the quest for nonviolence and world peace, but also simple, poignant stories about the experiences that make all of our ordinary lives extraordinary. The GoodLetter has given us a chance to create a unique mix of words and ideas that's made us just a little different from other Web sites and magazines, and we're so thankful that you've helped make it possible.
What did we set out to do when we launched The GoodLetter and GoodThings.com? We wanted to create a space where people's efforts to make the world a better place were celebrated, a place where people's constructive action was documented and applauded, a place where the passion in real people's voices could be heard. We believed there needed to be a compelling counterpoint to the evening news, that continuing to place undue focus on tragedy rather than triumph was -- or is – having a destructive impact on the human psyche.
Michael Moore, in his recent acclaimed documentary Bowling for Columbine, has put the issue in startling perspective by pointing out that while violence has decreased in the US in recent years, reporting on violence has increased in leaps and bounds. And Barry Glassner, in his book The Culture of Fear writes: "Television news programs survive on scares. On local newscasts, where producers live by the dictum 'if it bleeds, it leads,' drug, crime, and disaster stories make up most of the news portion of the broadcasts. Evening newscasts on the major networks are somewhat less bloody, but between 1990 and 1998, when the [US] murder rate declined by 20 percent, the number of murder stories on network newscasts increased by 600 percent (not counting stories about O.J. Simpson)."
Sure, the world is far from perfect, but why, when there are so many examples of people dedicating themselves to creating positive change in the world, must the media focus solely on stories of hatred, violence and destruction? Why? The GoodLetter has been our small attempt to counter the media feeding frenzy driven by people's darkest fears. The people you've heard from in The GoodLetter have started non-profits, gathered in the name of peace, coached and mentored, doggedly strived to bring beauty back to the world's war-torn corners, even offered extraordinary wisdom in the face of earth-shattering events. These are the stories we want our children to hear. These are the stories that matter -- passionate people doing extraordinary things. These are the stories that will allow all of us, participants and observers, to feel alive and motivated to make change.
We've always said we wanted to create a virtual front porch for the world, where people could get together and share ideas. They could come from all walks of life and every corner of the planet and needed to be similar in one way and one way only: in their shared desire to inspire and be inspired by the good in the world. We did what we set out to do. 60,000 people from all over the world cozied up on that front porch every week to celebrate the incredible things that make us human, namely a profound capacity for caring for other people and a deep desire to give something back to the world. And what a refreshing weekly gathering with other people it's been.
Certainly, that's speaking for ourselves, but from the sounds of so many of your letters and comments over the past couple of years, many of you feel the same way. We've been really touched by how your letters have reinforced the goals we've had for GoodThings. We've done our very best to respond to as many letters as we could, but we've fallen woefully short. Perhaps now's a good time to tell you how small we really are. It's easy to seem big when you're on the Web, but at our largest, we had a dedicated staff of five people, cramped into a tiny office here in Seattle. Now it's just the two of us. We've tried to do a lot with very few human and financial resources.
That's why we were so excited a year or so ago when we thought we could modestly support our work here on The GoodLetter and on the Web site by designing, producing, and selling recycled-paper greeting cards inspired by the "Favorite GoodThings" feature at the top of every GoodLetter. Thanks to all of you who have bought cards from us -- either on our Web site or from the hundreds of retail stores around the US that are now selling them. We're proud of our cards and so proud that they helped us increase awareness of positive and constructive ideas for so long by enabling us continue to publish "The GoodLetter" without having to feature flashing advertisements on our site or charge our readers for subscriptions. All of you who have responded to our call to purchase cards from us have helped us believe at times that The GoodLetter could last forever.
But the hard truth is that it can't. Even though our cards have done very well, current sales can no longer afford to support a staff. That's why this is the last issue of The GoodLetter and the end of GoodThings as we know it. The reality is plain -- we simply can't afford to continue.
The GoodThings.com Web site will live on indefinitely, so whenever you need a dose of something constructive, an example of somebody making a difference in the world, you should always feel free to visit the GoodLetter archive at www.goodthings.com/archive or just surf around the site. The stories will remain, as will our cards, which will continue to be available for sale on our Web site and in retail stores. We will cheerfully and enthusiastically continue to fill wholesale orders, so as ever, if you know of stores that absolutely, positively should be carrying GoodThings Greeting Cards, please tell them about us, or tell us about them. You'll always be able to find our cards at www.goodthings.com/cards
Somewhere down the line -- maybe next month, maybe next year -- there may be a second life for the GoodThings/GoodLetter concept, and if we come up with something sustainable, we will be sure to let you know. Hopefully, you'll be just as excited to rejoin our little community as you were the first time you found GoodThings on the Web. But for now, we'll close the door on the incredible time we had. Barcy has an energetic puppy eager for many a walk through Seattle's Discovery Park, and Wood's going to relish more time with his three-month-old twins. Still, it's terribly sad to walk away. We'll miss The GoodLetter and all of you who have loved it.
Since we launched GoodThings, in spite of trying times in the world, we've found ways to reinvigorate our dream, to reconnect with what we hoped to accomplish. Most recently, it was when we crowded into a movie theater with what seemed like the rest of the world to see the latest installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. At the end of the movie, after our friendly hobbit heroes Frodo and Sam have literally been to hell -- or Mordor -- and back and Frodo feels like giving up their quest, Sam poignantly reminds his friend that hope is everything and that the only way to survive in a world of darkness and destruction is "to believe that there are good things in the world."
We like to think The GoodLetter has stood for that belief.
Thanks for everything. Please stay in touch.
Peace,
:: Barcy Fisher
Founder and CEO
:: Wood Turner
Editorial Director and Publisher
GoodThings, Inc.
Seattle, Washington USA
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TALK ABOUT IT
Thoughts on this GoodLetter? Want to say goodbye? Want to share a bright idea?
E-mail us at editor@goodthings.com
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Readers Respond
One more thing before we go! For inspiration, take a look at these three recent shares from readers like you who are making the world a better place. Thanks to Judy, Jorjan, and Patricia for sharing these wonderful ideas. We think they're truly representative of all the amazing "goodthings" we've discovered together over the past two and a half years:
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:: Connecting the generations
Submitted by Judy Moseley of Eugene, Oregon
"I would like to introduce you to Encore Theatre. I am their Board President, and they are a group of people near and dear to my heart doing work that I highly value and respect. Using theatre to connect kids and seniors, I watch a phenomenal experience occur between those generations. One youth told me during Encore's performance 2002 tour: 'This day will stay with me for the rest of my life and some day I hope to share it with my grandchildren.'
Encore Theatre was founded in 1997 by Eliza Roaring Springs to connect two generations frequently isolated by our American culture: seniors and youth. Through song, dance, and storytelling, seniors share their wisdom, dispel the myths of aging, personalize history, and foster self-esteem in youth. By relating their life experiences in an entertaining and thought-provoking way, they provide a bridge between the generations that is greatly needed at this time..."
Learn more about it: www.encoreeugene.net
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:: Canine companions
Submitted by Jorjan Powers of Santa Rosa, California
"Dr. Bonnie Bergin developed the concept of the service dog in 1975. Since then, she has been training and placing service dogs for people with disabilities. They do 90 different commands to help people with their independence and overall improvement of the quality of their life. Her agency, the Assistance Dog Institute, has the mission of 'Helping Dogs Help People.' It also is the first world college program of its kind where people can earn an Associate of Sciences degree in Assistance Dog Education. She is teaching people from all over the world how to train service dogs and open their own agencies so that people won't experience the current 3-5 year wait in order to get a service dog."
Learn more about it: www.caninecompanions.org
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:: Educating policy makers
Submitted Patricia Carey of Seattle, Washington
"We coordinate a program that pairs low-income parents with public policy makers for one month so that the two can better understand each other's circumstances and 'walk a mile' in each other's shoes. Our program is called 'Walk A Mile.' Pairs attend meetings and appointments with one another throughout the month. Some new and improved policies and services have evolved because of these matches. Our program has been implemented in 26 states around the country."
Learn more about it: www.walkamile.org
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THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU.
Suggestions? Questions? Reprints? Syndication requests?
CONTACT us at goodletter@goodthings.com.
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© 2003 GoodThings, Inc. All rights reserved, but we love it when you forward
the GoodLetter with abandon.
STORIES, ACTIONS, IDEAS, AND GREETING CARDS THAT CONNECT US
www.goodthings.com
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