Paul Loeb is the swarthy and energetic author of several highly acclaimed books, like Soul of a Citizen and The Impossible Will Take A Little While, that detail stories about the power of a normal citizen and the significance of proactive habits. He spoke at Brandeis in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater last Thursday night about those very subjects which stirred him to lead a life of social activism.The atmosphere of Loeb's talk was lighthearted and intimate. He asked the audience to move closer to the front of the theater to create a more personal space. The person who introduced him, a close friend of Loeb's, simply read Loeb's Wikipedia entry, proving that this event would be less of a formal presentation and more of a personal introduction to the ideologies behind the man attempting to stir up the passions of an increasingly distant and unconcerned society.

The focus of the speech seemed to be drawn from the question: Who can get the first ball rolling? The answer Loeb gave was "everybody." One doesn't need to have thousands of dollars to campaign for a cause or to have influence by way of a high political position. One normal person can spur on the passions of another, causing social change to happen.

Loeb proceeded to talk about several examples of people who were normal citizens spurred to make significant changes in their societies. Rosa Parks was one such example, albeit one of the more famous ones. However, as it was revealed in Loeb's explanation of her defiant stand in the bus, it was made clear Rosa Parks didn't have a sudden surge of courage. She was, in fact, actively protesting the discrimination that plagued her and her people. The significant part of her story, however, was how she began her path from African-American woman to civil rights activist. She was introduced to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter in her home state prior to that fateful day on the bus until that famous incident.

Another story that Loeb told was of a girl who, even as she entered college, didn't know what global warming was. She was completely detached from the societal issues that rocked America. But then, piqued by other people who introduced her to these concerns, she joined her university's environmental club, which consisted of only around six people at the time. As her passions grew she spread her voice to the larger populace. By the time she graduated, the environmental club was one of the biggest clubs in a university of over 25,000 students.

Loeb also stressed the importance of not losing sight of the present as one looks toward his or her future. He brought up the example of South African anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu. Tutu was a man who was imprisoned and beaten, who watched his friends and family murdered in front of him and who suffered discrimination his whole life. But he still laughs and jokes, speaks with a smile and is effervescent in every way. Loeb mentioned with a laugh that when he met Tutu once, the famed activist was dancing. "It was the first time that I've ever seen a Nobel Peace Prize winner dance," said Loeb.

However one acts, Loeb insists that he or she takes a stand and does it with positive energy. As a person tries to create the world that ought to be, he or she should never forget the present and enjoy all that it offers right now as it is. And it all starts with one person. Social activism and the fire to create a difference happen in cycles of influence, with one person sparking it in another, and so on. And though Loeb talked about huge social movements, like the Civil Rights movement of the '60s and South Africa's movement to reverse apartheid, a significant change can still be created by anyone, anywhere. Loeb's books can be found in any major bookstore.