How to Change the World

An advertisement catches my eye. It reads: "Can the next generation save the world?"

If it involves buying a t-shirt, maybe we can.

A little over a year ago, Bono launched Product (Red), which has raised $45 million dollars as of the end of September for The Global Fund from its product sales. Ingenious, really.

However, there are some who seem skeptical of this tactic: Should we really induce people to give to those in need by purchasing things for themselves?

Of course we should. We want to save the world, but we want our ipods as well. Sure, there are those saints who travel to the ends of the earth in hopes of answering the world's prayers. Then, there are the rest of us.

Not that we are bad. We are aware of the devastation in our world. Product(Red) just made it easier on us to shift our awareness into activism by buying merchandise for ourselves that benefits those in need. If you think about it, in combining two trends of my generation, the premise of Product(Red) is an oxymoron: the need for commercialism and the desire for social justice. Really, ingenious.

So for those that are not going to hop on the next plane to Africa, buy Product(Red)'s new "Two Week" shirt at Gap. Your contribution in purchasing the shirt is equivalent to two-weeks of medicine for people living with HIV and AIDS in Africa. Do your part in changing the world.