Who Do We Choose To Be?

Tipping Points

Our bias toward progress is easily seen in how we view “tipping points,” a bona fide scientific principle in physics, now adopted by social change activists. The original term means turning points or phase transitions, the last straw that breaks the camel’s back when the system suddenly shifts into a new state. Yet in popular lingo, the concept has been adopted as the way to create positive social change in the future. People I know have been working to create a percentage of people so that the scales will tip and suddenly we’ll find ourselves in a bright new future. How many people does it take to create the tip? Estimates have varied widely but start with speculation that as few as 10 percent of a population can create the sudden ...