Emily Le (Dung Le)English 101Prof. Bee FaxonMarch 13, 2014Word Count: The Influence of Individual Work If one day every individual could impact the environment and save another life, would we, as a community, be able to change the world through this little job? What can we do as individuals? Although as individuals it may seem like we have no impact on the environment or any issues involved in the wider world, by influencing and working with others we can make a big impact through individualisms. Michael Pollan has given us many useful ideas and points in his essay “Why Bother,” but the amazing insight that interests me is how individual work can influence the entire world. “Personally going green is a gamble, nothing more and nothing less, although it is a gamble that we should probably all make, even if the chances of it paying off are not great. Sometimes you have to act as if acting will make a difference, even if you can't prove that it will” (Pollan 3). This quote helps illustrate my idea that individual work is important because a community is made up of many individuals. In my experience, individual work can interrupt the slow process of community work since we, as individuals, will be able to control our actions much better than an entire group. Sometimes a large group needs specialists, and the way a group operates is detrimental to the environment. Additionally, individuals can reap the rewards of their own labor. For example, Michael Pollan advises: “A lot of things happen when you plant a vegetable garden, some directly linked to climate change, some indirectly but nevertheless linked… What else? Well, you'll probably notice that you're getting a pretty good workout in your backyard, burning calories without having...... middle of paper ...... has fulfilled many people's desires to live a better life. Plus, they inspired each other. They have received a lot of love from people for themselves, experiences that they will never be able to get in college. Thanks to the media and social networks, many people are aware of poverty in Guatemala and donations for the inhabitants are increasing every day. I think this is the most important achievement for them. “They have so little but they give us so much,” said Chris Temple (Living on One). Therefore, we are able to speak and change the world as we wish. Individual work is worth more than we can imagine. Work Cited Living on a Dollar. Real. Ingrasci, Zach, Sean Leonard, Chris Temple. Creative visions. 2013. Pollan, Michael. “Why bother?” The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times.com. April 20, 2008. Internet. Accessed in February 12, 2014.