Our century's greatest injustice

"Individuals can make a difference, and they should, because we individuals can, together, help create a movement. And a movement of men and women is what's needed to bring about social change, change that will address this great moral challenge of oppression towards girls and women globally.

So then, what's in it for you? You're probably asking that. Why should you care? I will just leave you with two things.

One is that research shows that once you have all of your material needs taken care of -- which most of us, all of us, here in this room do -- research shows that there are very few things in life that can actually elevate your level of happiness. One of those things is contributing to a cause larger than yourself.

The second thing is this anecdote. The story of an aid worker in Darfur. Here was a woman who had worked in Darfur, seeing things that no human being should see. Throughout her time there, she was strong, she was steadfast. She never broke down. And then she came back to the United States and was on break, Christmas break. She was in her grandmother's backyard when she saw something that made her break down in tears. It was a bird feeder. She then realized that she had the great fortune to be born in a country where we take security for granted, where we not only can feed, clothe and house ourselves, but also provide for wild birds so they don't go hungry in the winter. And she realized that with that great fortune comes great responsibility.

Like her, you, me, we have all won the lottery of life. And so the question becomes: how do we discharge that responsibility?"

Sheryl WuDunn (points from her talk on Ted.com)