Tue 24 Feb
2009
Saving the World: Drive to a Thousand Conversations
Posted at 10:53 AM by Max Cameron
Today we're proud to announce our Drive to Start 1,000 Relationships facilitated by Astroscope, our ice-breaker app. We're saving the world, one conversation at a time.
The Crisis
Every day, tens of millions of decent, honest, single men - young and old alike – wake up thinking that today could be the day they meet the person they’ve been longing for. In art galleries, bars, restaurants, shops, and offices, the possibility of meeting someone new holds all the promise of potential happiness. But all too often, men lack the confidence to initiate that first conversation. They stand and talk, sip from bottles of beer, peer at their cell phones, and pretend to act macho so their weaknesses may not be revealed.
And, more often than not, they return home alone at the end of another long night, with neither a phone number nor an email address as a symbol of their progress towards their goal. And I ask why: these aren’t unattractive men, they’re not grotesque or disfigured or misshaped. These aren’t unintelligent guys, they’re not feeble or awkward or depressed. No, these are normal, every-day guys, who may be imperfect, but no less deserving of the care and affection that most take for granted. I should know, because I once counted myself among them.
Consequences
When a man loses his confidence, terrible things happen: Ex-girlfriends get booty-called, sausage-parties emerge, prostitution flourishes, pornography wins, real relationships lose - this is not the dignified life that we all deserve.
There are men who have acquiesced to living a life of solitude. These are men who lack the confidence to make a striking and bold first impression. Men who have been repeatedly torn down and ripped apart by those women who fail to see the decent human being inside. To these men I say: we do not blame you, we do not hold you in contempt; we are understanding and you must know that we’ll be ready to help, when you’re ready to help yourselves.
A New Voice
To the men that have hope, but lack resolve; for the boys who are strong, yet shy; for the guys that can deliver, but not initiate; we are here to help. Do not despair in your solitude, for it is temporary. Do not relinquish your belief in the possibility of love, or the satisfaction and power of mutual attraction. Instead rejoice, and take heed that today, above all other days, you have friends who understand what you’re feeling, and who have been working long hours, spanning days and nights and weeks and months, to bring your nights of loneliness to an end.
We know that the striking pain of rejection can be enough to break the will of a titan. And there will never be a perfect solution to this reality. Whatever does not kill us can only make us stronger. I ask you: would satisfaction taste as sweet as it does if it wasn’t contrasted to the sinking feeling of failure and defeat? This, among many other reasons, is why we must continue to persevere, even in the face of humiliation.
Yes We Can!
And so today, we’re unveiling our plan to make our contribution to the happiness and well-being of all the guys that find themselves alone when the night is through, although that might not be their wish. We pledge to work night and day, hour-by-hour, writing line for line and word for word, until we reach our non-negotiable goal of starting ONE-THOUSAND relationships initiated by Astroscope, our ice-breaker application for the iPhone. We will not rest, we will not tire, we will give up on our belief that anything is possible.
With our technology, and your courage, we’re going to relentlessly pursue our ambitious milestone together. We will stand beside you, and give you the tools you need to start that first conversation. We cannot say for certain that you’ll get some, but we can give you a great start. Working hand in hand, we can turn heartbreak into fulfillment, sorrow into joy, Machismo into humility. Today, I reaffirm to all men, that we are created equal, and that we all have an indisputable right to the happiness we deserve.
Good luck, my friends, and Godspeed.
Also, you can read the story of how Astroscope came to be, and how Astroscope Will Change the World.