Be the change you want to see in the world

Be the change you want to see in the world….. and I wonder, is it true? If you were to be that change, will the world actually change or are you just being hopelessly naive? Gandhi said “you must be the change you want to see in the world” and he did it. He was a revolutionary man who was able to accomplish India’s emergence as a nation without starting a revolution. He advocated no violence and atrocity and India was transformed because of the commitment of one man that made the dream of millions came true.

What change can we effect? What's the difference we want to make in the world? The concern is that not everyone bothers about the world enough to want to change it. That is the selfish nature of men. I live for myself and what I have is mine alone. There is no need to bother about the rest of the world, for what can the world give me that I myself cannot get. This is evident everywhere, there is a lack of committed volunteers worldwide, the lack of funds given to non-profit organizations and right down to the measly salary given to workers in such organizations as compared to those in the corporate sector. Why do people not recognize that the world needs them as much as they need the world?

All significant change throughout history has occurred not because of nations, militaries, governments and certainly not even the United Nations. They happened as a result of the courage and commitment of individuals. People like Joan of Ark, St Francis of Assisi, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Mother Teresa. They might not have done it alone, but they were, without question, the “change” makers in the sense that they believe that they can and will make a difference.

The genesis for change is awareness. We cannot change what we don’t acknowledge as wrong, immoral or not working. What we can do is to follow Roosevelt's timeless advice, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Maybe what I'm looking for is not change, just continuity. To carry on the works that others have done in the hope of making the world a better place to live and to love our neighbours as in the parable of “The Good Samaritan”. Yeah, we don't need the changes. We just need a storm and an ark to shake the world in a gentle way. But who is going to build the ark? Where is Noah? And I am not referring to Evan Almighty!