I don't really have an answer, because I think it would take a lot for me to finally decide on something. But I have an idea. It's a phrase that I seem to come across more and more, and truly embodies the relatively significant change that happened in my life late in college. It's something that sounds reasonably poetic, wouldn't take up too much room, and is something that I can't imagine that I'll ever not believe in. It's also a message that I want to spread. It was originally said by someone with unbelievable compassion for people, who inspired a positive life to anyone he came in contact with. All sounds gravy right? Well I thought about this for more than a few seconds and I had to have a decent answer, so here it is:
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mohandas Gandhi
I don't have life figured out. I don't have all the answers. In fact, I usually ask more questions than I answer. I've written about so many different little life theories, approaches, and moral tangents that my motto is pretty clear. Live a good life, do what you can to impact the lives of those around you in a positive way, and at the end of the day, you'll be able to sleep at night; the rest is out of your control. But this high level explanation doesn't really include the day to day activities, the nitty gritty, the interactions with people, the words I choose, the stories I tell, and the actions that I perpetuate. And I guess that's where I see this quote fitting in.
I say that I don't have life figured out, because I don't want to ever come across as a preacher. I say I don't have all the answers, because surely I am no stranger to being wrong. And so when situations in life arise where I have an opportunity to divulge my views to help, change, inspire, motivate, or in some way life alter, just spewing out little tidbits of wisdom can't nearly be enough to penetrate a layer of mental programming and create a new perspective.
Because the more you hear, the more you doubt. Tell me you're not sick of reports on the news about what foods are good for you or bad for you. Jelly Beans can help prevent cancer? Great. They can also make you fat? Oh, so I shouldn't eat 45 beans a day? Oh okay. I'm pretty sure, assessing the spectrum of food, we can pretty much, as a society, figure out the foods that aren't good for you, and should be taken in moderation, and the foods that are good for you, and you should try to eat more of. I know, I know, I just said I didn't have all the answers, and just went on a rant claiming to be right, but the point is, countless assertions about any topic saturates all the meanings. Words, as they say, would fall deaf ears.
We are a generation that has been talked at for years of an education. Everything we learned was from a book, or a chalk board, or the mouth of a teacher. So even after the nuggets of knowledge that told us otherwise, 'a picture is worth a thousand words,' and, 'actions speak louder than words,' nothing sinks in.
Finally leads me to my point. And maybe I take something out of the quote that Gandhi wasn't intending, but that's the beauty of literature, writing, poetry, quotes, you pull out any meaning you see. So besides not being a hypocrite, and living a life opposite of the way you wish the world worked, I also see an element of 'talk is cheap,' so to speak. And talk is cheap, because with the amount of dialogue the average person is inundated with throughout the course of a lifetime, the only way to truly begin to turns the gears of change is to lead by example.
This is not a fast process, this does not scream revolution, and by no means will this behavior reside in a spotlight like a rousing, passionate speech, but there are significant moments in history that can be marked by a simple action. Go research examples if you really can't think of any. But I wouldn't write this whole thing because of a few monumental historical instances in time. Situations don't always open up to you like automatic doors at Jewel, they're not that obvious. So you shouldn't be so confined to these designated opportunities. Yes, this is still 'high level,' but the small actions that you can portray keep this grounded. If you don't want people to ride your ass in traffic, then travel at a safe distance from the car in front of you. Hate it when someone leaves the seat of a public restroom up so you have to grab the diseased thing? Make sure you never repeat the favor, even if you're angry at the world. Get offended when people use derogatory slang? Just calling people out on it won't change who they are, but make a conscious effort to eliminate those words from your vocabulary, and who knows, maybe people will catch on.
There is nothing small enough in the world that isn't worth doing yourself, if it is something you believe in. Your efforts will unconsciously and almost undetectably affect the rest of us. If there is something that you see in this world that bothers you, upsets you, or shines poorly on who we are as a combined society, then you only have one choice: Be the change you wish to see in the world.
I say that I don't have life figured out, because I don't want to ever come across as a preacher. I say I don't have all the answers, because surely I am no stranger to being wrong. And so when situations in life arise where I have an opportunity to divulge my views to help, change, inspire, motivate, or in some way life alter, just spewing out little tidbits of wisdom can't nearly be enough to penetrate a layer of mental programming and create a new perspective.
Because the more you hear, the more you doubt. Tell me you're not sick of reports on the news about what foods are good for you or bad for you. Jelly Beans can help prevent cancer? Great. They can also make you fat? Oh, so I shouldn't eat 45 beans a day? Oh okay. I'm pretty sure, assessing the spectrum of food, we can pretty much, as a society, figure out the foods that aren't good for you, and should be taken in moderation, and the foods that are good for you, and you should try to eat more of. I know, I know, I just said I didn't have all the answers, and just went on a rant claiming to be right, but the point is, countless assertions about any topic saturates all the meanings. Words, as they say, would fall deaf ears.
We are a generation that has been talked at for years of an education. Everything we learned was from a book, or a chalk board, or the mouth of a teacher. So even after the nuggets of knowledge that told us otherwise, 'a picture is worth a thousand words,' and, 'actions speak louder than words,' nothing sinks in.
Finally leads me to my point. And maybe I take something out of the quote that Gandhi wasn't intending, but that's the beauty of literature, writing, poetry, quotes, you pull out any meaning you see. So besides not being a hypocrite, and living a life opposite of the way you wish the world worked, I also see an element of 'talk is cheap,' so to speak. And talk is cheap, because with the amount of dialogue the average person is inundated with throughout the course of a lifetime, the only way to truly begin to turns the gears of change is to lead by example.
This is not a fast process, this does not scream revolution, and by no means will this behavior reside in a spotlight like a rousing, passionate speech, but there are significant moments in history that can be marked by a simple action. Go research examples if you really can't think of any. But I wouldn't write this whole thing because of a few monumental historical instances in time. Situations don't always open up to you like automatic doors at Jewel, they're not that obvious. So you shouldn't be so confined to these designated opportunities. Yes, this is still 'high level,' but the small actions that you can portray keep this grounded. If you don't want people to ride your ass in traffic, then travel at a safe distance from the car in front of you. Hate it when someone leaves the seat of a public restroom up so you have to grab the diseased thing? Make sure you never repeat the favor, even if you're angry at the world. Get offended when people use derogatory slang? Just calling people out on it won't change who they are, but make a conscious effort to eliminate those words from your vocabulary, and who knows, maybe people will catch on.
There is nothing small enough in the world that isn't worth doing yourself, if it is something you believe in. Your efforts will unconsciously and almost undetectably affect the rest of us. If there is something that you see in this world that bothers you, upsets you, or shines poorly on who we are as a combined society, then you only have one choice: Be the change you wish to see in the world.
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