Changing the world, how to do it, how not to do it . . .

WE CAN NOT CHANGE THE WORLD DIRECTLY, BUT WE CAN CHANGE HOW WE SEE THE WORLD AND THEN THE WORLD CHANGES TOO. When I was first introduced to this principle, I failed to understand it.  I had always believed that it was our task to change the world.  What I now understand the statement to mean is that changing how we think must come first and when we have changed that, our behavior changes and the world then reflects those changes.  It’s clear, we have work to do.  There is much in the world that needs changing, from my perspective.  But I want to be clear, changing how we think, the first task, isn’t an easy one.  Our mind set has become habitual so it takes concentrated willingness and effort to even consider there is another way to perceive the world around us.  But we can do it.

The impact individuals can have on the world has been demonstrated, historically, by many powerful people.  Recall for a moment the efforts of even a few of these: Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Ghandi, even Betty Ford for what she did on behalf of lessening the stigma of alcoholism.  Even today, we continue to feel the impact of the changes minds such as theirs had the courage to make.  And for none of them, were the opinions they held easily protected.  Many people fought against their ideas.  In fact, three of the five were assassinated for their views.  But the ideas they cherished lived on.

I think we are all being called to look closely at this world we share and to ask ourselves, “Is this the world I want to live in?  The world I want my children and grandchildren to inherit?”  And if it’s not, be willing to do the next right thing to change it.  And for most of us, the next right thing might be to change our minds so that we can see the potential for a different world.  I am familiar with a spiritual path that says we always see what we want to see.  It goes on to say that if we want a “different picture,” we must project one.  I used to think that making us responsible for the picture that gets projected was denying what actually existed.  Now I am grateful that I am seeing what I have chosen to see.  Becoming accountable for the world “out there,” makes me much more conscious about how easily my thoughts lead me to places I don’t really want to go.

I consider it a very hopeful assignment to be in charge of the world I see.  Taking responsibility for helping to make this a more peaceful, loving world, is a worthy task for any day.