If I reflect for a moment on who I am and how I became the person I am, it was through watching my mentors and my elders role model for me what living a peaceful and tolerant, loving life could be like. When I am around people who are at peace I am at peace. Peace begets peace.
So if we are to be the change, what does that look like? For some, it may look like hard work. It may look like fighting for people’s rights instead of denying them. For some it may look like an end to judgement so they themselves may not be judged anymore. Whatever we do, the goal should be to provide a better role model than we have in the past.
Think about all of the things that have been degraded in our considerable quest for prosperity. I live in a very simple century home. It is rock solid and requires nothing in terms of repairs. You’d be hard pressed to find a house built like this today, yet house prices continue to rise while quality has taken a monstrous downturn over the past 50 years. Why did we stand for this mediocrity? Look at a church today compared to the cathedrals of the past. Even look at government buildings compared to what we build today. Did we give up on quality? Did we give up our highest principles along the way too? It stands to reason we did. There’s evidence around us of that every day.
So what kind of world do we really want to be?
I want to turn on my TV or radio and be inspired. I want to live and breathe lessons and humanity. I want to laugh at whimsical funny uplifting ideas not at the expense of someone else. I do not want to live in a world that glorifies bad behaviour. I want to hurt when someone hurts and I want to help when I can. I want to learn the lessons of life as they present themselves rather than hide from them and have them be a constant companion as a result.
If we’re to be the change, we must simply be the change and not stand by waiting for someone else to do it for us.
If we want a world without war we have to stop the fighting within our own minds and households. The goal needs to be resolution. If we want a world where everyone has food to eat we have to start sharing our wealth. If we want to leave behind mediocrity we have to stop consuming it. If we want to rise up and be the wisest civilization that has existed, we have to reflect on the wisdom all around us and stop making the same mistakes we’ve always made, which are largely based on greed and fear.
We need to wake up and accept the responsibility of being producers of our own lives and realise our own power and capacity for change. Be the change. Live a life of love and one of quality. Spread peace through your sphere of influence.
Make resolution the goal.