This may seem like a silly question to you. Clearly, change happens through change. It describes itself. Yet, more specifically how may stump you. Some would think that to initiate change you need to make someone else believe in a different idea, paradigm, whathaveyou. Then, we think “The world will change!” But it isn’t about shared belief. In fact, that’s entirely irrelevant. A world where everyone believes the exact same thing would be rather dull.
If change isn’t about belief, what is it? It is about action. Okay. So you change your answer to: Change is making someone else do something differently. In this case, something that benefits the world. Unfortunately, you would still be wrong. We cannot make anyone else do anything differently. Only an individual controls their own actions. In fact, we are only responsible for ourselves. Okay. So how can we possibly expect change?
I read somewhere once, forgive me that I do not know who said it, that we should be the change we want to see in the world. And that is specifically how change happens. You change, and only you. Your habits change. Your ideas may change, but they don’t have to. Typically, your beliefs will either change, or will at least now match your habits.
It is very typically for people to rally, to believe in something, to want change, and then to do nothing about it. They sort of expect the world to change and they’ll do it when the time is right. But they do not understand that the world will not change if they do not change. The world is made up of many, many people. If they all thought “I’ll wait for the world to change” then guess what, the world never changes. What needs to happen is, each individual thinks “I want to world to change, and I want it to be as I am acting now” and then they act in accordance with that change, change will happen. Why? Because it is happening.
Now, clearly one people changing isn’t a whole lot. Its not going to create a lot of fuss (at least, not usually). So then what? That’s where WorldSave comes in. A place for people who are initiating change by changing themselves. A place where we can interact and think of ways to better ourselves, and ways that we can find out what is wrong with the world and change our lives so we no longer support those problems. Furthermore, you will find that leading by example is the best way to change someone’s mind.
Although change isn’t about changing others, you will still find that they do change when they see something they like, or that makes sense to them. If they see a glowing, happy individual, healthy and satisfied with life, they are going to want to know what you’re doing right that they seem to be missing. Curiosity initiates conversation. Conversation initiates an idea. An idea initiates a belief. A belief initiates action.
Unfortunately, this cycle can get caught up between idea:belief and, more frequently, belief:action. That is where is rests upon each individual to change themselves. Nobody can give anyone else that push to action. Only you can push yourself.
I said before that shared belief isn’t a component of change. It isn’t, but belief is a component. Shared belief is dull, and will create a stagnant world. However, belief around a central idea “making the world a better place”, or any similar idea about change, is useful and is a component of change. This does not mean that each belief must be identical. It just means that each belief needs to lead to an action that initiates that idea and turns it into reality.
So think long and hard about it. What can you change about yourself that turns an idea into reality? That matches a little better with your beliefs? Do you love animals but eat meat? Do you love nature but pollute? Do you want to end human starvation but you consume processed food? You want peace but promote violence? Pick one thing you want to do differently and just do it. Then you will have made change.
Lia Cross
