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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. For, indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
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This is the first quote I ever used on Enlightened Conflict back in 2009.
In a world which seems to race along 24/7, where most things you do not only seem meaningless but you sometimes appear meaningless in the grander scheme of things, it can become quite easy to actually believe you don’t really matter or have the ability to make a grander impact in the scheme of things.
You would have to be an idiot if you didn’t think this even if just on occasion.
The problem is if you do accept that feeling and do then start not really making an effort to change the world (even in some small corner and moment you reside in) I can guarantee you one thing – nothing will change. If you don’t try to change the world the world will plod on, indifferent, to what you want or what you believe is good & right.
Now.
I am not saying if you do make an effort to change the world you will actually see a response to your efforts. In fact. That’s the maddening thing about changing the world. Its the butterfly effect. What you do creates a sequence of actions, responses & consequences of which you will never be sure your little action was responsible if something good changes in the world. You will know nothing but that, well, you tried to change the world.
So. Remember that however little your voice may sound among the thunder of the majority there is hope to change things … if you are in the right. Anyway. The two words that stand out for me are thoughtful and committed.
Thoughtful.
I believe that people who are really smart and really thoughtful with regard to what they think and do are few as it is. Most people, for some good reasons and some bad reasons, simply slip into “sloppy thinking” & ‘sloppy speaking.” Why does that matter?
Ignorance is devastating to any idea.
Poor words are devastating to an idea.
If you want to change the world, you cannot be sloppy. It pays to be thoughtful and less flippant particularly if it truly is a good idea.
Committed.
Oh, and committed. Far too few people seem to be committed to doing “what is the right thing to do” (versus what maybe everyone else is suggesting be done). It is truly the ‘path less chosen.’ Being in the right and wanting to change the world is not easy.
In fact, it is hard and sometimes thankless. It takes some commitment.
In fact, I would suggest you have to be committed to believing you can change the world. Belief is a powerful engine. Without it, well, I would argue no meaningful change can occur in anything & anywhere.
Anyway. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that anyone can change the world – even if it is only a small part of the big world that you can control.
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This post previously published on Enlightened Conflict and is republished with the permission of the author.
Photo courtesy Pixabay.