SO WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
Okay, I’ll admit it. This is going to be another one of those blogs about how to fix my town, my country, and even the world. And like others posting similar opinions, I really feel what I’m about to say to be true. Many won’t agree, won’t get what I’m trying to say from my words. And some may see the wisdom here but will continue on in a kind of denial mindset about it and things in our sick world will not shift as quickly as is actually possible. Oh well. I still need to say it so here goes.
This is both a “big picture” solution AND a very simple, graspable, doable solution. The biggest resistance to it will be the timeframe necessary for it to work even globally. There have been studies on the dynamics of change within a given group of individuals. The same pattern seems to exist from small groups of people all the way to really huge groups. The bottom line and amazing statistic that emerges from these studies is that a mere 1% of any given sized group of people, ONE PERCENT, can begin a lasting shift in that group’s beliefs and behaviors! That one percent must remain consistent and keep exhibiting the different behavior. If they do, the group WILL shift along with them. I think that’s pretty fantastic, and scary, and encouraging too. Now there are exceptions to this pattern such as for instance, if the different behavior is seen as clearly self destructive or not in keeping with the groups already present sense of ethics or morality. Stuff like that. And it only takes about 10% of the group to believe something for the rest of the group to be aware of it at some level. These are surprisingly small numbers!
So, in my case, this is an encouraging statistic. It offers me hope that the world can indeed change from a state of myriad sicknesses and delusions, to one of myriad paths of wellness leading to our health, happiness, and peace as we live our lives. I must say that i’ve taken this phrase of “health, happiness, and peace” from one of my friends and mentors Mr. T. Y. Pang. He first coined it as a simple down to earth statement of what life’s about in this world. I really like it and I hope he finishes his book about that very thing soon as the world could certainly use such a book.
So what are we to do? Here’s the thing. Many of us from time to time get involved in, invest our energies in, and even make part of who we are as people, by taking action for a given cause. These causes are all over the map of possibilities. Save the whales, the trees, the family business. Save the Obama administration. Save the government from itself and vote Obama out. Look out for animals. Save the children. Fix our local water quality or the water in Africa. It goes on forever. And people really believe in them sometimes. Or they have another agenda and THAT agenda they really believe in or really want what that means to them. But they all join together to essentially make the world the way it is. Naturally the family, the town, the community, the country, the world is the sum of those people who live within it. That’s kind of obvious right? But what does that really mean? What it means is just a simple as what it is. That is, if the people within such a group, family, town, community, world, somehow change or shift, then it follows that the group will change too. I can’t happen any other way. It can’t. It’s just the way things work. The way they are. It’s not complicated at all. Now the details of how the world shifts from sick and sad to well and happy can get overwhelming complicated IF one gets bogged down in the unfathomable variables involved in the shift of an organic living being. Its huge. Even one person changing is hugely complicated if you try and pick that transition apart, right? I don’t know anyone who can state such a transformation completely and accurately. Its just too big. The world comprised of billions of people is unimaginably complex obviously. But on the other hand, we change all the time and its easy, right? I think this and now, after some consideration, some contemplation, some additional input, I now think that instead. Bingo, and seemingly instantly I’ve changed my mind. I’ve changed a bit of who I am, how I will act in the world, all if it. Changed. Shifted. BAM!
So, what are we to do? What we do is acknowledge the obvious dynamic and relationship between who I am, me, and “who” the town, community, country, and world is. You see, one MUST follow the other. It literally cannot be any other way. That song as it turns out was right. We Are The World. Not an analogy. Its a fact. But we must work the problem from the small to the large. From the person, inward to the group called the world. We can’t work it the other way. It’s too hard. Maybe impossible. And nobody controls the group ever in the same way we are in control of ourselves. I have a chance with me. But not a hint of a chance at the world level.
Accepting this fact what one does naturally, logically, and really effortlessly too, is shift one’s own priorities. We may still stay involved in all the activities as we were before this realization. We may shift our involvement one way or the other too. But what we all WILL shift in a very big fashion is the proportion of our energy spent on these worthy causes, with the energy spent on frankly being a healthier, kinder, more compassionate individual in one’s daily living. This shift will be dramatic and even noticeable to others. I’ve experienced this vary thing a bit in my life. It’s an interesting process.
This shift is fueled if you will, by this seeing of what will really change the world. Simply stated, the world will change when I change and when you change. It has to do so. A+B always equals A+B, right? There’s nothing to do about it. Its just the way it is.
Here’s the rub though. A noticeable shift in something as large as the world will take a very long time. A very long time indeed. Now I don’t know if that 1 % of the people living really see this fact or not. Perhaps not. I don’t know. But we are where we are. Nothing to do about that either. So are we working to get to the necessary 1% to be able to start a real shift? Or, are we at the 1% level already and we’re moving towards the 10% or so needed for the shift to be readily recognizable by anyone in the group who stops and wonders about it. ? I don’t know that either.
It doesn’t really matter where we are in this process. Moving forward remains just as vital regardless. Now, there are other perhaps conflicting trends emerging as well. The world is a big place and it is complex. So there probably are conflicting movements evolving simultaneously. It doesn’t help to worry about that either. What does actually help is staying diligent in our being better people however we understand that to be. That is the best and all we can do to make the world better. And its the best thing we can do to make our own life better to personally find and live a life of health, happiness, and peace.
So this is the best and biggest of the win-win scenarios. A better little old me and a better giant whole world. Pretty cool really. So, go forward not looking back to being a better you and we’ll have a better world as a bonus.
Be well & happy