Don't Be the Change

Photo credit: Mark Lessfeet, via Flickr. Meme by DL

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  

Do you hear that phrase as often as I do?    

We all believe change is needed but no one agrees on which things, much less how best to do it.  

Demands for change inhabit every area of life, from macro issues like business, education, and politics (oy vey the politics) to micro issues like snowflake children, helicopter parents, even which way toilet paper should roll.  

Hatred, fear, and arrogance blanket the majority of interactions in social and other media. Exchange of ideas becomes exchange of insults. It’s open season on anyone with a differing opinion.  

Be the Change You Wish to See has become Make Them Be the Change I Wish to See.  

Being the Change is simply not working.  

It can’t.  

Change involves modifying behavior, performing a different action to obtain a different result. We define Who or What is the problem, and How, When, and Where to change.  

But unless we go deeper--to the Why--then the Who, What, Where, When, and How are pointless.  When change gets messy and complicated and you become tired and discouraged, the Why will keep you going.  

Not all Whys can create positive change. Negative Whys include Fear, Envy, Hatred, Arrogance, Greed. Adding negatives cannot equal a positive (thank you, sixth grade math class). Negative Whys cannot create positive change.  

Compassion is a positive Why. So are Peace, Trust, Kindness, Loyalty.  If you want positive change, start with those.  

Better yet, there is one Why that is even deeper and more powerful than any other, positive or negative.  

Love.  

Love is patient, kind, content, humble, respectful, generous, gentle, forgiving. (Paul the Apostle, para.)

Love is the greatest thing. (also Paul, para.)  

Think about what kinds of change Love will produce.  

That is change I wish to see.  

If we move in Love, Change will follow. There is no other possibility.  

Don’t Be the Change. Be the Love.  

(In my next posts I’ll begin to share How, and Who)

#bethelove #dontbethechangebethelove 

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