Mahatma Gandhi gave us this widely used quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world“. Wow, quite a command. What does it mean to “Be the change“? How does one go about that? Gandhi’s life, along with countless others, serves as an example of his very command to us. He lived a life guided by non-violence where peace and love led the way. He invoked an ideal called Swadeshi, a political idea that encourages domestic production of goods that leads to the concept of home or self rule. I am not sure if the India of today is the India of Gandhi’s dream, but his “command” lives on in many of us still today.
On January 20th we Americans will be celebrating the inauguration of our 44th President. Times they are a changin’!
President Barack Obama represents for us all a big change in our American society and way of life. President Obama’s greatest contribution to Americans so far has been a greater sense of hope. It has been some time since we have lived with that tiny little morsel that keeps us getting up in the morning. Since the election in November we as a nation have started to become the change we want to see; all this simply by adding some hope back into our lives.
However my friends and fellow Americans, like Gandhi, Obama is just simply one man. He alone, by himself, cannot be or implement the change we all want to see in this country or in the world at large. Nor is it fair for us to expect that of him, or any man no matter how great.
It is truly time for every one of us take on the responsibility that dwells in Gandhi’s brilliant quote and to be the change, within ourselves and throughout our daily lives, that we want to see. Most importantly we must decide for ourselves what that change is. Is it peace, a world without war, where we no longer send our children off to die on distant lands? Is it a world without hunger, where economics is no longer the deciding factor whether or not someone gets to eat a healthy meal? Is it a world where all have a safe and warm place to live, a world where all are freely and well educated, where all spend there daily activities serving each other in ways that bring joy and bliss to the hearts? Is it a world where all have the right to equal medical care?
What is the change we want to see? At this time in our history this is the greatest question we can ask ourselves and bring out into open debate with each other. And then the hard part follows not far behind, and that is being the change.
Be the change! Bring it fully into your hearts and minds; express it through every pore of your body. Let no one detour you from your expression and be an example to us all of the beauty that exists when just one of us is being that change we all want to see. Concern yourself not whether your neighbor is acting the way you want him to, for this is a personal path for you and you alone. YOU must BE that change for the rest of us to see and soon the whole world will be inspired by you and your way and they will want to join with you and ask you to teach them.
So now we move ourselves up the evolutionary latter. We evolve Gandhi’s command from “Be the change you want to see in the world” to a statement of reality, “Being the change“. I look forward to seeing you out there on the edge of a whole new world.
