Photo by Ali Leila
Some people know they can’t change the world. They are beaten and dreary, prone to complaining about things they know they can’t control just for the sake of complaining. The world is a hostile place, and these people are its victims. Nothing will ever be better for them, and nothing will ever change. They live in a haze of “can’t,” and therefore they spend their lives in a prison of impossibilities, devoid of hope.
Some people hope they can change the world. They realize there are a lot of things that could use some changing, and that many of the needed changes are on such a large scale they can’t even begin to fathom how they could make a difference. So instead they focus on what they can change. Sometimes these people start out small, with a smile or a twenty buck donation, or by educating themselves further so they gain a greater understanding of the world around them. These people understand that affecting one other person can have a ripple effect, therefore giving their actions meaning.
Some people think they can change the world. They have big ideas and even bigger dreams, and when they speak about these ideas, a certain brightness creeps over their features, serving as a beacon in the long, cold night of apathy. Not only do they have ideas, but they act upon them. They tend to try many things, and sometimes they fail. We might expect them to slink away after such failure, but inevitably they brush themselves off and either tackle the problem from a new direction or find another problem to address.
Some people are changing the world. Are you one of them? Do you want to be?
The Practical Free Spirit 
I want to be an agent of change and create tiny ripples that grow into huge waves of good in the world! Working on it. Thank you for inspiring us, Amy!
That sounds awesome, Diane!
Oh yes, yes. Thing is, the world is always changing. Who could stop it? Who would want to? We may not have the power to effect massive change by ourselves, but we do have the power to steer the world as it changes. And if we don’t get the change we want, at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that we tried our best.
Earlier today, I gave a three-digit chunk of change to a cause I believe in deeply. Earlier this week, I gave supplies directly to people on the front lines of this cause. And I’m going to keep on helping as I can. I’m just one drop of water, but I want to help make a river.
Hooray Melissa! I love your examples. And I also love the idea of steering the change that is inevitable.
I want to change the world, and sometimes I think that I can while other days I know I can’t. I think a lot of other idealists are like myself, rarely focused on the smaller things that we could for sure change, much more focused on the giant issues that seem insurmountable. Sometimes we change them, most of the time we fail, and often when we fail it feels like it would be impossible to succeed. There is not, however, much that cannot be changed, given enough time, resources and willpower. The universe is just very complex, so it takes a lot of failing for even one chance at any big success.
Yes, the complexity of everything is fascinating to me. Especially when patterns become apparent in the complexity (although I’ve read that humans are wired to find said patterns, whether they actually exist or not, which is pretty interesting too).
Next in my to-read stack is a book called “Uncertainty” which is about harnessing fear in order to facilitate creativity and ideas instead of holding them back. I can’t wait–maybe it will inspire a blog post or two. 🙂
Ooh, give us a review when you’ve finished it, alright?
Hi Amy,
Say, do you mind my sharing this post on my blog? Very inspiring!
~Z.
Oh, btw, feel free to e-mail your response. There is a link on my blog. Thanks!
This is really inspiring to me as I continue trying to do my part for the environment and human rights. Sometimes I’m the beaten dreary person you describe and sometimes I’m the hopeful beaming one, but I know there’s worth only in the latter attitude. 🙂
Oh, I think all of us (or at least most of us) get beaten down sometimes. Life can be very discouraging. The important thing is that we remember at some point to get back up. 🙂
You can’t change everybody else. The only person you can change is yourself.
This is very true. But you can change yourself in positive ways that will hopefully have a positive impact on the world. Certainly it is an individual choice.
I disagree. If you convinced me that the only person I could change is myself, wouldn’t you be changing my mind? In the very least you’d be participating in my change of decision.
If you mean that we are ultimately responsible only for our own actions, I agree on that. And we certainly shouldn’t beat ourselves up if we fail to persuade others towards positive change. Yet just because we might not succeed does not mean success is impossible–only that it, like anything else that matters in life, may be extremely difficult.
I think we can *influence* other people, but we can’t often force them to change if they really don’t want to.
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