It Starts With Me
ME. Me, me, me, me, me. That is the mindset of our society today, and it is a mindset that we must get out of.
Some of the biggest questions that have ever been asked in human history go along the lines of: “What is the purpose of my life? Why am I here? What was I sent here to do?” One of the keys to finding out the answers to these questions lies in the lives of those individuals in history that knew their purpose, and you can tell that they knew their purpose because of what they achieved. Think about people like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who paved the way for millions to enjoy freedom; people like Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci, whose great minds inspired the world to think of ideas that had never before been considered; people like Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, who led thousands of people to better lives. There are many diverse differences between all of these people, but one thing is common in all of their lives, and that is this: they lived for others.
These are people that changed the world. They made a difference in society and made things better for mankind, and that takes us back to our question: “What is the purpose of life?” By looking at the lives of these individuals, we find the simple answer: the purpose of life is to change the world and make it a better place. By looking at their lives we also find the means by which we can accomplish this, and those means have nothing to do with me, but at the same time, they have everything to do with me. As a society we need to switch our mindset from “how can I benefit?” to “how can I benefit others?”
One concept that society today values is the concept of heroes. It’s hard to find a movie theater that isn't showing a superhero movie. In every book, in every movie, in every story there is a hero because our society is in desperate need of heroes. We are in this mindset that one day this hero is going to just appear out of nowhere and save the world, and if everybody lives their lives in this mindset, that will never happen. We must switch our mindset to “I am the hero. I am the one that is going to go out and save the world,” because we are. We are the ones who make a brighter day for society.
It starts deep within your own heart. You must flip on the switch of unselfishness to make that change in yourself. Gandhi once said “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Before you can change the world, you have to change yourself. Making that change creates the ability for you to influence a change in others.
The world right now is going downhill. More and more problems are appearing every day. If there was ever
a time in history that heroes were needed, now is that time. We are the ones to turn the world around. There are people out there without food dying of hunger. There are people out there without jobs and without the means to become educated. There are people trying to endure diseases that they have no money to cure. There are people suffering with broken hearts and broken bones trying to find a place for themselves in this world of turmoil and chaos. Do we care? Honestly, for the majority of us, the answer is no, because one who does nothing does not truly care. We are focused on what could be better about our circumstances when in reality, being satisfied with our own circumstances would allow us to focus on helping others. We are so focused on our insignificant problems (such as slow wi-fi, bad weather, and broken house appliances) that we don’t realize the luxury of our own circumstances when compared to the terrible fortune of the lower class or third-world society.
We must wake up our world to these problems. Once we catch the vision, it is our responsibility to influence others to stop what they are doing and realize the purpose of their existence. However, we must always remember that we are the ones to wake people up. We are the ones to change the world.
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It’s hard at times to measure the impact that you can have on the world, but it is evident that one person can make a huge difference in society. Just look at people who have made an impact in history: George Washington; Martin Luther King Jr.; Gandhi. They were each one person, but they had a remarkable impact on the world. Even if your impact is small, a small impact is better than no impact.
The world is the disgusting place that it is because of the human race. However, the world is also the good place that it is because of humans. It’s all a matter of choice. We can heal the world or spread its iniquitous disease.
This is the most important work that we can be involved in: helping others. If one person can have the impact that they can have, imagine the power that we can have if we come together in this work, each of us acting not for himself, but for his brothers and sisters around him.
This dream almost seems like an impossible one, but the power and forces of good will always overcome those of evil. We have seen this throughout history. Look at the American Revolutionary War, for example. How could a small amount of weak, powerless colonists win a war against the most powerful military forces of all time? The answer is simple: their cause was good and just.
That is our cause; it is good and just. What can stand in our way? The bad in this world can one day stop if we make a choice to change ourselves today. Behavior doesn't change overnight, but you can make a choice today to commit to trying your best. It takes time to make that change, and at times it may seem that no change is happening (because it happens so slowly), but you can make a commitment today. I urge you. Choose to flip that switch of unselfishness today. Make that change.
Some of the biggest questions that have ever been asked in human history go along the lines of: “What is the purpose of my life? Why am I here? What was I sent here to do?” One of the keys to finding out the answers to these questions lies in the lives of those individuals in history that knew their purpose, and you can tell that they knew their purpose because of what they achieved. Think about people like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who paved the way for millions to enjoy freedom; people like Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci, whose great minds inspired the world to think of ideas that had never before been considered; people like Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, who led thousands of people to better lives. There are many diverse differences between all of these people, but one thing is common in all of their lives, and that is this: they lived for others.
These are people that changed the world. They made a difference in society and made things better for mankind, and that takes us back to our question: “What is the purpose of life?” By looking at the lives of these individuals, we find the simple answer: the purpose of life is to change the world and make it a better place. By looking at their lives we also find the means by which we can accomplish this, and those means have nothing to do with me, but at the same time, they have everything to do with me. As a society we need to switch our mindset from “how can I benefit?” to “how can I benefit others?”
One concept that society today values is the concept of heroes. It’s hard to find a movie theater that isn't showing a superhero movie. In every book, in every movie, in every story there is a hero because our society is in desperate need of heroes. We are in this mindset that one day this hero is going to just appear out of nowhere and save the world, and if everybody lives their lives in this mindset, that will never happen. We must switch our mindset to “I am the hero. I am the one that is going to go out and save the world,” because we are. We are the ones who make a brighter day for society.
It starts deep within your own heart. You must flip on the switch of unselfishness to make that change in yourself. Gandhi once said “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Before you can change the world, you have to change yourself. Making that change creates the ability for you to influence a change in others.
The world right now is going downhill. More and more problems are appearing every day. If there was ever
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| It starts with me |
We must wake up our world to these problems. Once we catch the vision, it is our responsibility to influence others to stop what they are doing and realize the purpose of their existence. However, we must always remember that we are the ones to wake people up. We are the ones to change the world.
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It’s hard at times to measure the impact that you can have on the world, but it is evident that one person can make a huge difference in society. Just look at people who have made an impact in history: George Washington; Martin Luther King Jr.; Gandhi. They were each one person, but they had a remarkable impact on the world. Even if your impact is small, a small impact is better than no impact.
The world is the disgusting place that it is because of the human race. However, the world is also the good place that it is because of humans. It’s all a matter of choice. We can heal the world or spread its iniquitous disease.
This is the most important work that we can be involved in: helping others. If one person can have the impact that they can have, imagine the power that we can have if we come together in this work, each of us acting not for himself, but for his brothers and sisters around him.
This dream almost seems like an impossible one, but the power and forces of good will always overcome those of evil. We have seen this throughout history. Look at the American Revolutionary War, for example. How could a small amount of weak, powerless colonists win a war against the most powerful military forces of all time? The answer is simple: their cause was good and just.
That is our cause; it is good and just. What can stand in our way? The bad in this world can one day stop if we make a choice to change ourselves today. Behavior doesn't change overnight, but you can make a choice today to commit to trying your best. It takes time to make that change, and at times it may seem that no change is happening (because it happens so slowly), but you can make a commitment today. I urge you. Choose to flip that switch of unselfishness today. Make that change.
It Starts With Me
Reviewed by IJ Pack
on
12:52 PM
Rating:
Reviewed by IJ Pack
on
12:52 PM
Rating:
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