On Changing the World

What are your goals? What's your five year plan? Where your mission in life? Questions like these have bombarded my generation. We were repeatedly told we can change the world!

Awesome. Cool. Also, what a tremendously crushing load to carry. Why do I need to change the world? First off, does it need changing? Second, if does need changing, are you actually saying I need to change the entire world? I know, I know we were told this because our teachers and leaders are trying to get us to see the potential in life and to encourage us to make an impact.

When this topic comes up among friends and colleagues, a certain sarcasm is quick to entire the converation. Obligation sits as ball and chain waiting to drag to the depths the simplest idea for it's lack of grand scale. If not sarcasm, fatigue quickly besets the sincere. It's just too much. Being responsible for changing the world is just too much. Most can barely afford to buy a home. Many are juggling professional and family life. Yet, we are told we are responsible for changing the world.

It's too much. We need to scale that down, way down. How about we just try to be the best person we can be? How about we try to be great friends, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers? How about we make our neighbourhoods better, our cities?

I think we need to give up on needing to change the world and focus on our own backyards. The irony is if we do this, the good we do will spread to the rest of our world. Every major change in the world starts with someone doing what they can in their own community.