Imagine you had the power to change the world...
...where would you start?
I am not exaggerating when I say that I think about this every day. I have only one life, only one attempt at making the most out of my time here. No matter how nihilistic I sometimes get, the truth is, I want to leave the world as a better place than when I found it. I do not know the answer to the question of my life, but I have arrived to some conclusions:
- I can change the world only through changing myself. I do not have the power to force change in another person's behavior. How do I change my own behavior? Not by letting myself to be manipulated by somebody else and I should assume it's the same for everyone.
- Most people do not want to get rid of their problems. Contrary to what they would tell you, most people are comfortable just where they are. Most people choose not to make the change which is inside the realm of their possibilities.
- Old problems are like old friends. When we lose them, our life feels empty and we hurry to fill that space with new ones.
- Before learning how to live with other people, I have to learn to live with myself. How can I expect other people to tolerate, or perhaps even seek my presence, if I am not able to be alone in silence?
- The world strives for balance. There can be no giving without receiving, no speaking without listening.
Now, let's imagine a hypothetical situation. Imagine that in some blissful point in my future, I will have solved all my problems, I will become the perfect human being, whatever that means, I will purify my karma, get enlightened, gain unlimited resources and I will have the freedom to do anything. Would I end the poverty and starvation of African children? Would I get rid of the government corruption? Would I really trust myself not to cause more harm than good with my decisions?
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"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."
Whether we choose it or not, we influence everything and everyone we meet in this world. I don't like the concept of karma, because I have a fundamental problem with the idea of reincarnation, but it is the best tool I have found so far for explaining the impact our mere existence causes.
For some time, I thought the answer is to become a perfect observer. It should be best to avoid all conflicts, to get out of the way, to withhold judgement, to decide against taking action, because the tiniest involvement would perpetuate the karmic burden. I was pursuing the contemplative meditation as the highest form of activity, believing that was enough, that it was the best I could possibly "do."
Yet, that is only the first half. I have to move onto the second one, which is far more difficult that withdrawing myself from conflicts. I have to maintain the contemplative state, while also participating in living on this planet. I have to be constantly aware whether I am able to see with unhindered eyes or if my ego is deciding the course of my actions.
That leads me to constant questioning: what would I do if nothing stood in my way? It hurts me to see homeless, drug-addicted people. It hurts me to see the vast differences in wealth. It hurts me to see the corruption, the indifference, the willful blindness. But if I decide to do something about it, is it my ego speaking? Perhaps it's my ego telling me I should remain passive. Being passive is safe, it can fool us into thinking we will not cause karma that way.
Let me quote one of my favorite books here, the Bible:
"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." -Matt 25: 41 - 43
Even while seeing the dirty, starving children in the streets of India, Bangladesh or Philippines, I knew that just feeding them is not the answer. Just providing better education or healthcare is not the answer. Just improving the quality of life of everyone on this planet would not be the answer. Remember, people work hard to replace their lost problems.
I want to change the consciousness itself of everyone on this planet.
How do I find the fulcrum where I should place my lever?
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Are my conclusions misguided? What should we humans strive for? Is it possible to find the answer during our lifetime, or are we destined to keep searching? If reading this made you think of anythig, be it an idea or another question, I will be grateful if you write it in the comments.
#Mom'sSpaghetti
The first thing I strive for is truth, I believe with a clear view we have a much better ability to have the desired affect we want to have in this world. I think if you are wanting to change your world you must change your consciousness. And that entails a feeling that you take on that you maintain so strongly and with such faith that it becomes a reality. I've had minor successes with this that lead me to believe it to be true, like if we could understand how it would feel to live in a different way ti could become reality if maintained.
Mostly the writings by Neville Goddard led me to this kind of thinking. His stuff is free online for the most part as pdf if you wanna check it out. Nice article, this is on my mind as well!
Glad I was looking through my followers and remembered you, hadn't seen you around and I've been busy enough to have missed your posts. I think I need to remove some people from my follow list haha.
I am not sure if I understand that correctly. If I strive for truth, can I at the same time believe in something different than the reality I see and "force" to change it by my belief? At one hand, I don't think I'm able to create reality, or even a feeling, this way. At the other hand, part of me realizes there is some truth in that, remembering that's what those your-faith-has-healed-you cases from the Bible talk about. I'm definitely going to check out this Neville Goddard.
Thanks, I always appreciate your thoughts on my posts! I don't post very often, which is why I probably get lost in people's feed. That makes me even more grateful for you remembering me and checking out my posts.
I remembered you had some solid comments, I only get a few people with good interactions so I usually remember them :)
And honestly, I'm not sure I understand it either. Adyashanti has stated that at a certain point of spiritual understanding you can manifest almost anything you want. He also says that it can stop you from reaching the absolute truth, that it is a "spiritual cul-de-sac" slowing us down on our spiritual path. So take it with a grain of salt. It's still something I'm interested in, but it seems to be something other than a total surrender. I don't doubt that we can manifest, but whether it helps or hurts us, speeds us up or slows us down, is hard to know. I guess I would prefer to have truth and wisdom before I really venture into changing my consciousness in that way, but regular changes in consciousness will be happening as our understanding increases. Check out those books and let me know your opinion.
You can't fight striving with more striving. You need to find something to give in to. In other words, when you find peace, when you experience it within yourself, you can begin to replace your old habits with better, new ones. You don't win against evil by pushing it back and struggling against it, that never works. Instead, you must seek something pure to give yourself to, to replace it.