What If The Only Person That Can Change The World Is You?

photo Juan Flores

I saw a man today with a t-shirt on that said Jesus is the solution. It gave me pause to think about that and with all due respect heartily disagree. 
I do not discount the power of prayer or discredit anyones faith however, humans have been generously
equipped to handle and solve most of our problems. Unfortunately, most of the time we chose not to. This of course applies to our personal lives and problems but also to the big issues that face our world today.

When I think about the complex problems we face in our community, country and world in general most of them are rooted in human behavior. From a young age social ills and injustice have weighed heavy on me but the last few years I have become more and more disturbed by trends of random shootings and other violence, the lack of courtesy and respect and rampant racism of all types. We have younger more violent criminals, increasing segregation and hate and maybe most disturbing an overwhelming lack of response to these horrific problems. I hear people comment on the latest shootings with less outrage and horror remarking that it is just the way it is now. But it is not just the big tragic events but the everyday lack of well …decency.

Complacency is the greatest accomplice to any injustice. I am unsure where I got this idea but from a young age I felt to witness something wrong and do nothing made me a part of the problem.
Watching the news we can quickly become jaded and cynical with report after report of abuse, crime, violence and corruption. It seems bad news and celebrity nonsense is all we see but of course we know better, there are countless tales of kindness and goodness, people doing tireless work to help or care for others just usually quietly and behind the scenes. Nonetheless, it is difficult to know what to do and easy to be fooled into thinking that you cannot make a difference.

But what if you are the person that can change the world to be a better place?

I have news for you my friend, you are that person ...we all are in fact. The truth is most of our problems can only be solved by each individual making an effort to chose differently for themselves and their families. The huge social ills we face start with small roots that form in our minds, homes, schools and community.

The shift to change the world is not to be found in a herculean effort no one has the time or energy to create but in countless small shifts within each of us to be open minded, kind and compassionate.
How can you become more tolerant and respective?
How can you treat others with more compassion?
How can you reject a culture and media inundated with violence?
How can you model and lead compassionate responsible behavior to the children in your care?
How can you seek out roots of these problems in your own home and community and start there to make a difference now?

If each of us acted in a different way the world would be a different place. It is as simple and difficult as to be more patient and polite, act with kindness and concern, feed your mind with more good than bad, lend a hand. All this creates an energy that is contagious.

The truth is the longer we look outside ourselves for a solution the longer and larger our problems will be. We have each been equipped with the ability to do good or bad to be open or rejecting, we have free will. Humans have incredible minds to create destruction or beauty and limitless depths of compassion if we chose to open our hearts and see ourselves or our God in each other.
So while I think that prayer and faith can be powerful I believe it can lull us into looking elsewhere for a intervention that has already been sent. In christianity and most religion the mandates have been sent. You are equipped to change the world. How you live is crucial to the solution. Now what are you going to do about it?