Are You Looking To Change The World?

So many of us look at the world and all of the troubles in it these days and we feel that we must do something!  We must do our part to change the world.  How can we expect our children to live in this mess that we have created!  So we join groups and take part in marches.  We send out emails so that everyone will be aware. We spend hours and hours working to make a difference.  But are we really making a difference?  How do you change the world?  And why hasn’t anyone ever been able to change it?

The answers lie within.  To change the world you must first change yourself.  We don’t seem to realize that the world is just a reflection of what we believe.  If we believe that you have to control others then the world is based on control of others.  That means there are wars and violence.  We have police and judges and prisons.  We have authorities that tell us what we can and can not do.  This is all based on what we, as individuals believe.  It is a reflection of what is in our thoughts and feelings.

How can we create peace in the world if we spank our children?  Can you see that they are one and the same?  If you feel that hitting your child is justified then how can you be against anyone hitting anyone else?  You might say it isn’t the same but it is.  It is just a matter of degrees.  It matters not whether the weapon is a hand or a gun.  It is still violence and it is still destruction.  Children don’t learn love from being hit.  They learn how to control through physical violence.  They learn how to be a bully.  Is that really what you want to teach your child?

Now I know that there are some who say that the Bible says, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” The Bible also says that God is unconditional love.  Why do we not follow that teaching instead of the other?  There are people in this world who raise their children in love.  They don’t hit them or try and control them.  They recognize that small children will do as small children do and they commit themselves to watching over them and guiding them in how to be safe.  This is why it takes a village to raise a child.  We have become so dedicated to the ideal of being separate that we no longer even recognize the benefits of community.  We keep ourselves and our families locked behind doors for fear of what is “out there” and we forget to look at what is “in here”.

So, what would happen if we stopped living lives based on fear?  What would happen if we started to trust each other and trust ourselves?  Would the world just fall apart if there was no longer a “bad guy” for us to blame?  How would life be if we each said, “Okay, I am going to take responsibility for my thoughts, feelings and actions.”  What would happen to all of the guilt and shame?  Who would we have to be angry with?  Are you ready to give up having a scapegoat for all of the problems in the world?

You want to change the world?  Become aware of what you are thinking and feeling.  Become aware of what you are saying and doing.  If someone cuts you off in traffic do you curse and get mad or do you forgive and bless.  Can you see the difference that one action makes for you and for all the other drivers on the road?  It is time to stop protecting ourselves from the external world and start creating an internal world of love, peace, joy and abundance.  If we are each happy with who we are and how our lives are going then who would be fighting the wars?  If we all see the connections that we have with each other then who would we hate?  If we all accept that we are each a child of the Creator then who is the enemy?  To change the world you have to start with you.  What are you waiting for?