Today’s Heroes post is by Claire Boyles. Claire has added a delightful twist to this series by kindly contributing her own original artwork as well as a great story and some great questions. I’m getting loads of feedback from people who are really enjoying this series, I am too.
Be The Change
So simple, so profound a statement, and probably the cause, inspiration and motivation of countless individuals across the planet that HAVE become the change that they wanted to see. For me, Gandhi was the embodiment of that phrase. I admire him so much, to stand against what he knew to be unjust, in the face of real physical danger, not only to himself but also his family and friends. That takes great courage; “Be The Change” is something that is at the very core of my own life values.
“It was during his first year back in India that Gandhi was given the honorary title of Mahatma (“Great Soul”). Many credit Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature, for both awarding Gandhi of this name and of publicizing it. The title represented the feelings of the millions of Indian peasants who viewed Gandhi as a holy man. However, Gandhi never liked the title because it seemed to mean he was special while he viewed himself as ordinary.” Extract from Biography of Gandhi by Jenifer Rosenburg.
It is this view of himself, as an ordinary man, just one of the population that made him so powerful, because he led by example, by the choices he made he WAS the change, and he showed others that it was possible, that they too could BE the change that they wished to see. The things Gandhi did were acts of non violent protest against what he saw to be injustice, and led, against all odds to India gaining independence from British rule. He inspired others to take simple (not easy) actions.
What does “Be the Change” mean to you though? For me, it’s a reminder to take personal responsibility, if I experience something I don’t like, I have the power to change it- either create something better, or move away from it; non participation.
My childhood wasn’t idyllic, far from it. As a result, I wasn’t particularly impressed with what the world had to offer me. I saw much pain and suffering, in people around me, in our own “western” society, but also the starving and oppressed millions and billions around the planet. As a young adult, I felt I didn’t want to be part of that. One day in my early twenties I had an epiphany; if I wanted to change the world, which I most definitely did then one way of changing the world was by changing ME, because I am part of the world. I’m only a small part, but every single human is a part of what makes our society; it is our individual choices that affect it as a whole.
The changes I made were focused on making myself happy, healthy and wealthy, on becoming a responsible member of society, so that I could be part of changing it to the positive. I went from being homeless, unemployed and unemployable to creating a career in HR, working for some of the biggest companies in the world, buying my own home, and 3 years ago setting up my own business.
I haven’t quite had the same level of impact on the world that Gandhi has had, not yet at least but it’s not over yet…
How can you “Be The Change” in your own life? It doesn’t have to be huge grand actions; it’s the small lasting changes that create the most effect in our lives. Remember, the way to move a mountain is one shovel at a time. What shovels can you move today?
What changes do you want?
What one positive action could you take that contributes towards creating that change?
