[A]ny agency whatever, though it be the instrument of mankind's greatest good, is capable of misuse. Its proper use or abuse depends on the varying degrees of enlightenment, capacity, faith, honesty, devotion, and highmindedness of the leaders of public opinion."-'Abdu'l-Baha
This quote got me thinking about the current frenzy for world change. Everywhere, civil society is awakening, online causes are proliferating, violence, conflict, and natural disasters continue unabated, and governments are being toppled. The moral and ethical center of human existence is not only being scrutinized, but is being manipulated by powerful forces within a very dysfunctional human family. The pressure and complexity of human problems can be overwhelming, even to individuals and institutions who look like they know what they're doing.
In the moment it is tempting to get out there, jump into the fray, and do what you think is good.
Things to think about:
1-Take a good look at your spiritual assets; without them (spiritual qualities), you're just like the next person;
2-"Fact" before "Act"; Be informed and get ALL the facts before you choose your path;
3-Consider your 'humanity before humanitarianism', meaning take a personal accounting of who you are as a human being before you wander aimlessly into 'do-gooderism'
4- Count the blessings of being able to serve others. Its' rewards are endless!
This quote got me thinking about the current frenzy for world change. Everywhere, civil society is awakening, online causes are proliferating, violence, conflict, and natural disasters continue unabated, and governments are being toppled. The moral and ethical center of human existence is not only being scrutinized, but is being manipulated by powerful forces within a very dysfunctional human family. The pressure and complexity of human problems can be overwhelming, even to individuals and institutions who look like they know what they're doing.
In the moment it is tempting to get out there, jump into the fray, and do what you think is good.
1-Take a good look at your spiritual assets; without them (spiritual qualities), you're just like the next person;
2-"Fact" before "Act"; Be informed and get ALL the facts before you choose your path;
3-Consider your 'humanity before humanitarianism', meaning take a personal accounting of who you are as a human being before you wander aimlessly into 'do-gooderism'
4- Count the blessings of being able to serve others. Its' rewards are endless!
In my opinion, I believe that social change starts from within. As the old adage says, you have to learn to truly love yourself before you can love others, I think it is the same with social change. You have to take that journey of self discovery and personal enlightenment to become aware of and accept who you are as a person. You need to understand what it is you truly believe in. Self discovery is a perpetual process, but I think that once you get to the point that you are comfortable with yourself, then you can move towards becoming a social change agent.
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely on point alerting us to the journey within as step one.I am with you on the life-long process of this journey.
DeleteThis is an interesting thread, especially in the context of Trayvon Martin's case. Engulfed with feelings of rage, grief, despondency, and powerlessness, I HAD to do SOMETHING or I would have burst. I wrote posts on my Facebook page and commented on others' blogs, but that wasn't enough to soothe the feelings. So I took a photo of myself in a hoodie and posted it on the million hoodies site. Then I felt a little better, as if I had actually done something to address the situation. I truly believe that in this particular instance the public outcry will have an impact on the institutions involved. But I also know that neither institutional racism nor individual prejudice will disappear until enough human hearts have been changed that we reach a tipping point in our collective consciousness about race. This is where I choose to focus my energies; hopefully my efforts to educate others about the debilitating effects of toxic racial conditioning will contribute to that tipping point.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you and all "hoodie" supporters and the int'l campaign toward social justice. I am actually sitting here in my office with my hoodie in place to remind me that Trayvon is my son, too. Because this is neither the first nor last racial encounter that indicts the policing/justice system , US citizens must exercise their Constitutional privileges to redeem our "Champion-Builders" identity. In teaching, training, lecturing on race/difference as I have for 30 years, I salute your efforts, your inner movement, your public action.
DeleteI think a key part of any effort for social betterment is the conception of the human being. How are the people you're serving thought of? Are they passive consumers of goods? Are they merely a bundle of needs? Are they incapable of self help? Seems like there are a lot of projects for social betterment out there that conceptualize people in ways I wouldn't want to think of myself. It may be that as we attain a more complete understanding of ourselves we can treat others with a greater level of respect and dignity.
ReplyDeleteAre we all not sensing, feeling the collapse of our society in so many ways. Yes, so many actions toward social justice are underway. Back in the day, Marxists believed they could change the world with the concepts of brotherhood and a new superstructure/system of governance. But while systems expanded, the individuals populating/governing them pretty much remained unchanged. We have to believe we are capable of self-help,that we can learn, grow, struggle, and grow some more. Acting in unity in these public ways, demonstrating our righteous indignation reminds us all, I think, that there are values we hold dear and will not relinquish.
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