Gandhi famously said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world” Certainly, if there is anything that I have power to change is me. I can change my habits, my thoughts and beliefs, emotions, attitudes and my health. Theoretically I can mould myself into the finest example of a human being. The example I become can then inspire others to do the same, without me making an effort to impose how I live my life on others.
But of course, so many people believe that they need to change the world and make efforts to do that. They attempt to change others beliefs, thoughts, emotions, attitudes and health. Missionaries, social activists, philanthropists, businesses, philosophers, writers, visionaries, scientists, inventors all work towards changing the world. Indeed, if it were not for many of these people, so many things may not have happened: Independence struggles, women rights movements, fight against racism and inequality, the development of science and technology. Progress in general would not be possible without the efforts of people trying to change the world.
Indeed, if it were not for people like Gandhi actively working to liberate India from British rule, would India have gained independence? I strongly need to ask myself is Gandhi really all that important, for if it was not Gandhi it could have been another person. Indeed there was not just Gandhi, but many freedom fighters since 1857 that were actively working against Indian independence. If Gandhi was not even born, then perhaps somebody else would have taken the responsibility.
If Newton had now discovered the law of gravitation, then perhaps some other physicist would have discovered the law of gravitation. If Rosa Parks did not refuse to go to the back of the bus, then perhaps somebody else would have done similar and triggered of the the liberation of the black people.
Why am I musing this? I am musing this because it seems like we give far too much credit to human beings making changes in the world, when in fact the world has been going fine without humans for billion of years. We see ourselves as ‘doers’ and separate agents from the world, but in actual fact we are part and parcel of nature. What appears to be independent action on our part, is actually what is suppose to happen at that moment in time.
In looking at the history of humanity I found something very interesting that different independent and isolated cultures around the world seem to start doing the same things at the same time! The Indians, Chinese, Greeks and Persians all of a sudden started to study philosophy roughly around the same time(what is known as the axial age of philosophy) When Alexander Grahame Bell discovered the telephone, roughly around the same time Elisa Grey in America had discovered it as well.
This is starting to make me think should we actually take any responsibility in changing the world? Should we not just leave it to nature/destiny or god or whatever? Do we really think of ourselves as so important that we can change the world?
