As I write this, the Supreme Court's decision on gay marriage has been made public-- and it's about time.
So what's next? That's the next question that I see on many people's lips and social media feeds, reminding me that the "battle" isn't done, that this one issue is only one of many victories that need to be won.
The thing about humans is that there is never an ending to what we need to fix. There are so many issues in our society that need to looked at and changed. Racism still exists. So does bullying, sexism, patriarchy, the list goes on. Every person needs some wrong to be righted-- no matter how big or small.
This is not an article that is going to detail every issue that needs to be righted, or a single issue I believe is necessary to focus on. I do not feel as if I am in a position in my life to preach to anyone. I am still learning about myself and my beliefs, and I have no direct answers on how to make the world a perfect place. I am still growing up. And yet, even I have accomplished things in my young life. I am close to graduating from college, which is one of my main goals in my life right now.
Yet all I can think about is what I'm going to do next. I am incredibly nervous about what I'm supposed to do. My goal is to go to graduate school, but I have no idea where I want to apply. In short, I cannot celebrate what is going on in my life in the present because of the worry I have about the future. And sometimes that worry is hard for me to appreciate because all I want to do is be happy with where I am right now.
I have to remind myself that I am only human. Cliché, I know, but nonetheless true. We humans are always striving for something. We built the Great Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Angkor Wat, the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, and so many more great works. People had passed down stories for thousands of years even before writing was invented. We went to the moon, for goodness' sake.
What I'm trying to say is that progress, the want for a better life, is out there. However, I—and everyone else—have to be willing to accept that I will always be striving for something else. The want for more doesn’t have to turn into greed and envy. It can just be the understanding that there is always more out there that can be accomplished. And doesn’t everyone want to accomplish more?
During the time I was writing and arranging my thoughts and paragraphs, I was looking for a quote that summed up everything that I was trying to put into words. I found it in a quote by Rūmī, a Persian poet and so much more from the thirteenth century C.E. It emulates all I am trying to weave together in this short article.
What I believe Rūmī is stating is that to change the world, one must first change his/herself. In other words, it all starts with each individual. If I cannot understand myself, change myself to be the best person I can be, I cannot help those around me. If every person were to strive to be fair and kind and welcoming, wouldn’t the world be a fundamentally better place?
We are living in a world in which everything is interconnected. It’s such a simple truth that has complex implications, good or bad. I believe that it all starts with each and every one of us. If we all change ourselves, we change the world.
Changing myself: that's what's next for me. What about you?