“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” –Gandhi
This quote gets thrown around as a cliché but has lost its true meaning. We live in a world that is constantly surrounded by quotes and positive posters, but people are still too afraid to speak out or be different. The world needs people to be different, the world needs a change. That change starts with you. At an individual level, we cannot see the progress one does over time, but as a collective level, people and challenges do not go unnoticed. But you are still noticed.
The world, as a society, is like a tree. The system is the trunk which buries itself into the foundation it stands upon and stretches its roots deep and secured. The branches are the networks that people grow upon, fall upon, and create. The leaves are individual people. Without the leaves, the tree dies. Individual people have more power than they think. The system, the trunk, is hard to chop down because not all of the leaves fall and bloom at the same time. Leaves are like humans, they have veins that course through their frames and are attached to the branches (networks) that other leaves are attached to. But when one leaf falls from the branch, it does not affect the entire tree. Once all of the leaves fall from the branch, the tree dies and is eventually reborn only because the leaves choose to rebirth their system and networks. But in the end, we are all connected by the same roots.
So when the system is buried in deep, brown soil and refuses to realize that its roots are also brown, we should not only look at the white clouds above us. We should have a voice. Shiver up its spine and stand up for what you believe in. Even if you feel alone, you’re not. You never are.
We live in a world which is cruel and power-hungry, but the system is created in a way in which we do not understand simply because minority groups are at the same level, but are constantly fighting against each other. Authenticity and being genuine goes a long way. Holding the door open, giving out random compliments, buying a homeless person some coffee… notice it. Do it. Change starts with you. Your voice does not have to be heard through riots and rants. Let your actions be a silent voice that others can notice and can create a domino effect. Pay it forward. Love one another. Be kind.
We are all fighting battles that others do not know about, and often, people hide behind these battles and feel weak and wounded. Don’t let other's leaves get stepped on. But if you feel stepped on and shattered, just know that you are not broken. You now carry multiple pieces that can be scattered around everyone. I challenge you to each day wake up, think of one positive change you can do (and it doesn’t have to be grand) and do it. Put sticky notes on bathroom mirrors saying “you’re beautiful,” leave a poem with a tip for the server, randomly buy a teacher coffee and thank him or her for their gratitude, pick up trash from the sidewalk, or try something new. Be the change you wish to see in the world, starting with yourself.
