Change the World?
By Tony Balis
There is, of course, no end to the magnificence and horror in the
human drama. Across the continents, humanity rises to every challenge,
sinks to any depth. We cherish each heartbeat and murder at will. We
bless nature's miracles, yet trash the hood.
We accept this polarity as human nature and we move on in our
'glassy essence'. All the while our righteousness lords over other
life; yet we beseech gods for mercy. Our angers flare to violence and
we demand justice. We covet ceaselessly, give generously. Our
wallowing is legion, yet we take art and science to Olympian heights.
So how do we best come to terms with this 'marble and mud' of our
existence, most immediately in the glare of last Tuesday's horrific
assault on civilization? One answer is to pay finer attention to two
questions: "How deeply do I care about our common future? How do I
actually make a positive difference?"
Ben Okri, of Nigeria, of Africa, of Earth, observes: "There was not
one among us who looked forward to being born. We disliked the rigours
of existence, the unfulfilled longings, the enshrined injustices of
the world, the labyrinths of love, the ignorance of parents, the fact
of dying, and the amazing indifference of the living amidst the simple
beauties of the universe. We feared the heartlessness of human beings,
all of whom are born blind, few of whom ever learn to see."
We each need to shout humbly and confidently to Mr. Okri: "Yes! I
hear you. I feel that indifference and fear it. I must care as deeply
as my time permits, my breath testament to my opportunity. My life
must count!"
Of course, it already counts: we change the world everyday. Just by
engaging in life, we make a difference. As a gregarious species that
enjoys getting along well, most of those differences are positive,
driven by our intelligence, our natural empathy for others, our desire
to laugh, and the myriad satisfactions of helping make things better.
Even when, or especially when, crisis intervenes in our life, we
can create moments of grace, moments that reveal a wide range of
selfless participation with each other, including not least acts of
incredible courage and sacrifice.
Though we can't change human nature, we can change human nurture.
Most easily, we can pay closer attention to our moral compass, to our
interactions each day -- and rarely do we need someone else to tell us
how.
It comes down to reconsidering the ethical stands we take with each
other and with all life. We might not have the moral vision of Vaclav
Havel or the moral courage of Nelson Mandela, but we can foster
ethical awareness and leadership in ourselves.
Without presumption or attitude, but merely to ameliorate, we each
must be a moral guardian of this homearth. Unless we learn to respect
and care for each other as neighbors, unless we come to terms with the
increasing vulnerability of life on Earth, true progress will remain
an illusion, mired in the quicksand of greed, violence and selfish
intent.
Are we watching our lives in a movie, sitting too close to the
screen? Do we see only red and yellow pixels, flashed by mongers of
news or commerce? Are we becoming too numb to absorb a larger reality?
So many people live in relentless poverty. So many are unwilling
refugees. So many suffer needlessly, die as children. Each one is our
neighbor, born free, deserving human rights. They must be invisible no
longer. Every danger, every loss, every injustice in their lives
affects us all.
Think of those known and unknown who sacrificed for you. Think of
those who inspire you. Use the powerful images that work for you. One
of mine is the tuxedoed cellist, Vedran Smailovic, in Sarajevo in
1992. He braved sniper fire in the marketplace each day for 22 days to
play Albinoni's Adagio in G minor to honor the 22 people who were
killed there by mortar fire while they were queuing for bread.
Positive change is simply the currency and responsibility of
individuals, of you and me. This is our saving grace. We just need to
be even more attentive and curious, even more on the lookout for that
one, tiny, quick, wonderfully private, unnoticed moment when you alone
create a smile, lend a hand, unfurl a brow, still a cry, or calm a
nerve in someone else.
That's power! In fact that's humanity's most powerful force for
positive change -- and you can do it with a wink, as quick as the beat
of a butterfly's wing. Who knows what transpires from those moments;
but it does indeed change the world.
It also changes us, for it is an inward flow, not just outward. The
more positive energy you give, the more you get; it's the same need,
the same compliment, as breathing in and breathing out.
So breathe this earth! Soar its surface! Know its people! Engage
this planet, your fragile home, and all its sentient beings in the
essential connection of good intent!
-------------------------------
(Tony is president of the non-profit enterprise,
www.humanity.org, in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts)
http://www.humanity.org
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