Change

For all my Trinidadian and Tobagonian friends, family and followers, this humble message is especially for you all in a time of great adversity, on the eve of a potentially drastic changes in our country...

"Be the change you want to see in the world"- Mahatma Gandhi

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude; don't complain"- Maya Angelou

"Everything is changeable"- Buddha

"It is only the wisest and the most foolish who cannot change"- Confucius



so many times in my short life have i heard people say that 'change is the only constant in life'; in many respects, this is true. change occurs on a daily basis: we change our looks, change our hair, change our oil, change our clothes, change our directions, change our minds, change cheques, change light bulbs, change tactics, and so many other important, semi-important and arbitrary changes. but i've also learned that, in the quest for justice, peace, happiness and equality, it is our inability to change key aspects of our lives that is our biggest hindrance to the actualization of our goals.

too many times have i heard people try to justify the existence of negative situations because "that's just the way it is", or "this is how things work", or even such nonchalance as "que será, será". in so many of these instances we as human beings underestimate our own abilities to effect, inspire or bring about real change on a large scale.

ive thought a lot about why exactly this is....maybe its just fatalistic pessimism, maybe its lack of faith in ourselves, or maybe we just believe that our history and our progress is hardwired or predetermined, that all that happens is meant to happen or predestined....or maybe we just dont care enough about what happens outside our own existences to feel motivated to do anything....

my message here is that there are three important things with regards to change, things that if we remember and use as a foundation to our actions, may likely help improve the quality of our lives, and the lives of others around us...

1). everyone has the ability to inspire change, and individual efforts can reverberate across the very fabric of society: one of the most amazing things about human beings is that we have tremendous potential and power even as individuals. just look at dr. martin luther king, the world famous civil rights activist whose "dream" inspired millions of marginalized blacks to stand up for their rights and in so doing, shake the very foundations of institutional racism that plagued American society. or nelson mandela, whose resolve and personal sacrifice caused an entire generation to rise up and break out of the shackles of the oppressive Apartheid system. we all have the ability to inspire and set off chain reactions that can make huge differences in the world....

2). remember that so many facets of our society are man-made: institutions, organizations, governments, and even ideologies are products of human minds and are not indomitable. thus, oppressive regimes, racism, poverty and all sorts of marginalization, do not have to be inevitabilities. ambition, determination, patience and resolve, together with reason, logic, intellect and innovation, are potent tools possessed by all, and these enable anyone to transform even the most seemingly-immovable social constructs...

3). often we are desensitized to situations, perhaps because we dont feel they affect us, perhaps because we dont think about them enough, or perhaps we just dont care...also, we tend to accept negative situations simply because we do not know otherwise.....we need to remember that even far-removed situations can ripple towards us and affect us in the most unsuspecting ways; we must also be unwilling to just accept things the way they are when they are unfair and unjust...we can make things better, the way they are supposed to be, simply by rising up and protesting against wrongs and ills...

change may be the only constant in life, dear friends, but we would do well to make certain changes in life more constant.....