It takes all of us…

According to Ghandi, In order to bring about the change we all desire in the world, “we must be the change we want to see.”  Each individual, acting on their own accord can create change, and we can do so one person, one moment at a time, but to create the change we really need, it takes all of us, working together.

Should we wait till everyone is ready? of course not, we need to start now and be persistent in order to create a real crescendo of change that will rise up over time.  But we also need to better understand the conditions necessary and our responsibilities in the greater scheme of things.

As the infamous airline safety line goes, “put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others.”  This is so true and so deep it is hard to really comprehend the nuanced subtlety that lies beneath the surface.  I learned this the hard way, and indeed am still learning it through our work withSocial Media Club.  Far too often I ignore this important advice, sacrificing myself and my time for others and it leaves me without the all important oxygen (and dollars) needed to stay energized, positive and secure.

But what it is really saying is that we are all responsible for taking care of ourselves so that we may then assist others.  IMHO it implies that we are not only responsible for ourselves, but also for one another.  Sometimes by taking care of ourselves, we are taking care of others.  Sometimes we need help ourselves and can’t help others, but this doesnt abdicate the need for being responsible for taking actions that will help ourselves and hopefully others too.

This is perhaps the biggest ideological schism between the Republican and Democratic parties.  Though I think the modern Democratic party is more aware of the fact that this is not an either/or proposition but an AND proposition.  We are responsible for ourselves, and being supportive of others is actually to our own benefit as well.  It is one of the reasons I switched from the Republican party to being an independent some time ago. 

My mother, who had Cerebral Palsy, taught me this when I was young in a positive lift yourself up sort of way and when I was older in the negative, helpless go through life as an alcholoic sort of way.  She was an incredible woman and its hard to write these words without crying, thinking about what a beautiful soul she was and how tragic the end of her life was.  Its really hard to lift yourself up when you FEEL depressed, hurt, ignored, worthless, helpless and/or disadvantaged.  Changing your state of mind is not as easy as changing clothes, or perhaps it is, but it takes a lot of practice and a lot more awareness then most people have in their lives. But it is what is required of us, of all of us.

Striking the right balance between serving people by helping them and not teaching them a learned helplessness is really tough.  There are many wonderful people with great intentions out there helping those who need real help, and I am grateful for it – and indeed as a child, we benefitted from their generosity.  I am writing this from my direct experience as much as my ideological view of the world.  The help provided should be accompanied by a helping hand to lead people in the direction of finding their personal responsibility within the broader community.

In my mind, BarCamp is the pinnacle of the Do It Yourself (DIY) culture (and for us geekier folks, Maker Faire too).  It’s a space where everyone is responsible for creating their own good experience (the law of two feet) and where everyone is responsible for contributing to the good experience of others (all participants are encouraged to contribute as much if not more then they take).  A while back, I had been proposing we create a DIO culture (do it ourselves) which was more of a community focused variant on the theme, which better encapsultates my thinking on this subject.  

Now more then ever I am convinced that it takes all of us, responsible for ourselves, considering the welfare of the community, seeking out long term prosperity over short term profits and moving beyond the grasp of our own egoic minds and our current conditions.  The human spirit is infinite in its potential regardless of its physical constraints and conditions.  Not just on the spiritual level, but on an emotional level, a physical level and even a financial level.

We just need to be willing to give up our dreams of our life path being an easy one and embrace the fact that we will have to overcome obstacles, most especially our own internal demons.  For if we all make a commitment to doing the work necessary on ourselves first and then our communities, we can certainly create the change we seek in the world. But, it takes all of us to change the world, we have to do this together.

As Chevy Chase said long ago, “be the ball“…