by Trent Greguhn

Created on: April 21, 2009

The question has a dangerous balance. People tend to take action so as to change others. To get the world going most believe that we need to change humanity and we need to take action to change everyone else. I think this is incredibly mistaken; we need to take action to change ourselves. The world will not change by force or action that we take upon it; it will change as a direct result of us changing ourselves.

Religion, or the better part of it, wants to change others for their views. They want humanity to believe and accept their faith. Politicians want everyone to conform to their views, whether conservative or liberal. Environmentalists want you to plant a tree and reduce pollution emissions. There are so few people who change themselves for themselves without any outward representation.

As humans we need guidance. A little push in the right direction, but we don't need to be lead around by a leash. We need to find our own way, we don't need to be led to the watering hole around the corner because then we'll never find the oasis at the end of the path. I firmly believe we are led off the road that would be best for us every day by outer forces, that otherwise would lead that person to the right destination.

I believe humans have an inner sense of right and wrong. This intrinsic ethic quality of humankind doesn't need to be veered off one direction or the other. In the end humans will know how to take care of one another. When we're veered off our path by others opinions we tend to make mistakes and do things we normally wouldn't have done. I believe all humans have the ability to figure out what is right for them, if only given the chance.

We've all done wrong at one time or another. We're all ashamed to do things that we've done in our life; and this is our innate ability to be good. When we feel this way we either act out or try to change and be better. We act out because we're afraid of what others will think so we cover it up by acting out. We act out to push others away so we don't have to deal with their opinions when they shouldn't have been present to begin with.When we try to be better it's almost always for ourselves. We need to remember this when we make mistakes and do wrong.

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world," Ghandi said. "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves," the Dalai Lama said. To change the world we need to be the change we want to see and make peace with ourselves.

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