If we make consistent effort, based on proper education, we can change the world.

If we make consistent effort, based on proper education, we can change the world. – Dalai Lama

Ducks for Change (see link at the bottom) – a way to raise money for children’s charities. What could you do, and do consistently to help change the world?

What does that mean?
This quote is about changing the world. Not just one person, but as all of us together. I presume that because the quote isn’t about you, or about me, but about us, based on the use of the pronoun ‘we’.

We need to start with proper education, it says. That makes sense, as an education will give us a foundation on which to build. But the education needs to be of helpfulness and love, right? An education of hate and anger just wouldn’t do, would it?

With our foundation laid, we then have to do something about it. Knowledge is a great thing, but not very useful. All the libraries full of books, and all the people who have read them matters little, if no one does anything.

The quote also states that for us to change the world, we can’t just pick one weekend (preferably one with good weather) and do something for a few hours on Saturday. We have to make consistent effort, if we are to change the world.

Why is consistent effort important?  
It is fairly easy to do something for a day or two. Even a week, sometimes a month, can be done with a bit more effort. However, over the course of a year, much less over a lifetime, that is a bit more difficult.

Why do most diets fail? It isn’t because you have troubles with it on the first day, is it? Doing the diet (or more properly, a change in lifestyle) for the second week, the second month, the second year, those are the tough times.

Short pulses can move things, but in many cases, things just go back to what was previously considered ‘normal’ after a short period of time. Whether it is what the scale says about a person’s weight, or what is going on in the capitol, if you let up, it will go back to ‘normal,’ and that’s usually not a good thing.

By looking at history, we see the movements which have changed the world have all taken time, and required a consistent effort by those desirous of change. Whether Gandhi or MLK (to pick my favorite examples), both accomplished great things. Both took consistent effort, and educated people, and changed the world.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Not all of us want to dedicate our lives to changing the world. Not even to change our country. That’s a lot of work, that’s a lot of effort, that’s a lot of time. However, we can do other things, on a smaller scale, for our friends, our family, and for strangers.

Like the quote says, we have to have a proper foundation. How have you educated yourself? What do you believe is the proper way to interact with others? How do you treat them, and how do you treat yourself? Do you know what you need to do, in order to get the desired effect?

Once you know how to behave and what you will need to do, you need a plan. That plan will have to be able to withstand the test of time. You will need to be ready for anything, because over a period of years, almost anything can happen, right?

Or if you’re not ready to take on the world, perhaps there is something a little smaller you want to tackle first. One of the things many people have trouble with is dieting. Earlier I corrected it to be a lifestyle change. Do you know and understand the difference?

We are the weight we are because that is the result of what we eat and what we do. If we change our behaviors for a short time, we will change our weight for a short time. If we resume our old ways, we will resume our old weight. If you want to change your personal world, get educated and make a consistent effort.

What about helping others? Can you find something to do in your family or in your neighborhood or town? There are plenty of opportunities to help others, and those in need are always looking for a person who will be there for a while, to be consistent.

What do you want to see changed in your life? What about in your family? Within your circle of friends? In you neighborhood, community, town, or other social group? Will it change for the better without help? What are you willing to consistently to help?

It’s your world. Do you know what you need to do, or where to find that information? What are you willing to consistently do to change it?

From: Twitter, @DalaiLama
confirmed at : it’s his own feed…
Photo by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO…

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• Dalai Lama calls for ‘happier century’… (telegraph.co.uk)
• Ducks for change (facebook.com)