It begins within you
If there be righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in character.
If there be beauty in character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there be harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
If there be order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.
~ Confucius, Book of Rites
There are many times, especially this day and age when news and information travel faster than lightning, when we are spectators of what’s going on in the world around us and we feel the urge to call for change. We demand that people live different lives, that nations put their arms down for peace, that people fight for and respect the lives of animals, etc. Name your cause and there are voices calling for change.
With so much unrest and discontent, it’s so easy to look upon others, point fingers, and pass judgment on them. I’ve already talk a bit about judging and where I stand on that topic. But it’s just so easy to want others to change and to be different. I have to say, I can’t stand listening to John Mayer’s song “Waiting on the World to Change,” because he repeatedly says that his generation is just waiting for the world to change because the don’t have the means or the conditions aren’t right to produce the change they want. So they wait.
I’m sorry to break it to you John, but you will probably be waiting a long time if you’re not actively doing something about it. What can you do outside of what you can control? Nothing, truly. The point is, and this is where the wisdom of Confucius shines through, we can only change ourselves. We must change ourselves enough to inspire others to be different and to be better.
The world is made up of nations, and the nations made of communities, and the communities made of people, people that are either content to just wait for things to be different, or people that are determined to be an inspiration and create a wave of influence that can change the lives of many, potentially even the world.
One man alone cannot change the world, but one man’s life, if it is so inspirational and influential, can impact the whole world over. It doesn’t take much these days for something to reach millions of people around the world. What kind of life and message are you putting out to the world for others to see? Are you creating YouTube videos just talking about the latest styles and fashions, or are you using that incredible communication tool for something inspiring?
Leaders understand that their strength lies in the foundation of their character. Their ability to influence others comes from who they are and the life that they live. What kind of life are you living and what kind of message are you putting out to the world?
