As we stopped for a rest at the close of our last entry, we espied the terrain in which we shall journey today.
As we strive to do the right thing, we elevate. We elevate ourselves first. But because we're all connected, it doesn't stop there. It's like hoisting a net from the water by a single point: as one point climbs higher, others will rise as well--first the points closest to the point being elevated will rise, then points connected more distantly will join.
This isn't elevation in the sense of placing oneself above others, in the sense of "I'm better than you;" it's quite the opposite. It's elevation in the sense of drawing our perspective back, of perceiving horizons beyond our own, of rising above the petty, mundane, squabbling details we scrabble over all too often in daily life that ultimately mean nothing, and of seeing that true meaning lies elsewhere, in the vast depths of life we never imagined because we were too busy focusing on ephemera. Truthfully, it's both elevation and expansion, expansion beyond self and realization of the nature of our connection to each other and to the world around us. It's an acceptance of our place in that larger picture and of our responsibility in the face of that knowledge. It could be argued that this is the greatest growth a single person can undergo: from irresponsibility through self-responsibility through shouldering responsibility for more than just oneself. It's a sacred and beautiful process, the flowering of honor and nobility.
We elevate ourselves first, and ourselves are the only ones we can intentionally elevate. We cannot force other people to change, to rise above, to become anything other than what they are. We can, however, inspire. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." You might be surprised how many people will take your lead. More people than you might imagine are desperately seeking a glimmer of hope for humankind, some indication of what to do, where to go, how to make things better, how to matter, how to make sense of it all, how to make the empty feeling go away. You might be surprised how many people will walk with you if you take the first step.
Not everyone, however, will be so inspired. Not everyone will appreciate the change. Not everyone will want to join in the elevation. That's when you get to consider what role such people play in your life, if and how you will walk together with them in the future. That's when it's time to weigh priorities and to see who and what rank where. It may be that you're willing to bend your ethics to accommodate someone very dear to you, or it may be that you stick to your ethics no matter what. It may be that you reach a compromise or mutual understanding. Whatever you decide, it's your choice to make. But the need to make choices will arise.
Make no mistake: undergoing the process of elevation is not particularly easy. It's not always--or necessarily even often--fun. And it never really ends. It can be painful, frightening, and lonely. But it improves you in ways that nothing else can. As we discussed before, it gives you something real, of lasting value, by making you someone you can be proud of and by allowing you to have a positive effect on the world around you. Because make no mistake there, either: it does have a positive effect on the world around you. That effect may be difficult to see, especially at times, but it's there, and the more you do the right thing, the greater it becomes.
So many of us dream of changing the world. The truth is, we change it every day. Lasting change is rarely borne of a momentary, instantaneous event. Lasting change unfolds via a gradual, bit-by-bit process. We change the world by our interactions with others, by how we speak to them, by how we treat them. We change the world by how we interact with everything around us, living or not. How are you changing the world? Is it the change you wish to see? We can create the world in which we wish to live by making it so, and we start with ourselves. How else will it ever change? It has to start somewhere.
Different variations of the quote exist, but in some form, Margaret Mead wrote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Let us be some of those people. Are you with me?
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