Simple, powerful words, from a simple powerful man. Before Barrack, there was Mahatma... Young voters who voted for Barrack, probably never heard of Mahatma Ghandi.
I remember curling up with Ghandi's autobiography at 14 years old, a young Belizean girl who knew little about India. His story, and of course the black and white images ,transported me to India. This little man with his trademark black, round-lens glasses, was "the change" for his country and the world.
On an aside, I swiped the autobiography from my father's mini-library. My father's library cultivated a passion for reading, national and world politics and culture, and its impact on diplomacy and international policy. Within those books were stories which fascinated, horrified me at the evil of men, force me to do some excruciating soul searching about race and colour stratification amongst blacks. However, that's a blog for another time.
Back to Mahatma...I was fascinated by this man who never picked up a weapon, but was able to "be the change". You are right; that's the most cliche phrase you have ever heard, but it is the basic truth. Nothing happens if someone does not do something about it. Whether that change is bad or good.
And that brings me to a story which perhaps pushed me to start this blog. I love writing and have always wanted to do a blog, but always figured I did not have time. As I watched the horror of the terrorist attacks unfold in India and all the post-event analysis by all the major news outlets, my thoughts have turned to Mahatma's quote. Unusual connection, but here goes. These people who we dub as "terrorists", are being the change they want to see in the world. Taking lives, is a part of that change. It's sad and real. Their being "the change" for a world they perceive as being the ideal, destroys lives, cripples economies and topple once powerful Governments. In essence they turn the world upside down.
So perhaps, that quote, like everything else has to come with a qualifier, "Be the change (that is of positive benefit to the majority of world's people, determined by population statistics) that you want to see in the world. What would Mahatma think about that? I think he would still say that now famous quote and would seek to engage those who are seeking change in the most horrific way. Now I wonder what advice he would give President-elect Obama and would he listen? I think he would. I hope the world is listening and see ourselves as transformers, not voyeurs, passing time by looking at someone else's world turned upside down.
It's now 4:00 a.m. and the Winter Quarter of my graduate studies in Public Policy has begun. Time to sleep...today is another day. I wonder if I will "Be the Change" or a voyeur.
