How to Change the World & Your Life: Break a Cycle

A few months ago - actually, the same evening I wrote my last blog entry - a friend spoke what he thought was truth to me. And for him, it is truth. But for me, it is an abominable lie. His concept of truth offends the core of my being. Here is the gist of how the conversation went:
So you think you can leave all of this behind and just move to Africa?
Yes. Well, at least I am going to try.
What do you think you're going to do over there? Change the world or something? Do you actually think you can do that? You can't really do anything, you know.

-Shock produces a slight pause of silence-

Ummm, well... I mean, I don't think I can do everything. But I hope I can do something. I don't know if I can change the world; I mean, I kind of doubt I can do that. But I think it's OK to try. And anyways, I think I can at least do the same thing over there that I am doing right here, right now - Which is just living the best that I know how, one day at a time... Which is just opening my eyes and my ears to watch and listen and learn from the people and the world around me... Which is just changing my little piece of the world, as I understand it - one person, one conversation, one action, one moment at a time. That's all I can do. That's all most people can do. And that's what I want to do. That's what I'm trying to do.

A few minutes and a slightly-different topic later...

Wow. That guy is a jerk. Why don't you just tell him to shut the fuck up and leave you alone?
What?!! No way. I'm not going to do that.
But you want to do it, don't you?

-Slight pause for reflection-

Well, noooo... Not really. No. I don't want to do that at all.
Yes, you do. C'mon. Just admit it. And do it.

-He laughs a bit.-

No. I really don't want to do that. And I won't do it. I think that's silly.
What? Why?
Because. It's silly. Why would I respond to a jerk by being a jerk? Why would I respond to anger with more anger? Why would I respond to hurtful words with more hurtful words? That's just going to produce more jerks, more anger, more hurtful words... And that's silly. Because that's not what I want to happen. What I want is Understanding, and if I can't have that, then I at least hope for Peace between us. I hope for Respect, not Disrespect. I hope for Love, not more Hurt. And I highly doubt that angry, disrespectful, hurtful words from me will produce Understanding, Peace, Respect, and Love in him. That's illogical. That's silly.
-My friend just looks at me like I'm a little crazy.-

I'm being serious. Think about it: If you respond to the same thing with the same thing, you're just going to get more of the same thing. And the same thing will go on and on an on... It's an endless, pointless, hopeless, silly cycle. If you want something to change, then you have to respond to the same thing with something different. You have to break the cycle. I have to break the cycle. Then maybe - hopefully - what is "normal" will begin to change.
-Another pause of silence-

Wow! I think I've just realized part of what I want to do with my life: I want to break the cycle. See what you've just shown me? I told you that you're not a bad influence on me...
-a moment of silence ensues, then a confused smile and some soft, awkward laughter follows-


My friend believes in the Cycle.
So do I.
And maybe you do, too.
But he believes the Cycle is the solution,
while I believe the Cycle is the problem.
That's the difference.

I think we should try to break the Cycle.
I think life can be different.
I believe change is possible.
My friend thinks it is hopeless to try and break the Cycle.
"The Cycle represents how life has always been," he says.
"And the Cycle is how life will always be.
"So why struggle against it?"You'll just be wasting energy," he concludes.

But I refuse to believe that - even if it is true.

I believe another Reality is possible.
But for the Cycle to stop,
Someone must break it.

In one of her new songs entitled, "The Cure," India Arie sings,
"The worst disease in the world - it's not cancer, it's not AIDS. The cure will not be found by any physicist or scientist. The cause and the cure live in every single one of us. The worst disease in the world is Hate. And the cure for Hate is Love... It may seem that I'm looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but I believe that it's so simple that sometimes it looks complicated. God's love is like sunshine - it's there whether or not we recognize it - the most powerful energy in the universe, and all we have to do is use it. You may think that there is nothing in the world that you can do, but that ain't true. The fact of the matter is that a better world begins with you. Be the best person you can be, and pass those values to your family. And when you pray for those you love, say a prayer for humanity."
(you can listen to her song by clicking on the title of this blog entry)
India believes in the Cycle, too... And she believes that each one of us - through the way we live - chooses to either "cause" or "cure" the Cycle of disease, which she calls Hate.
Many "facts" of life exist because of Cycles -because we (both as private individuals and as the general public) repeat the same action or series of actions over and over and over again. As I've pondered this idea over the last couple months, I've slowly grown to believe the following realities exist - at least in part - because of constant, and often destructive, Cycles:
War.
Boredom.
Gossip.
Depression.
Addiction.
Fear.
Misunderstanding.
Violence.

And yet, we -those of us who realize that Life could (and probably even should) somehow be different - complain and wonder why life remains the same. Why does Nothing ever change?
Why do so few people counter:
An act of War with... an act of Peace?
A complaint of Boredom with... an act of Creativity?
A word of Gossip with... a word of Compliment?
A state of Depression with... a thoughtful, positive action that brings Joy to another?
A destructive Addiction with... a constructive Replacement?
An irrational Fear with... an audacious Hope?
A Misunderstanding with... a Patient and Listening ear?
An act of Violence with... an act of Nonviolence?
Why do human beings still believe and act on the belief that killing another group of human beings is the most feasible solution to a conflict?
(Why do we think that producing another, bigger conflict - like declaring war - will help solve the original, smaller conflict - like one, isolated attack? Why? Will someone please tell me?)

Why do billions of people spend decades of precious Time - decades of Life - working jobs they do not even enjoy, let alone believe in with all of their beings?
(Why do people feel that paying the bills is more important than discovering joy and purpose and a reason to live?)

When someone gossips about us, why do we often respond by gossipping to someone else about how the first first person has gossipped about us?

Why do I keep buying coffee and chocolate and bananas and cell phones and laptop computers and cheap Wal-Mart products, even though I know all these items are made available to me only by the sweat of some man, woman, or child laboring in near slave-like conditions somewhere in West African and South American fields, in Congolese coltan mines, in Chinese sweatshop factories?

Why does Nothing ever change?

Some people "just don't know."
But I know.
And now you know.
So is it that we just don't care?
Is it that we forget in the moment?
Is it that we don't want to think about it?

Or is it that we don't believe our small, solitary actions will make a significant difference?

But oh, why, why does Nothing ever change?

For Nothing to change, Something must happen.
And it takes Someone to do Something.
And that Someone can be me.
That Someone can be you.

So let's do Something already!
Like what?
Like Something different.
Like Something that is opposite from "normal."
Like Something that is desperately needed but least expected.

Maybe I can't change the world.
But I think it's OK to try.
And I do believe that you and I together can change at least a little piece of our world.
And I think we can change it today.

But still, the question may haunt us:
Can our small, solitary actions make a significant difference?

If the answer is, No, our actions will amount to nothing significant, then I respond with a 1783 reprimand from Edmund Burke:
"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."
So please, let us do Something -even if it is only a little.
For even a Little thing is better than a Nothing.
And better yet, let us do Something together, for as Burke also notes,
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."

But I believe the answer is Yes, together we can make a significant difference.

And if you don't believe me, then look at history.
The same history that is full of destructive, unjust Cycles which sadly continue today is the same history that is also full of stories about how a few Cycles have been broken. Think of these few examples from the past, and then think of more:
~African-American suffrage.
~The end of most institutionalized segregation and discrimination (sadly, they still exist today, but hopefully in less severity than they once did).

~Women's suffrage.

~The mostly-nonviolent independence movements of India, South Africa, and a few other nations.

This is a very short list. But think of it and add to it... And think of how a few individuals (out of many) are remembered for their stands...

~Rosa Parks...
~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr....
~Mahatma Gandhi...
~Nelson Mandela...

All of these people were imprisoned and some of them killed for nonviolently seeking to stop a vicious Cycle... But in the end, the Cycles which they opposed were broken. Why? Because individuals and communities from diverse backgrounds came together to stand against the Cycle.

What do their stories and their lives mean?
They mean many things to many people.
But to me, they mean Hope.
They mean that
It is possible to Break a Cycle.
They mean that
Even when I stand alone,
I have power.
They mean that
When we stand together,
We have even more power.
And by power,
I mean that
We have a voice,
That we have
The ability to not only
Make our concerns heard,
But also to
Bring about significant change.

When we stand together,
We have the power
To Break a Cycle.

So let's break one!

Today in our society groups of people are challenging Cycles.
Look at the evidence:

-The LGBT civil rights movement
-The slow rise of humanitarian and eco-friendly buying options brought to us through organic and fair trade products
-____________
-____________
I hope more evidence exists, but I am drawing blanks right now. Will you fill in where I've left off?

What are you and I doing to challenge the Cycles that dictate our lives and our world? Do we even realize the destructive Cycles which our own lives perpetuate daily?

Injustice still exists today.

Today in Gainesville, over 1500 people are homeless.
Today in Gainesville, over 10,000 apartments and houses sit empty.Today in Gainesville, many of us have empty couches at night and even empty bedrooms.
Today in the world, over 30,000 children will die of starvation.
Today in the world, over 1 billion people - or 1 in 6 people - lack access to safe drinking water.Today in the world, you and I will probably throw away spoiled food, not finish a meal, and waste gallons of safe drinking water on flushing our toilets, washing our cars, and taking 30 minute showers.

Today in your own unique sphere of influence, someone is lonely.
Today in your own unique sphere of influence, someone is sad.
Today in your own unique sphere of influence, a single mom needs help with her kids.
Today in your own unique sphere of influence, a student needs help with his homework.
Today in your own unique sphere of influence, your next-door neighbor might appreciate a plate of cookies or the offer to mow their lawn.
Today in your own unique sphere of influence, someone's grandma sits alone and forgotten in a nursing home, wishing someone would just spend half an hour speaking with her or reading a book to her or holding her hand and describing how the world outside looks today.

Injustice occurs more often and in simpler forms than we think.
If we have more than enough (more than what we need) while someone else in our sphere of influence has not enough (less than what they need), that is injustice.

We may be ignorant.
But does our ignorance make us innocent?
I think not.

Let us think.
Let us educate ourselves about the consequences of our own actions, and then let us strive to make conscious changes where necessary.

Let us open up our eyes and ears and see the world and the people around us as they are.
Let us see ourselves as we are.
Let us see and understand what we can do to make a difference - even if it is something small...

Something like a smile...
Something like a bouquet of flowers for a tired-looking Publix cashier...
Something like a hug for someone who least expects it...
Something like a kind word to someone we feel more like cussing out...
Something like a surprise thank you note for our local garbage or mail man...
Something like a 10 minute shower instead of a 20 minute one...
Something like buying an orange from an Alachua county farmer instead of a banana from Publix, which somewhere down the line was grown on a Chilean plantation by a woman with no civil rights...
Something like buying a cup of coffee from Sweetwater instead of Starbucks.
Something like buying our T-shirts and socks from a thrift store or http://NoSweatApparel.com instead of from Wal-Mart.For Nothing to change, Something must happen.
And it takes Someone to do Something.
And that Someone can be me.
That Someone can be you.

Just please, let us do Something!
Like what?
Like Something different.
Like Something that is opposite from "normal."
Like Something that is desperately needed but least expected.
Together, We can change the world.
Why can we do this?
Because
Together, We can Break a Cycle.
How will we do this?
By beginning today.

But before We change the world,
We must first begin by Breaking the Cycles which exist in our own everyday lives.
Now let us begin the Breaking today - not tomorrow.

What will you do?
What will I do?

I think I'll begin by...
*Buying a doggy treat for this dog I can't stand.
*Returning a phone call from this girl who annoys me.
*Designing a creative thrift store t-shirt and then giving it to a friend as a "just because" gift.
*Refusing to buy a chocolate product unless I know it is a fair trade product.

That's some sort of start, I guess.
So what will you do?
Do you really think you can change the world?

Well, I at least believe you can.

So how can we work together?
Who will share an idea?
Who will dare to turn an idea into an action?