be the change.

I was talking to this friend and we were obsessing over the gloriousness of rock climbing. This is a new hobby of mine that I have grown to absolutely adore. The ability for me to spend my afternoon scaling a beautiful, mysterious and monumental rock appeals to my senses. It isn't something that I have really been given the opportunity to explore until I moved out to Colorado. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a climbing gym, but there is everything right with the real thing.

Moving past that, in the same conversation with this friend, we were talking about the state of our world right now. We are living in a generation of astronomical change on so many levels. So much change in society, government, technology, consciousness, interaction and awareness. It got me thinking about the importance of change. So many people I feel are very afraid of change and for good reason. Change isn't always necessarily a comfortable thing or a painless thing. Despite the fact that change in a persons life can be liberating, much of it can be damaging. For me, nursing school was a time of extreme change. All of it was internal, and very little of it was painless, but on the outset of recognizing that only change can bring about growth was I able to appreciate it. But I didn't want to make the effort at first...too hard. But I couldn't be happier that I did.

Obviously, these times in our world are full of the kind of change that shakes you to your core. We are seeing the damaging effects of global warming, we are seeing political uproar, but on the other hand we are seeking remarkable advancements in the technological world which provide society with extreme efficient and productive movement.

So change. Why is it that some are unwilling to change? Well I asked this question to another buddy of mine and he seemed to think that a good reason people are sometimes unwilling to put bring about necessary change (for example being environmentally conscious) is that it requires a significant amount of effort to live efficiently. So therefore, some people don't have the energy or time to put forth that kind of effort. But jeez, as far as environmental awareness goes, that is a huge concern. So if we're on the global warming boat right now, lets dig deeper. If it is such as big of an issue as people make of it, why aren't more people making the necessary adjustments? Is it denial? Is it ignorance? Fear?

If I could guess, I would say that people are probably very scared of the direction our planet is going, very scared of what is to come. Probably there is an element of denial yes, but overall I believe that the necessary changes aren't being made because there isn't the interest or financial means to invest significant energy (pun intended) to it. And it absolutely requires dedication. So instead of feeling overwhelmed by the amount of change necessary, help out in small ways at every opportunity. They don't have to be larger than life changes, but every bit helps.

Lesson # kajillion: At the end of the day, here is how I feel. "Be the change that you want to see in the world." (Mohandas Ghandi) The changes that run through your blood, the effort you want to see happen, what shakes you to your core, live that change. So many people are of the mindset of change and feel the beauty of its flower, but you cannot appreciate change unless you act on it. So whether it be a change for you as a person or for the betterment of mankind, live it in your day.