Be the Change: A Call to Start a Revolution of One

“Be the change” is a non-violent concept promoted by Gandhi. It is a peaceful vision of starting inside to find what matters to you and then going outside with your own individual actions. I juxtapose that concept in my writing with the idea of a revolution of one. Usually I think of good, permanent change as evolving slowly over time. However, the forces that are dragging us down as a society right now are so strong and have such great momentum that to reverse this trend we each need to each be the change by starting a powerful, hearty, and compassionate revolution of one. This is the resolution I challenge each of us to make. And this is no New Year's resolution; it is one we need to make every morning when we wake up and are blessed with another day.

I've always walked the line between communities and cultures, which is a positive way to say I've never completely fit in with one group. This fact has made me a bit eclectic, as I have chosen what I personally consider the best practices of each of the communities and cultures I have had the privilege of being a part of to integrate into my own life. Most of the time, I tend to think outside the box because of my experiences, and because of this I can often find creative solutions that pull from my diverse experiences. Do I have all the answers? Of course not. The answers are inside each of us when we are being compassionate with ourselves and each other. If we just learn to listen to our inner voices and to the voices of children, we would find the seeds of revolution, the seeds of change...

People fear change and yet it is inevitable. Nothing stays the same. Change is the only constant! Humans are programmed to resist change; our subconscious mind always works hard to pull us back to familiar, comfortable patterns of thinking and behavior. That is why it can be so hard to break unhealthy habits such as smoking or overeating. Yet individually we know that if we want to have healthy long lives, we must ultimately make those changes. In this same way, we know that we must evolve and change as a species or we risk extinction. Right now we have some very unhealthy behaviors in our culture and we need to change them.

To begin to face our fears about change, we need to acknowledge that fear is the opposite of faith. When we operate from fear, we create negative energy and make negative decisions. That is what we are predominantly doing as a culture right now. Mud-slinging, fear mongering and other fearful tactics have made our world a very physically, spiritually, and mentally unhealthy place to live in. While these tactics benefit some politically, it should not stop us from moving forward.

Faith, whether it be in yourself, humanity, G-d, nature or something else, gives us a positive foundation for change. Faith allows us to work past the fear and take positive action. In this "Be the Change" series, I invite you to choose faith over fear and provide you with some ideas about how to be the change. I have addressed each article to a particular group, but I believe the ideas in each can be applied in other areas.

It is my hope that my writings will give some of you the perspective, motivation, and courage to be the change and start a revolution of one.

Thank you for reading.

Anna Eskenazi Bush

Read the rest of the series (not all complete yet):

The Series -

1. Be the Change: A Call to Americans
2. Be the Change: A Call to Teachers
3. Be the Change: A Call to Perfectionists and Workaholics
4. Be the Change: A Call to Health Care Providers
5. Be the Change: A Call to Community Leaders (awards)
6. Be the Change: A Call to Parents
7. Be the Change: A Call to Teens
8. Be the Change: A Call to Young Adults
9. Be the Change: A Call to Human Service Providers

10. Be the Change: A Call to Religious Leaders

11. Be the Change: ????