Saturday, April 21, 2012

2012 - Be the change!


'Embrace Change' by Kim Dreyer.
© Km Dreyer 2012. All rights reserved.

Wherever you go, one of the main topics on most people's minds is 'What is 2012 going to bring?'  'What's going to happen?'  The challenges we face may be our greatest yet on this planet.

There are almost as many opinions as there are people.  But it seems like the overriding factor within all these opinions is that there is going to be change, or more specifically, there has to be change.  And I agree.  Globally our systems are proving to be outdated and are not based on sustainable foundations.  We see the same people getting richer and richer yet more and more people dropping below the breadline.  We see pollution and destruction of the natural world reaching epic proportions.  But change is starting to happen.  The question is though, will it be enough and will it be in time?  AND what are you doing to assist in making positive changes?

I believe that each one of us has to look at the following 3 aspects of our lives in order to manifest positive change.  And there is no better time to start than the present.
The three aspects are; Choices, Responsibility, Change.  All are undeniably linked and it's how we look at and integrate each one into our lives that will make the difference.

CHOICES:  We have a number of difference choices for every situation that we as individuals or as a group are faced with.  In many aspects of our lives, institutions like governments and religions manipulate us into making choices that are in their interests, at the expense of ours.  And we believe that is the way it has to be.  But it doesn't and it shouldn't!  A wise man once said:  "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely".  And sadly no country in the world seems to be exempt of this fact.  The choices then that we make as individuals are more important than ever.  For if we continue to hand over our lives, our futures, our personal power to those who exploit it for their own benefit, we can only lose.  And at the end of the day it will be our own fault for neglecting to do something about it.  So the secret is to find the courage to stand and live in your own power and make the right choices that will benefit the whole, even if at times it seems that you are the only one standing up to the system.  What is of utmost importance is that we take responsibility for the choices we make and for the lives we lead and not place the blame on someone else or expect others to fix things for us.

RESPONSIBILITY:  When we take responsibility for our lives, we soon learn to make the correct choices.  The responsibility I speak of is not only towards ourselves, but to our children, our fellow human beings and our home - Mother Earth.  From a young age we are taught to shrug our responsibility by placing blame on others.  We are taught a very warped version of responsibility.  We are taught that if someone does something bad to someone else, we must keep quiet - 'whistle-blowing' is bad.  Especially if it's someone you know.  But this teaches us to 'bury our heads in the sand'; 'sit on the fence'; or 'not get involved' and this doesn't solve any problems.  Wake up people, THIS IS YOUR LIFE! - Everything affects everything and everyone!  So you need to carefully think of the consequences of every choice you make.  How they will affect, not only you, but your family, your community and the world.  Only you are responsible for your own happiness.  There are people out there who love and support you, but ultimately you have to make your own responsible choices in life and either reap the benefits of them or face the consequences. 

CHANGE:  We've all been told a million times that change is inevitable and that's true.  If there are aspects of your life you do not like, you personally need to start taking steps to bring about the changes you wish to see.  You needn't go through these changes alone, but you have to make the choices on your own and they must be your choices, not someone else's.  As the saying goes, "You have to be the change you want to see."  The human spirit and psyche are powerful forces on this planet, embrace them and live your life from a position of strength, courage and love.  By making responsible choices you can bring about positive change and help make 2012 the turning point to a brighter future for all on this beautiful planet.