The problem with trying to change the world, is that you may not realize you are already succeeding.
When aiming for such a goal, you need to forget about seeing results. Because that kind of change takes more than a lifetime.
Don’t let the pace of change prevent you from appreciating the good that you’re doing.
Because of you, the world is becoming a better place.
Even if you miss it, isn’t it worth it?
Sparked by my friend Akhila and her post about societies’ priorities.
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Carlos – What a great point of view, certainly one that’s hard for a lot of people to grasp. I think it’s also important to determine ho w you define results. Results doesn’t have to be changing the world all at once. Sometimes results are the smile on someone’s face, buying someone a little more time, bringing smart minds together to collaborate.
We might be gone by then, but all those little things start gaining momentum…
Absolutely agree with you Ryan. I think you can’t change the world in a fast way, if you’re starting from the bottom. You have to appreaciate the small changes, that will eventually “gain momentum”. Those little victories are just as valuable. They’re just harder to see.
This also applies to learning a new skill or just trying to change yourself and grow personally. You might think that nothing major is happening but that is because, you know, you see yourself every day. You might not realize that the gradual changes taking place accumulate to one big shift.
I love when a comment gives a post a whole new perspective. I didn’t think about it that way, and you’re so right Irina. Change and growth takes time for everything, and rarely you can see how much you’re improving. You notice it when looking back mostly.
This is THE biggest obstacle with change. Not being able to visualize the results. People want to be able to clearly see that they’re making a difference. With most change, at least the ‘changing the world’ kind of change – your individual contribution may never be realized. That is why change has to be viewed on a personal level, as a personal and individual achievement. Changing the world starts from within – it starts with a million ‘YOUs’ coming together and uniting as one. Focus on everything you’re doing – lead by example, and other will be inspired to do the same.
Inspiring my man, absolutely true. I hadn’t thought about this as the common factor in change ( I was just going for that huge WORLD change), but it’s true. We should forget to see results in the short term always, no matter what we are trying to accomplish. In the end, it starts from within. Thanks for your thoughts Matt.
As a greyhair, I couldn’t agree more with the spirit of this post,and less with the letter of it.
The spirit
The problem with focusing too much on quantifiable, provable results (usually goaded by a funder or our own lack of self-esteem) is that we employ reductionist goals– the equivalent of thinking a vitamin C pill is synonymous with an orange. We focus on kids graduated, and make sure to filter out those who really need help from our program cuz they might mess up the stats; focus on a trivial but doable goals instead of what drives our heart or disturbs our sleep.
The letter
We DO solve problems, we DO make the world a better place. Proveably. Quantifiably. What is the skin color of the US president? How many people globally got smallpox last year? What is the smoking rate among youth in the US?
In 1977, I joined a group of no more than 5,000 people who wanted to abolish nuclear weapons- it was on no one’s radar screen, essentially no money, & a strong social taboo against mentioning it. 5 years later, there were ~2 million IN THE STREET in NYC, LA, Bonn, Amsterdam, etc. 4 years after that, we gave up and assumed that we failed & might die in a nuclear blast. 3 years after that, the Berlin Wall fell.
And many problems went away in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Nicaragua, eastern Europe. Only to be replaced by new problems. Progress? I think so. Will multinational corporations take out ads saying Keep Up the good work, thanks for divesting in South Africa? Hardly.
But today’s folks under 30 don’t have the luxury of time as older generations did. We all must turn around the global food crisis, the mass extinctions, the collapse of fisheries, the climate crisis, peak oil by 2020 or earlier.
Can we yes? I think so. As a 20 year old essayist recently noted, there’s something in the air. At a roadbend in Peru, on the lawn at Bonn, on mountaintops in West Virginia, and most of all, in the streets of Tehran. Will there be setbacks and disappointments? Yes.
But to return to my affirmation of the basic point:
“Don’t let the pace of change prevent you from appreciating the good that you’re doing.”
And thanks for doing it.
Let’s not talk about what we both agree, nothing to discuss there.
I never said that there weren’t results. Of course there are results. A lot more than the ones you mention in fact. But if you read Akhila’s post (did you?), you’d notice that all those things that she also treasures and appreciates sometimes are not enough. I’m sure you’re not satisfied just with the results that you’re telling me above, right? When you care so deeply about such important matters, you won’t stop so easily.
There’s something in the air, I can feel it as well, but why do we assume that it will be here for a short period of time? Maybe it’ll be here for centuries to come. The world will be a magnificent place to live. Although, maybe without us in it.
It’s the sum of all those accomplishments that you listed and many more what will eventually make this a better place to live. But the fight is not over, and it won’t be for quite some time. So keep making all those wonderful things Jim, you’re making a huge difference.
Thanks for stopping by, your comment moved me.
Beautifully written, Carlos! We live in such a fast-paced society, and although technology has made a lot of things quicker and easier, it can’t take care of everything for us. Change is a process, and it may be a very long one. I think you make such an important point about not focusing too much on results. There are so many invaluable lessons to learn along the way. If we’re too focused on the end game, we could miss out on something that ends up being even more rewarding than our original goal. Thanks for putting things in perspective!
I agree with you on this Sam, in fact I believe that the bigger the goal, the slower the change. And when you aim for goals such as end poverty, stop wars, cure diseases, well, you are doing a fantastic job and surely you’re helping us get there…but you may not live to see it. The process never said that it’d be a hosrt on, right?
I did read Akhila’s “Why society has its priorities all wrong”, and as someone who went through a second-tier law school, I can relate to those emotions.
but the truth is this– social change only rarely brings prestige, and if you fight for an idea on the edge, first people ignore you, then laugh at you, then take credit for your idea. I’ve been through the cycle enough so that I can sense the contours of where I am [one of the benefits of being older, and having Gladwell's 10,000 hours of experience].
As you get more grounding, you care less that it’s prestigious or not, and lose respect for classmates who look down on you. And sadly, it’s kill or be killed– they are demanding that you accept their value system because your public orientation threatens them. So you have to adopt your own self-esteem independent of theirs.
Frankly, I didn’t think Akhila’s moody essay was that good or profound. It touched a nerve in you, and others, I just saw it as a badmood day kind of thing. And it employed the cliche of “society”. There is no society: there’s your parents, TV ads, the folks at the student union. I was lucky enough to bump into a group of World War II draft resisters. They faced a tough time, unlike the Vietnam era folks who at least got support from peers. It’s only in the last 3 years that I see how important their grounding was.
In contrast, the first essay– the world is changing– which I think was retweeted by other “older” folks, caught a zeitgeist. It didn’t teach me something new– it formulated a phenomenon that I’ve been noticing. It was almost like a mini-Port Huron statement. And if it didn’t take place in the context of Powershift, the streets of Iran & many other things, I wouldn’t have paid it attention.
And “stop all wars” is a badly formulated goal. Of course you won’t reach it. One needs to sensibly manage the situation. But the Vietnam War WAS stopped. As for smallpox, I didn’t know until today that it has essentially been eradicated.
But your key point is the one you made- to focus on the moment, and the process.
I just discovered your work today, and look forward to reading more.
Happy to livechat about it.
Jim, let me get personal, and thank you for this. Reading opinions like these from people I’d never get to know if it weren’t for blogs, social media, and all that stuff, makes me feel really lucky to have access to these tools.
I don’t want to take it to Akhila, since even though we have talked one on one, I don’t know her that well. Maybe she does get in touch with society, maybe she doesn’t. Anyway, I do get your point, and I agree. Sometimes we take our personal battle with our context as if it represented the whole world. I know sometimes I do that, so I recognize my mistake.
But I do feel it for all the young souls out there, who still don’t have the 10,000 hours on them, and that get frustrated. This is for them, because they have to realize how important it is what they’re doing. They must keep their hopes up.
Now, is it possible that while fighting against human ignorance, against human shortsightedness, one ends up resentful of some people? Ends up in another kind of ignorance? I’m really asking here Jim, because I sense some resentment in your comment. It’d be a shame that the people that are doing such wonderful things, end up fighting a battle against what they are trying to save.
I’m not sure you’ll like what I write about, since it’s not all about social change, but it’ll be a pleasure to see you around.
Jim, thanks so much for your comments, and for taking the time to read my post! I am not sure which “the world is changing” post you’re referring to — were you referring to the post I wrote a few weeks back? Just wanted to clarify.
I do agree that there’s no “society” since everyone is surrounded by different types of people, and each person’s experience with “society” is vastly different – depending on everything from the culture and country they live in to their education and wealth status/class. Perhaps, I should have said that this is from my experience, rather than generalizing so broadly.
In MY society then – the society I see and experience. In the ranks of American, and Indian universities where people are bred to become investment bankers and corporate lawyers, I DO see that this is a huge problem: social change or a desire/passion to help the world…it’s NOT prestigious. This society has a HUGE potential to change the world. This generation, Gen Y especially, is well educated, and have the world’s technology and internet at their feet. They’re smart and ambitious…but they still don’t value social change enough.
Things are changing, but in the society I live in? There’s still a lot I see that needs to be changed.
Ok, this one I get and like…no debates tonight.
In my job (sales management and training) we like to call this “planting the seed.” I tell people that just because they talk to someone about something they feel the client needs based on their thoughtful conversation (please note, do not hawk junk cause it helps you hit quotas) and that person might not buy that day. They might not ever buy from you. But to know that you had a difficult conversation with someone that pushed everyone involved outside their comfort zone to a place where they considered the things they hoped for or fear.
The same is true for any change you try to implement. We may only be a small voice for the change we wish to see, but we’ve gotta keep being the change cause you never know who is falling for the smile on your face.
Planting the seed, I love learning new english terms!
Exactly, that’s the spirit of this post. Change spreads but it won’t necessary tell you how or when. This shouldn’t mean you have to stop, on the contrary, you have to keep making that effort, making the difference, because as you put it, you never know who’s falling for the smile on your face, or in this case, for the cause that you’re fighting for.
Even if I miss it, it is definitely still worth it. Much like the elderly planting trees whose shade they’ll never sit it.
I thought it was beautiful.
What a beautiful analogy, thank you Lisis.
Just when my roommates and I had another long discussion over dinner about how much we wish we could do more, how frustrated we are about the pace of change, how confused we are about the way things are………I see this post. Perfect timing. Thank you Carlos.
But results still matter. I heard from a guy today: “We need to measure performance, in order to improve performance.”
I don’t know where to draw the line. It’s so easy for me to sit here and think theories, then when I go to work tomorrow it’s a different story. I know change is slow, I know… but… it’s so so h.a.r.d. to deal emotionally.
Ruby, I really can’t imagine how hard it must be for all of you, the people that go to social work everyday, and then see the news and realize how much more it needs to be done.
Results DO matter, but most of the times, we see results in retrospective. You just have to go day by day, and believe that when you look back some days, you WILL see the results. They are happening, and you’re a part of it Ruby.
It was so nice to see you here friend, hope you’re doing awesome.
Carlos, thank you so very much for this lovely post and the kind shoutout!
I am so sorry I haven’t responded earlier. I have been traveling, settling into my new apartment and job, and things have been hectic.
But this is beautifully written, and I want you to thank you for highlighting this topic. I do agree with you, and often I do turn to this thought: I have to have confidence that whatever I’m doing right now – even if I don’t see the quantifiable results of blogging about social change or volunteering – that it’s totally worth it and I AM contributing to improving the world. If I don’t trust in this and take a leap of faith about this, then there’s no way I can be satisfied. It is very difficult for me to have this faith that I’m doing something positive even in the absence of results, but if I’m to continue being motivated, then this is what I have to do.
But at the same time, having this belief in your work doesn’t mean you don’t care about results. You HAVE to be *extremely* critical about the work you’re doing and ensure that it is delivering positive results and creating progress. Some programs are created in good intentions, but often even have harmful results. I’ve written often about advocacy efforts that sound good in theory but in practice, end up being harmful. Good intentions without the proper skills, training, knowledge, or approach can actually cause immense HARM to those you’re trying to help! You have to be critical about your work every step of the way, and be willing to let go of those programs that aren’t working. You have limited resources and energy in this work, and you just have to prioritize things.
Yet, I agree, there is much to remain optimistic about, and much change happening.
Akhila, thank you for commenting on this, I’ve been wondering what you’d think about it.
First, let me be harsh here: I don’t think you’ll ever be satisfied. Not when it comes to results at least. You’ve chosen one hard path to look for satisfaction. Let me know of one world changing person that you think died satisfied, I doubt of his or her existence. You have to learn to be satisfied with yourself, because results won’t give you that, there’s always more to be done. Just having your spirit Akhila is a huge deal, so you should feel good about yourself.
Now, what you say about being critical and the efforts some people make: Yes, there may be mistakes, but the passion that drives the people doing all this, will eventually, in the long run, show the ultimate results. I wouldn’t worry about that so much, because even though it may take longer when mistakes are made, the goal is the same.
Change is happening, and we can see it. It’s too bad sometimes the people that are doping most of the work can’t. You should feel good about yourselves.
Hey Carlos – this is such a great post. Period.
I love the way you’re writing style is coming along on this blog by the way and glad that you took the time to take part in other blogs/communities, learned what worked and what didn’t, and then began blogging on your own over here. Keep it up – at the very least it’s inspiring me again.
Rikin, my man, thank you for the kind words! It has been a pleasure and an amazing growing experience to observe english blogs and then go for my own style, IN ENGLISH! I’m glad you find it inspiring, it really makes my day.