Be the change you want to see
Last week we spoke about being innovative, particularly in one’s own neighbourhood. Innovativeness and creativity is happening all around us all the time. But innovativeness on its own means nothing.
It is only when a good idea is shared and then implemented that it begins to have the capacity to change the world. There are any number of great examples of this happening in every field of human endeavour.
I found the following, just last week, in some of the magazines I read:
- The Green School in Bali has turned itself into a breeding ground for the desperately endangered Bali Starling.
- Governments are increasingly viewing climate change as much more than just an environmental issue; they are now viewing it in economic terms, and, particularly, a social development issue. Climate change will hurt the poorest first and most.
- l The world is experiencing a revolution in photo-voltaic solar power. Germany is top in these stakes followed by Spain, while China remains the world’s largest producer of photo-voltaic cells.
- A report by HSBC (much in the SA news recently because of its bid to buy Nedbank) has indicated that low carbon vehicles, and particularly electric cars, will constitute a bigger global market by 2020 than renewable energy. As an example China is investing eight billion dollars in electric vehicles and has become the largest investor in green energy!
These examples are all at the macro level. Is it not amazing that we expect governments to take the lead and yet we all complain about the slow decision-making capacity of governments? Most of the examples above are actions initiated and taken by governments.
The recently launched LeadSA campaign, initiated by the PrimeMedia Group and Independent Newspapers, of which this newspaper is a member, is a prime example of how civil society can initiate, implement and run ahead of government if it is prepared to stand up for what is right and what it believes in.
The real challenge that eman-ates from this campaign at our level, that of the ordinary citizen, is what we can do in our own backyard, in our neighbourhood, in our community.
It has a lot to do with innovativeness and, more importantly, implementation. There are many people with wonderful ideas in South Africa, but for some reason we are often loath to take a stand. Perhaps it is a fear of being ridiculed, or of not being politically correct, or the (maybe real) justification that we do not have enough time to make the ideas a reality.
The truth of the matter is that if we wish to build a nation and a society of which we can be justifiably proud and one which we would like our children to inherit, then it is incumbent upon us to not to just complain about what is wrong, or only voice our good ideas and intentions, but to take them to the next level and persuade others to help to bring these great ideas to life.
There is no shortage of issues and areas requiring attention. You will know which those are in your neighbourhood better than anyone else. During the course of the next week as you drive to work, or take your children to school, or sit in the bus or train, make a list of all the things you would like improved, just in your neighbourhood. Discuss these with neighbours and friends. Draw up an action list. Start with the easy low-hanging fruit and each day begin to make the difference that you would like to have. Be the change that you wish to see. It is that easy.
Like the lady who won the small business of the year competition. She runs a big distribution business today. She started by collecting everyone else’s throw-away cent coins. Until she had R700 and then she started by selling flavoured bottled water.
Most big things start small.
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Written by Tony Frost You are reading Be the change you want to see articles
