Fixing the World
Daily Meditation 96–5/29/2022
There is a growing consensus of voices crying out for “Change.”
The world has a hamster wheel of tragedy, political antics, and outrage de jour which keeps many of you frustrated.
These voices, if you asked them, “What should be done?” in most cases would likely have answers such as:
“The government should intervene,”
“Society needs to reform,”
Or, “I guess I don’t know…but something!”
What is the common thread?
The proposed “solution” lies outside of them, often in a collective body of others, often those in power.
Despite the world being overwhelmingly being better off, now, than even 50 years ago.
The crux of the problem with placing responsibility onto others — especially those in power — to change the world in any way is twofold:
- They will inevitably tie themselves into the change in a manner that disproportionately benefits them (think politicians lining their pockets)
- Even if they make a drastic change, now there will be a set of new problems that arise and with it, newly upset people
The solution is getting to the root cause…
And what is the root?
As always — the individual.
How do you change the world?
By changing how you perceive the world.
By changing how you act in the world.
You act in a manner consistent with your nature, in a manner consistent with Eudaimonia.
The world you seek so desperately to change will not change at your hand nor the hand of a government, unless by unbelievable force, which is unsustainable. Our world is a beautiful tapestry of more than 7 billion strands, woven together in a fashion that if one strand is pulled on, many of the others are disturbed.
We change the world through improvement of the self.
Through physical wellness. Through spiritual guidance, whatever that looks like for you. Through healthy relationships. Through financial wellness.
Embracing these things and observing them through a lens of gratitude is how we walk the narrow, Eudaimonic path.
The world only becomes better when each of us, individually, improves ourselves — each of those 7 billion strands.
This is how to effect change.
Follow for daily philosophical meditations.
These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”
