Many people have changed the world through their small actions and spoke out for doing the right thing. Many people have done little things that have a ripple effect, where people just make the ripple bigger and bigger, until the whole world feels the warm feeling of doing the right thing and helping others. There are many individuals who did this, such as Kimmie Weeks, Noah, and Akilah Lewis. Kimmie Weeks, Human Rights Activist, co-founded Voice of the Future Inc. in 1994 along with Richelieu Allison. The organization set its mission to work as an advocacy organization for the rights of children in Liberia. Over the years, it developed close connections with the United Nations and worked as an implementing partner for the United Nations Children Fund. Noah, a six-year old activist in Massachusetts, created the idea Noahville. His parents contacted Habitat for Humanity, and this organization made Noah’s picture of 100 houses into a poster. They sold the poster and used the money to help build homes for Katrina victims. Akilah Lewis, a 5th grader in New York, felt the same, and created a bake sale. With the help from her mother in cooking, Akilah prepared them and sold them for $700. She then divided the money between Habitat for Humanity and one other charity. These efforts are very credible and amazing. At the same time, their efforts make me reflect on one question: Should I change the world or change myself in order to voluntarily make the difference toward the human and the world? In my opinion, one should shart the initial effort from himself. Why? Because one has better control over himself than others, and then creates the ripple effect to others. Also, one could promote self-improvement which allows him to adapt to the world more effectively.
If an individual wants to change reality and make a difference in the world, then he should start with himself first rather than asking others to make the change. Everyone has his own opinion on what is wrong with the world, yet only few would take the initiative to do the work in improving his own lives. A new global Ipsos survey of more than 21000 adults from 27 countries finds that 86 % of all adults want the world to change significantly and become more sustainable and equitable. Within the same survey, around 75% of all adults want significant change in their own life. The truth is, it is possible to change the world. But to change the world, people have to change themselves first. People have to change their mentality, habits, and actions. It’s not easy changing people themselves, but it’s necessary if they want to make a massive impact. Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer, politician, and social activist, is one notable example of an individual changing the world by changing himself. Violent objection would hurt, damage, or kill someone, therefore Gandhi changes himself by using the principle of nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence. Gandhi’s action clearly explains if you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take, as a return, the world around you will change. The American author and speaker John C. Maxwell wrote: “Most people want to change the world to improve their lives, but the world they need to change first is the one inside themselves.” People who want to make the reality better don’t have to change the world. They just have to change themselves first for what they pay attention to in the words. To start the change, one could foster empathy and understanding by actively listening other’s thoughts, and then one could engage in acts of kindness, compassion, and volunteerism. Additionally, people who change the world do not focus on changing entire nations; instead, they focus on improving and changing things that are closer to them or they are already familiar with, just like Kimmie Weeks, Noah, and Akilah Lewis. In other words, people must make an inner change first from their inner self in order to create an example on which they can influence others.
When an individual changes himself for the better, they become a positive example for others to follow. This leads to a ripple effect. The ripple effect is the impact that any action or event has on those around it. Imagine a pebble is into a pond, it creates a series of ripples that spread out from the center, affecting the surface of the water in increasingly wider circles. The Dalai Lama said “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” Imagine 100 people who complain about the state of the world. They decide to make the change of their attitudes and thoughts by embracing life instead of being mired in their problems. If the 100 people can influence 5 others, then a total of another 500 people would change their thinking, acting with more peace, love, and joy than before. If that cycle continues, a tipping point will occur so that anger and fear no longer prevail. Angel Arrellano, a nine-year-old girl from Fresno, CA. wrote the letter and started to make a $1 dollar donation to the local zoo. Her enthusiasm and altruism generated an overwhelming response from the Fresno community and beyond. Angel and her community engaged in the donation and got more than $600,000 within less than six months. People need to take action to develop compassion, to create inner peace and warm-heartedness within themselves and to share those with their family and friends, even spread through the community. Nicholas and Fowler, researchers from MIT Media Lab conducted a project: people could shape the behaviors of their friends’ friends by analyzing a large-scale, one-month more than 90000 cyber events from publicly verifiable sources. The result showed that social influence exhibits the ripple effects: people are more influential than they think. Indeed, once a person starts doing good things, his action would inspire others around him to make similar changes and then collectively create a significant impact on the world.
To make an effective ripple effect, an individual should also promote self-improvement. If an individual advocates for a cause without embodying the principles he preaches, his advocacy would be less impactful and less convincing. Kimmie Weeks began his career as a Human Rights Activist at 9 years old. To better advocate for children suffering in wars, Kimmie arrived in the United States, enrolled and completed high school, and received a BA in Political Science and History as well as a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He then applied what he had learned to found Youth Action International (YAI), the mission of which is to provide education and health care for children and young people affected by war. By focusing on personal growth, an individual could develop better skills and gain more knowledge, which allows him to adapt to the world more effectively and overcome challenges when volunteering. Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, a Russian writer and prominent Soviet dissident, said “ If we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better.” People working on themselves make themselves further enlightened and may find out about more things than regular people. A survey by Pew Research Center found that 73% of adults consider lifelong learning crucial for personal and professional growth. As an individual refines his skills and knowledge, he becomes more effective in his professional voluntary activities. This efficiency would lead to innovations, leadership, and the creation that would benefit the whole society.
Honestly, an individual should change himself first rather than change the world. Many people have changed the world through their small actions and spoke out for doing the right thing. Many people have done little things that have a ripple effect, where people just make the ripple bigger and bigger, until the whole world feels the warm feeling of doing the right thing and helping others. We all talk about how change is needed, how we all must embrace change and we philosophize how change is so good for us all! Compare and contrast those people, we can find three main ideas: first change themselves, then what they have done sets a model to others and makes the ripple effect, and last they constantly improve themselves for better adeptness in doing voluntary activities. Specifically, people need to understand that changes begin within themselves, not others, in order to see the change they wish to see in the world. When others witness someone making positive changes, they may be inspired to do the same. And then the cumulative effect of their changes can collectively change the world. Additionally, people who want to make the world better should work on personal growth , whether it is acquiring new skills or becoming more educated, so they would be more effective in any endeavor for voluntary work.
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