Tag Archives: World change

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Day by day

It is such a dilemma trying to develop ideas on how you can change the world. Especially, as the world encompasses numerous societies, peoples and beliefs. How then can one person solve all the world’s issues? Thinking about that is a burden in itself but then there is that almost insurmountable burden to act. In a way, the burden pressures you to try, to start from somewhere, and that makes sense. Anybody who made an impact in the world started by first trying, by first acting.

Changing the world is such a broad concept, sometimes it needs to be narrowed down for us to ease the pressure on ourselves and that is important. Work at your own pace but is there really a sequence to go about tackling world change? I think not. You can start with the issues closest to the community or country that you call home. Infact, first start by evaluating yourself and working towards imparting within yourself – those values that you feel can create a better community or country. As you do this, you can become a part of a larger movement that seeks to make a positive impact in a variety of communities and countries, around the world. Think of organizations like Change.org, Amnesty International. By just signing their petitions, you are aiding justice for many people, from different places. There is no sequence to social change and any effort you take is making an impact.

It is very convincing to give up on contributing to positive change. It seems as though there is always going to be that news headline that will come along when you just thought the world was now rid of that particular problem. You feel void of hope of a better world, you are tired of convincing yourself that some world issues are worth the effort being put into eradicating them. These feelings are human. You must allow for mourning but don’t throw away your tools of struggle. Don’t give up on the world. Think of it this way – We all only have one special world. If you and I and everyone else do not make an effort to keep it grounded, then what or who else (from what other earth) will?

Remember to allow yourself that period of doubt but try hard not to suppress that conviction within you that says that you are powerful and that every little step you make matters. This is a note to you and also, a note to me.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka

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Monopoly Alert: Innovators are gradually leading the world

It is the people who are bold enough to create that are constantly dominating and improving the world. They are the ones who refuse to follow norms that are applied at ‘whatever cost’. They are creators. They challenge broken systems of governance. They are the ones who will work for a person, organization or group, while they simultaneously think of ways that they can build something from their own brand. They are the ones who will not ignore the most intrusive of their talents. They are the ones that make world change seem to be a possibility. Good politicians also fall under the category of – innovators.

Every human being is a unique brand, but no brand comes to life if it is not worked upon. You must believe that you can transcend barriers, challenge systems, transcend glass ceilings and stereotypes … basically, you must believe in the greatness that lies within you – to build on your own brand. The world is moving more and more into the hands of creators, the self-believers. These people give hope to – the hopeless, the victims of war and oppression and social inequities. They give hope to the concerned wealthy. Most innovators are taking over in order to mend broken systems. They do not belong to a clique (people have the right to do what they can, to improve systems in the world). They are not in cliques but they are an open group – always welcoming more ideas, change makers and in general, brands that are willing to self-explore for good.

These creators that are gaining monopoly over crucial systems in the world, are not perfect. That is obvious from their stories. What is also deductible from their stories is that they decided to move out of their comfort zones to create, to be judged, to learn from criticism and to serve. We have seen such traits in people like Oprah Winfrey, Malala Yousafzai, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr., Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bill Gates and many more. Hopefully, this monopoly will cease to exist soon and rather it will be a norm of our world, that every individual is a self-believer and cares about making our world a better place.

Love,

Chiamaka

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Drawing The Line Between Social Justice Advocacy and Extremism

In this world, there is so much injustice. It is saddening and it is sickening. There is that temptation to hate, to  generalize and there may be the temptation to go against your morals. However, for true change to occur in this world, hate is not an option. Social justice is about being open and working towards building a world of peace. To make our world a better place, we all need to work together. You cannot liberate some and hate some. There is a point where social justice advocacy may be escalated to extremism. I noticed this earlier in the week, on one of my social media networks.

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There was a post written by one of my connections on a social media network (let’s call this person Sonia). Sonia is Black and she tends to write posts on the marginalization of Blacks and sometimes, Natives. She also writes on White supremacy. This particular post was chastising White people and to me, it was completely unnecessary. When I first saw it, I thought to myself – this is just wrong. However, i was used to Sonia posting similar things against White people, so I just skipped it.

Later on, I went back to the post and looked at the comments and there was someone who expressed discomfort with Sonia’s post. What was Sonia’s response? She insulted this person and the racial group (Caucasian) that this person seemed to belong to. I was shocked. People in her network joined her to shame that person. Sonia usually posts on white supremacy. Some of her posts I agree with, some I find racist. I have looked at past posts of Sonia and how she encourages violence in the name of being on the side of the oppressed. As someone who is very passionate about Human Rights and race relations, Sonia’s posts were an eye opener. A reminder that extremism can easily set in.

It was scary to observe the prejudice that Sonia holds and maybe what is even more scary is the fact that she has people in her network who give her support when she writes offensive posts. This is how extremism escalates, this is how violence is born. This is why I will soon be cutting Sonia out of my network.

There is hate and evil in this world, but we need the opposite of those vices to make our world a better and a more peaceful place. We need to love with an open heart. Again, we cannot liberate some and hate some. Extremist views do not help anyone. They do not align with equality and peace. So, Sonia needs to re-define the mission of her advocacy. Her posts certainly made me reflect on mine and I came to the conclusion that we are not in the same kind of social justice movement. There is a constant cycle of injustice in our world. It is easy to get bitter, to hold prejudice, to generalize (I have been there), but when those feelings come, re-visit your mission – keeping in mind that only love, unity and peace can truly change the world.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka.

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