Inner work creates ripples of meaningful change in our lives, communities, and beyond
One of the things I know is that taking a stand for a better world requires something from each of us. In response to the litany of terrible things happening, we can collapse into fear.
We can bury our heads in the sand, avoid thinking about things that seem impossible or overwhelming – like climate change, surges of authoritarianism, rising inequality and violent othering.
Or—we can step into our own power to make a difference.
What might that look like?
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” is a quote often attributed to Gandhi. And we can see how it’s been commodified, branded onto t-shirts, yoga mats, and trendy water bottles. It’s been hawked to sell tickets to wellness retreats…
It has been stripped of nuance and context, and it’s been co-opted by capitalism to focus on individual actions at the exclusion of engagement with the world.
The irony of course is that Gandhi was deeply connected to the world. An anti-colonial nationalist, he led India to independence, and his approach to nonviolent civil disobedience fueled world-altering movements in his wake.
If we look, we can find a longer quote from his writings “The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi," published in 1913, that perhaps offers us something more useful:
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
What is the message for us today?
What we see in the world today is a reflection, a mirror, of what is alive in each of us, often unseen on the inside. And that our efforts must focus on ourselves, but, importantly, not at the exclusion of being and acting for change in the world.
As we change, the world changes.
The effort of doing the sometimes-challenging work of personal uncovering is a necessary response to these days. This is because the effort to seek, to know ourselves, to uncover the truth of what we hold inside, is linked inexorably with making the world a better place.
I was working with a client recently who told me that no one had ever asked her this many questions before. She said that our work together was really making her think.
This is something, I’d argue, we desperately need more of right now in the world. We have plenty of people not thinking (or feeling for that matter). People unconsciously reacting to stories they tell themselves, blindly following patterns, acting out of unseen and unquestioned biases.
We need more people to pause and consider who they are, truly, and to listen to what wants to emerge from their deeper selves, and taking action from that place.
When we don’t pause to consider, we're just duplicating more of what we already have.
So, this work of personal discovery and action-taking through stillness, writing, or digging deep into our histories and experiences, all of this is making the world a better place.
It's helping you, yes, but it helps so much more than just you. When you create shifts because you’ve seen yourself clearly, it ripples out. Others feel those changes and are, in turn, moved to make their own.
This is big, beautiful work, Friend.
What will you make space to uncover this week?
Photo by Roberto Reposo on Unsplash
Women’s Online Writing Experience: Deadline Tomorrow
We claim our existence through the claiming of our stories, of what is inside. And while this is a fierce act, it also requires tenderness and space to unfurl. A safe place that both cultivates beauty and the paradox of being alive.
If you’re looking to spend a little more time exploring your own stories and what is alive in you, I invite you to consider joining my online four-week writing experience La Roseraie. This sanctuary offers you space to tend to what wants to be said. The deadline to apply or reach out is April 3. Click here for more information or to sign up.