Be the change is the second core principle of The Mountain Pathway.
Choosing to Be the Change
There is a famous expression:
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
In other words, take action to lead by example.
Most people attribute this phrase to Mahatma Gandhi, but what he actually said was this:
“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.”
This means, in order to effect change in others, we must first learn to lead ourselves to change. As such, if you adopt the principle of be the change, you are committed to:
- Being Curious
- Accepting responsibility
- Taking action
The essence of being the change is taking action. It all starts with action in your internal world.
Being Curious
Learning tools and techniques like those outlined in this framework will help you better understand and manage your internal world. First though, if you don’t already have it, you need to cultivate the drive to want to learn and grow; the mindset of being curious.
I ask you this: During your life, overall, have you done your best to apply yourself to living, by taking action to live the life you want to live with integrity?
This is a simple yes/no question. Anything less than are 100% committed honest yes, is a no.
Let me put it another way. As I have mentioned before, the human body is subject to the law of impermanence. This means that one day it will die. The matter within it will be recycled in to the universe and your life energy will return back to the source. At the moment of death, even if we are lying in a bed surrounded by our loved ones, we will be alone. Just us and our internal world. No ego, no fear, no concerns about what anybody else thinks. Just you.
In that very moment, the truth will reveal itself. If you yearn to cling on to life because you have not accomplished what you want to accomplish, or more importantly, you do not feel like your choices have created a life path that was on the right trajectory to achieving your goals, then you have your answer. You have not been applying yourself with honest integrity to increase your energetic vibration in pursuit of self-actualisation.
Pause for Reflection – Considering the End
Try this exercise next time you are lying in bed, just before you drift off to sleep. Imagine that you are in fact laying on your death bed, all alone, and ask yourself this question:
Have I done my best to apply myself to living by taking action to live the life I want to live?
Am I ready to die?
Choices
We can all, if we make the right choices, be ready to die at any moment. To be clear, being ready to die is not wanting to die. We can only accept death and be ready to die, if we can honestly say to ourselves that we have done everything within our power to live the best life we can. We all do this by making the right choices to follow our true path and purpose in life.
I am ready to die. I love being alive though, so would not accept the kind offer of death anytime soon! If I have the choice about it!
Accepting that there is work to be done, is acceptance that what you have been doing so far needs to change, that you need to learn how to change. Curiosity unlocks learning. Remember the feeling of realisation that you are not ready to die yet, and use it as fire to drive your curiosity. Being curious is like being a child again. It is fun. There is only question you need: But, why?
Repeating the same action and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity.
Next Thursday, we will explore taking responsibility for change further…
Enjoy, for now.