Everyone it seems wants to change the world. Change means wanting something different from what is. What is, is usually known to us, what it should be is a matter of opinion.
Nowadays not only do people have strong opinions about almost everything, everyone thinks of themselves as an authority. But where do these opinions come from?
Media, religion and education are the three primary sources.
Technology has now enabled media to drown us in data, information and opinions all day long. Both mass media and social media provide the bulk of social, economic and political opinions. Temple, church and mosque provide most of the religious opinions.
We now thrust upon every child between 10 to 20 years of 'formal education'. This is often the seeding of so called 'truths' into innocent and vulnerable minds. In reality they are often nothing but biased perceptions, manipulated facts, manufactured truths.
Religion has become so corrupted that great truths have decayed into convoluted philosophies and ideologies.
The negative thing about being armed with so much data and information whether true or false is, it gives a person a sense of knowing and hence a sense of power and superiority. This has the undesirable consequence of making us arrogant compelling us to broadcast our thoughts. So like a rooster we will perch high on a tree and crow about our opinions.
We do not realise it but most of the time we are only repeating and merely propagating opinions of others. That which is acquired so cheaply we are more than eager to impose upon others. Often we are swept away by 'public opinion', which is nothing more than the multiple echo of opinions of initiated by some crafty people.
Thoughts should emerge from our own observations, study and experiences, however this is rarely the case.
One may ask, 'What should I do, to become from a person of mere opinions to a person of action?'
Action and real change usually requires three things, thoughts, conviction and courage.
Not every thought gives birth to action, however all actions of choice are born out of thought.
One can observe that, all great and successful people are foremost thinkers before all else. Courage provides us the energy and drive to pursue and conviction makes us stay focussed on bring about the change.
Just acting without thinking, courage or conviction will just make us busy fools.