[Ti] Change; what is needed to make this a better society. What are changes needed?

[LightSun]

I believe in a change of government (at least massive government reform). What that change may be, I do not really know. This is a serious issue as well as problem. I unfortunately see the status quo ruling and not wanting to give their power up. What is mine is mine. Folks we need to work together in order to fulfill the greatest good. The people with money on a never ending task to make even more money. Money & riches pursued at the expense of the hardship of people. A money issue, rather than a people, healthy, happiness issue. “Really there happens to be a terrible mal-distribution of the wealth of our country. What is of paramount importance is education for all the people. It makes me angry a people give multi-millions upon billions to a certain sequestered segment of our society. At the same time we are not addressing the needs of our young generation, nor have adequate and humane health care in this great nation of ours. It is certainly no excuse in our country for the aspect of poverty. There is not enough funding nor importance placed on education. Every day children run hungry due to poverty. We do not take care of our environment. We happen to be quick as well ill advised in deciding to go to war. Never mind that the human mind is not built in witnessing repeated trauma nor being an actor being caught up in a traumatic situation and environment. This is especially if it is recurrent. A whole host of societal issues await us. There needs reforming as well evolvement in our consciousness. In Eisenhower’s day one person made an income adequate in taking care for a whole family. Now even two person’s working together can not keep up and make ends meet. We also addressed all the infrastructure in the United States in the 50’s era. Now all of the government institutions happen to be going bankrupt and we are hopelessly over indebted. A rich powerful lobbying group and interests keep allowing a small percentage living as a veritable emperor and not paying taxes that is needed if this country is to remain vibrant. Come on, no person’s work is worthy of such fortunes. It is inequity of massive proportions. I say the people who by the grace of God who are making all this money hold it only in trust. We are a Christian nation. We supposedly are labeled as such yet to not live up to the standard which Christ proclaimed. Christ preaches from an avenue of the poor’s perspective and the downtrodden. He said, ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man (or woman) to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ Riches and also having too much power can corrupt, just look at our institutions. As a ‘Christian’ nation we must work for the interests of all.” LightSun

 

[LightSun]

"It is as if we as children have been molded into a shape. To change we have to figuratively metamorphosis into a new person." LightSun

"An important scientific innovation rarely makes its way by gradually winning over and converting its opponents: it rarely happens that Saul becomes Paul. What does happen is that opponents gradually die out and that the growing generation is familiarized with the idea from the beginning." Max Planck

"Even wanting to change and become a better person, does not necessitate an actual occurrence of the desired change will occur. For we seem to fight ourselves. It is a phenomenon." LightSun

"Our minds grow in spots: and like grease spots, the spots spread. Let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered as much of our old knowledge as many our old prejudices and beliefs, as we can. We patch and tinker more than we renew. The novelty soaks in; it stains the ancient mass; but it is also tinged by what it absorbs." William James

 

[LightSun]

Satish Kaku "Life is like kaleidoscope, which keeps changing the pattern each time it is shaken – learn to enjoy & witness every change…”

"Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

 

[LightSun]

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mohandas Gandhi

"The capacity to change the entire world lies deep within our own being. Hear the call now to ignite the fire you have always carried and bring all of that radiant light out- like a beacon to the ones whose eyes are so ready for the LIGHT and whose hearts are ever ready to burst forth in a new bloom of bounty! And celebrate again, the rebirth of a new wonder, unlike any you have ever known.” Paul Goldman

"Think about what you have to give within you that could and really would change someone’s life – and not just now but continuously." - Caroline Mys

"One of the best and most unique ways to change behavior is to video tape
oneself and see how one really looks, acts, & behaves.
It's like a wakeup call.
Of course a person must be willing to change, grow, & actualize.
Usually one won't because change is HARD.
Unless there is an incentive, one will not pick up the gauntlet and attempt
the greatest “challenge in life", and that is changing self.
For this is where the great battle lays." LightSun

 

[LightSun]

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Martin Luther King Jr.

"It will be a battle on many fronts. People with passion and ideas shall march forward. It is a matter of organization as well as perseverance and sticking up for our principles." LightSun

"Part what having visionary qualities can entail is being able to see, feel, and visualize. In addition, a true visionary conceptualizes the gifts of man. It saddens him how we are not living to our potential. We can prevail. We must. We shall move forward. Those who seek to stop the steamroller of progress will be forgotten as if they never existed. They are guided, nay ruled by fear, being overridden with it and not vision." LightSun

"I just went do God's will. And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and seen the Promised Land." Martin Luther King Jr.

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation." Robert F. Kennedy

''When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here. It's a wonderful life and I love it."
-Jim Henson, It's Not Easy Being Green And Other Things to Consider

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." Gandhi

 

[LightSun]

"It is the reformer who is anxious for the reform, and not society, from which he should expect nothing better than opposition, abhorrence and mortal persecution." Gandhi

"We as a species resist change for it is both painful as well very difficult. So the reformer has the vision of a brand spanking wonderful future, but will be resisted. We as individuals seek to maintain order, clarity, and consistency within our lives. To go against status quo is profoundly resisted. We also largely live in a... See more moment by the minute sort of basis. This is to mean we react vs. plan for contingencies. Of course reading psychological profiles, there are some types who consistently perform rather well with a solution focused and a more future oriented base. Nonetheless we happen to be guided very much by emotion, in a sort of pain-pleasure paradigm. We seek avoiding any pain (change), while seeking gratification with worldly pleasures. Many are of an illusion type. When we die are all hours spending on immediate gratification such like sex, clothes, money, possessions, food - will or can it avail us (I mean in excess)? I according with Maslow and also Csikszentmihaly go with a "flow" and or seeking "peak experiences," as my optimal level of seeking a "true" life experience. Or call itself actualizing potential as well as in developing my latent gifts as more fulfilling than chasing illusionary type distraction in life." LightSun

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle." Martin Luther King Jr.

"Freedom is never voluntarily given up by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." Martin Luther King Jr.

"We are all interrelated beings, Gaia principle. Unfortunately or perhaps
realistically, we all live our lives in tiny enclaves, away from the rest of the
planet! What does this mean? It means, we are so busy struggling to survive, that we have little extra energy or attention to help the planet. Unless we have direction. And clear thought out plans! This is where big government steps in and creates national and state parks. But this is not enough. I suppose it's like global warming. Many people don't believe or don't care! Again, this is where government can step in and help direct the people in a direction that benefits everyone. Some will have gripes and complaining, "Oh I don't want to do that", or "that's not fair", or I don't want to pay for that", or "big government has no business in my business". I just sometimes see us as a bunch of lemmings gong over a cliff with over population, griping all the way, and blind to the BIG picture." LightSun

"Every step of the way has been resisted, fought, and tested. The freedom of slave's, a women's right to vote, civil rights movement. Why do we seem to halt progress rather than embrace it? It is partly fear and uncertainty. If we could but have leaders, we could trust." LightSun

"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, that to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things
Niccolo Machiavelli 1469-1527 The Prince 1513
"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and portly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them." The Prince 1513

 

[LightSun]

"A desperate disease requires a desperate remedy." Guy (Guido) Fawkes 1570-1606

Change is very hard. Trying to achieve change is like whispering into the wind.
Unless someone can raise our social consciousness with tales of grief & woe to stir our dormant & latent passions. But how, how to achieve this is the frustrating part.
Unless someone can write a book. Or there is a state of emergency, where immediate action is required. Or perhaps someone can direct a film. I want to be an agent of social change. Why can we not change with compassion, instead of fear? It is a simple heart felt question that should have an easy and ready answer.” LightSun

"This is how I see society today. We need desperate remedies if we are to survive if we are not to go the way of the dinosaurs. Not only thrive, but actualize. I believe in the renaissance of the human spirit. We should focus on humanity, health and happiness as the true quota of human success. Not monetary value but human. value. We should focus on meeting the basic elements of the human condition. Insurance, child care etc. This instead of cutting corners to save a penny and almighty dollar at the expense of the human condition." Lightsun

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew." Abraham Lincoln

 

[LightSun]

If it is hard for you to "CHANGE",
then how can you "REALISTICALLY" & rationally believe that you can "CHANGE"
another human "being"?
Knowing this truth could prevent so much misery.
People are always seeing to change others
rather than look within.
It is extremely difficult to change, even if one wants to.
It is almost impossible to change another human being.
The "CHANGES" have to come from within.
What one can do is:
State your boundaries.
State your feelings.
State your position and wants, wishes, & expectations etc.
Do not seek to control the other.
This is negative energy.
It will come back your way if you seek to impose your "WILL" upon
another human being. LightSun


"In general I have learned that you can't have a conservative and liberal
argue and for there to be a shift n consciousness. It goes out in one ear
and out the other. I have changed my mind through LIFE EXPERIENCES. An
evolution of thought, and a coming into my own. I am beginning to SEE
multiple viewpoints and UNDERSTAND their different languages of thought
and perceptual reality. Change is difficult and painful. In fact I would not say
change so much as grow. It almost seems that we have different animal spirits:
bear, puma, raccoon and so on. It helps define us.
We don't so much "CHANGE" as EVOLVE and GROW constantly throughout
our life. LightSun

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another."Anatole France

"We have to experience deep rooted pain. For with a change, indeed all changes there is a risk of enduring a pain. We instinctively avoid this pain, even when it is in our best interests. Until somehow we can override this fear complex chemically or by some other terrific means we will be enclosed in a prison of our own making, and that is what the mind is willing to endure, and what it is not." Lightsun

"Change has long been a fearful thing for human beings ... and at the same time, it is our most Divine opportunity. Clinging to the banks of the river may seem safe and more secure, but life's possibilities are truly engaged only when we trust…” Chelle Thompson

 

[LightSun]

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." Martin Luther King Jr.

"If we accept and acquiesce in the face of discrimination, we accept the responsibility ourselves and call on those people to salve their conscience by believing that they have our acceptance and concurrence. We should therefore, protest openly everything…that smacks of discrimination or slander." Mary Mcleod Bethune

 

[LightSun]

"Our civilization is still in a middle stage, scarcely beast; in that it is no longer guided by instinct; scarcely human, in that it is not wholly guided by reason." Theodore Dreiser

Education, I've stated it many times in innumerable threads. Education and child rearing, along with parental education is the bottom line. The root. The heart of the matter. It makes so much sense. Again, it's like the pink elephant in the room or the emperor with no clothes in the room. We all know the answers but not enough resources are put into it. When will there be a rise in consciousness and demand for social action and for these areas to be first acknowledged and them acted on? I know we can conceivably have a renaissance, a rebirth of the human spirit with a will and a focus and a drive. It takes a paradigm shift. It takes changes in consciousness as well as awareness. Come on we put a man on the moon and built the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. Later we resolved our will and resources for the manufacture of the hydrogen bomb. Why is it we can make and build engines of destruction but not marshal our forces for the good of society? Is it fear based? Must our primitive emotions be triggered to impel us to take action? We also marshaled a country for war against two giants of military might, both Germany as well as Japan. Prior to WWII we were not a superpower. The powers were Germany, France, Great Britain, and the U.S.S.R. We were not prepared for war when it hit us at Pearl Harbor on that infamous day. Yet we marshaled our forces and overcame great odds of herculean proportions. We can again. We need a leader or many leaders. Leaders with a vision toward a great America. Moreover we have to want a better society to make the changes needed in how, when and if we are truly committed to making the changes that are essential and absolutely, imperatively needed and essential to make and keep this great nation of ours, in which we live in, great. We all live here. We all have a stake and a voice. We must make the pivotal changes needed in how we do things and how we think of ourselves, our children and our future.” LightSun

"I must confess I am confounded at that moment of history where all over the world new ideas, thoughts were coming out. You had Buddha, Lao Tzu. The latter two not of course Greek, but what was happening the world over, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato and all the great minds that came out at this time. Two of Plato's ideas I love is one the cave of shadows metaphor, which represents our reality. What we see are but shadows of the truth. One other of his many ideas was his idea of the philosopher kings. Philosophers would be a sort of ruling system that took the best interests of the people into account. In this way, they could override the fears of the people, which impede progress. We fight so much among ourselves that we halt histories stream. Supposedly, they were more of the inner universe of thought." Lightsun

 

[LightSun]

"In a democratic society like ours, relief must come through an aroused popular conscience that sears the conscience of the people's representatives." Felix Frankfurter

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage" John Ernst Steinbeck (1902-1968) The Grapes of Wrath, 1939

 

[LightSun]

“Those that don’t understand judge. With understanding comes less judgment. We all fear that which we don’t understand.
We often demonize people or actions of others because in part we don’t know their motives.

Prejudice though is when we judge other cultures, peoples, nationalities, ethnic groups and civilizations other than our own.

There are some where this is completely apparent. Hitler, Stalin and serial killers are doing heinous acts. These absolutely need to be stopped and stomped irrevocably.

Diversity though can be a wonderful thing. We can grow and see things from other peoples perspective and lens of perception.

If we are nationalistic, full of pride, hubris and closed minded to see other perspectives, then we will never grow.

Not to the potential we are capable of. If we only hold unto our own mores and norms, we can not see the picture coming from other rich cultures and heritages.

If we can practice tolerance, open mindedness and respect for those others of dissimilar beliefs we can stretch and grow our understanding.

We can evolve to be even greater than our current selves by incorporating and stretching our limited perceptions into a whole new level of understanding.

The danger and holding back of closed minds is that they hold back all of society. Change is often feared.

It is thus resisted. There are visionaries who can perceive a bright new reality that is greater than our current status quo.

It is up to change agents to understand these fears. We need to work together and find a bridge of understanding.

It is a shame that often times we resist change. We fear what we will lose rather than focusing on what a bright future we shall receive if we only commit to progressive changes.

We are more reactive than proactive. It is fear and that fear stops us from traveling to the unknown.

One that will expand our reality and as well our quality of lives. That is why we need a leader who understands the fears of their constituency.

Leaders who understand our fears and helps to placate them by offering a greater future. That is if we only combine forces and unite to usher this change together.

In order to do that there are essential ingredients. These being tolerance, respect and open mindedness of other people viewpoints.

It is only when we communicate from such a vantage point that we can communicate successfully and bridge the gap to make successful changes.” LightSun

#leader #communicate #diversity #tolerance #openminded #respect #proactive #reactive #change #fear #future

 

[LightSun]

“I want to say I don’t like generalizing. I don’t want to put the Republican Party down. However these are real issues.

I’ve always been puzzled why progressives and liberals are discounted by the Republican Party.

Generally speaking we need forward thinking people. All people resist change. Change causes a person cognitive dissonance.

People don’t want to sacrifice their comfortable status quo for fear changes will take something away from them. They don’t realize the benefits that come from making hard choices to make their lives better.

We absolutely need forward thinkers, progressives and change agents. The Republican Party can bring into the equation realistic safeguards.

All change has been fought against by the status quo. Those who don’t want to help making changes, are hindering societal progress.

They will be remembered as those who sought to forestall societally growth due to their own fears, prejudices, and stereotypes.” LightSun