‘How to Change the World’
‘How to Change The World’ by John Paul Flintoff
Chapter 2: What Drives Us?
a) Changing the world, in other words, feels good — — better than pursuing narrowly selfish interests, better even than having your feet massaged while you eat chocolate.
b) Others, doing the same things but without stopping to think why, would not have shared the sense of satisfaction. To give a simple example: your neighbour is unwell and you take their dog for a walk; you might do so because you genuinely want to help them at this difficult time, or you might do it resentfully. The first will make you feel good, the second won’t.
c) One way to grasp your own values is to ask yourself: what do I think of as a good life, in the fullest sense of that term? What kind of life do I truly admire, and what kind of life do I hope to be able to look back on? To be more specific, write a list of things to accomplish by the time you die. What steps are needed to make them happen?
Chapter 3: Some Thoughts on Strategy
a) At all times, strive to be specific. Surprisingly often, people worry about, for instance, ‘poverty’ or ‘animal rights’, but have no clear idea what it is about these topics that they want to fix.
b) To get to the heart of the matter, we must keep asking ourselves why something is a problem.
c) After going through the process carefully, we may discover that our generalized concern about ‘poverty’ boils down to, say, finding ways for everybody in the world to be clothed and fed.
Chapter 4: Bearing Witness
a) Not everyone will identify a particular mission of their own. The good news is that this need not stop us having a powerful effect, because we can change the world both by passing on news about things that need fixing, and by helping promote other people’s attempts to fix those things.
Chapter 6: Taking a First Step
a) Don’t worry about other people. If you put enough energy into your own efforts, soon enough they may find it impossible not to join you. Or as Gandhi famously put it: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’.
Chapter 7: Add Beauty — — and Fun
a) There are two ways to change the world: to decrease suffering or increase pleasure. And we may instinctively prefer the latter.
b) We want to write stories, sing of our pain ( or make people laugh), and create works of harmonious and delicate craftsmanship. These needs are at the heart of what we are, and should never be sacrificed to a misplaced notion of seriousness — — or put away for ever just because a teacher, years ago, said something unkind about our early efforts.
c) Changing the world is also about considering our own interests and skills — — we will be most effective if we do what comes naturally to us.
Chapter 8: How Does Money Fit in?
a) It isn’t the amount of money we spend that determines a good result, it’s the amount of time we’re willing to think about what the recipient actually needs — — what they’re like and what might benefit them individually.
Chapter 9: Make it Appealing
a) In recognizing what drives us, we must accept that other people too are more likely to pursue personal interests rather than duty. So the great challenge is to make duty coincide with personal interest. To ask: how can we make doing the right thing appealing, rather than merely necessary?
b) When it comes to trying to change the world, it’s no good campaigners shouting through a megaphone at anonymous millions. They must start with those closest to them.
Chapter 11: Aim for a Peace Prize
a) Resolving conflict is not only about making peace between nation states. It’s about looking at our own situation, among friends and relatives, and asking if there may be somebody with whom we should try to straighten things out.
Conclusion: It’s worth building a time into your schedule to focus on the mini-victories properly, and recognize their true worth. Make an appointment to ask yourself, at the end of each week, what you have achieved — — and what you are looking forward to next week.
Source: A book named ‘Art Journey America: Landscapes’ edited by Kathryn Kipp, published by North Light Books
Source: https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/Charles-Courtney-Curran/892181/Chrysanthemums.html
