Changing Ourselves -- Changing Civilization

Marilyn Hempel

One of Mahatma Gandhi’s most popular quotations is, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Here is the story of the origin of this quotation.

During the 1930’s, a young boy had become obsessed with eating sugar. His mother was very upset with this. But no matter how much she scolded him and tried to break his habit, he continued to satisfy his sweet tooth. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see his idol—Mahatma Gandhi; perhaps her son would listen to him.

She and the boy walked miles, for hours under scorching sun to finally reach Gandhi’s ashram. There, she shared with Gandhi her predicament. “Bapu (father), my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhi listened to the woman carefully, thought for a while and replied, “Please come back after two weeks. I will talk to your son then.” The woman looked perplexed, and remonstrated, "it was a long walk," but Gandhi was adamant. So she took the boy by the hand and went home.

Two weeks later they revisited Gandhi. Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said,
“Boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.” The boy replied, “Forgive me, bapu. I will follow your advice.”

The mother was puzzled and a little annoyed. She enquired, “Bapu, you could have asked my son to stop eating sugar when we visited you two weeks ago. Why did you ask us to make the long walk back?” Gandhi smiled, “Ben (Sister), two weeks ago, I, too, was eating a lot of sugar. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

One of the reasons that Gandhi was an effective leader was because he was an authentic leader. Authentic leaders inspires others because they are true to their core values and purpose.

The core values and purpose of the sustainability movement have been defined. Value the Earth upon which we all depend in order to survive. Do not take more than your "Fair Eathshare" of the planet's resources. Consider and ensure the health and happiness of future generations when making decisions. Sustainability is deeply concerned with enhancing and preserving quality-of-life opportunities for both current and future generations.

But how do these grand goals translate into action? How can sustainable communities be created without a general consensus across the globe that change is urgently needed? The answer can be found in the old adage that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." We must be the change we wish to see. And in order to become that exemplar of change, we must first confront the social practices that prevent us from changing.

This Population Press presents ideas that challenge us to think deeply about these social practices. Dr. Albert Bandura, internationally renowned psychologist, shares his theory of "selective moral disengagement," a switching off of one's conscience that allows us, even in the face of an obvious need to change, to continue to make unsustainable lifestyle choices. Jeff Dardozzi, co-founder of the Earth Alchemists, contends that we cannot become a sustainable society until we rekindle a sense of the "civic" and the "divine"—the civic obligations that bind us to one another, and the divine realization that we can work for something greater than ourselves.

All of us can become more aware of the forces that motivate or hinder people. Awareness can bring understanding; understanding can bring action. In our many daily decisions and actions—however small, however large—we can be the change we wish to see.