Change for Heroes of Humanity

Einstein handed a list of questions to his secretary to prepare for an upcoming exam.
”But Albert”, she said, ”these are the same questions you gave them a few months ago.”
”I know, he replied, ”but I changed the answers.”

The story is unlikely to be true, but it illustrates an important principle. Some problems require different solutions under different circumstances. Change is a constant. Everything is changing all the time.

Obama ran for president on promises of change. He could just as well have promised weather. A young Bob Dylan sang, ”The times they are a changin.” Fact is, the times are always changing.

Without putting change in a specific context, nothing is said or done. What is to be changed to what? In our world, without changing the basic structure of society, the prevailing order, the money-oriented value system, no significant change can occur. Injustice, war and inequality will continue to eat away at the environment and the possibilities of human survival, regardless of reforms and repairs to the most obvious symptoms of decadence. If the cultural atmosphere continues to worship things and consumption while neglecting the health and well-being of the community, we’ll all march, well-dressed and well-equipped, off the cliffs of existence.

Money is not a short-cut to happiness. Happiness is a function of accomplishment, the oil in the machinery of motivation, the prize of love. Money is an excellent tool to regulate the exchange of goods and services. When you have more than you need, it’s like having more food than is required to keep you healthy. When it becomes the goal of ambition, it acts like Frodo’s ring and traps the owner in an emotional dungeon of greed.

Instead of commercial individualism we need community individualism. We need people who strive to excel at serving the needs of the people, at improving the human condition. Heroes of humanity, can you hear the call to battle?

“Collecting things instead of doing things is being instead of living.”
Dartwill Aquila

*

*