On Change

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - quoting United States President Barrack Obama’s famous lines about change, it roots from the cliché that “change should start with ourselves”. It is not dependent upon some other external force. No one but ourselves can start the change we so desire.
Change has always been associated with new beginnings.

Whenever something new comes in, the populace always expects that the old system will be changed. The same can be said in the current political situation in the Philippines, wherein a new administration takes over from the former and quite old and infamous one. The rise of Noynoy Aquino as the newly-elected President of the Republic of the Philippines has brought hopes of the country to recover from its deep slump. I think majority, if not of those who voted in his favor sees him as the solution for the country’s traditional problems. “This guy is the legacy of the man who proved that the Filipinos are worth dying for and of the mother of democracy. He is surely capable of developing the country.” – This I think is what those people thought of him. With all due respect, I think otherwise, or should I say, I do not believe it. He might be a son by blood of those so-called “heroes” but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he can imbibe upon the people the same “charisma” or influence the same as his parents. He’ll have to do this in his own way, not just by being branded as the son. He must make a name for himself (which I think, slowly but surely, he’s working out on as of today). But regardless, can one man bring about the change in the society? I don’t think so.

As the above-quoted Obama line states, change is something that will not happen by virtue of other person or time. The message is clear: we should start with ourselves. We should not be waiting for some other person in some other time to make things happen for us. After all, we are living our own life. The fact that it is “exclusively ours” justifies the logic that we should be responsible enough to take care of it, bring about positive changes, and develop it by ourselves. Of course, outside help may be indispensable, but the focal point is it centers on the individual himself. So, talking about change in the larger context, this will mean that a newly installed leader cannot bring about the changes to the country demanded to him ALONE. As he once said, he is not Superman. As if Superman can solve the country’s century-old problems! No one can solve those alone, even if he possesses the highest form of magic or a body of steel.

Then, could this mean that change should start individually, then collectively? Might work.

People change because of some factors: other people or events that tend to influence their behavior, personality, or view of things. Influence from others is different from internal motivation. Although those people had contributed to the “change” in oneself, it can still be inferred that it originated from one’s own volition. The same can be said for the larger circle - the society. Though some other factors might trigger this change, the inherent capacity to do so belongs to the people constituting it.

Then, is it really necessary that something else occurs first before change can happen? It seems that we are always waiting for something unknown, some sort of a different stimulus, before we can realize that we have the ability to change. It may be the natural sequence of things; someone notices something about you, comments negatively or suggests to do an action about it, and in order to conform to that remark, you will try to change. Should things always be like this? We should “change” for “change” to happen. We should be aware enough of our “inner self’ so we will know what needs to be done, instead of depending upon others to point them out.

Nothing stays the same. Change is the only constant things in this world. You cannot step twice on the same river (Heraclitus). These are some of the most famous quotes about change. Among these, I find one that perfectly applies to the “change” I’m referring to in the previous paragraphs:

It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not. – (James Gordon)

So, is it about preparedness to change? .

Yes, that’s one point, but that may not be enough. For every new beginning, we are filled with hope that we can finally make those changes happen. We are placing our hopes upon the occurrence of this “something new” believing that it will be the rallying point towards change. But are we prepared for it? Can we accept it immediately? Can we cope up as soon as it takes effect? Can we maintain it? And of course, can we contribute to it? There are still a lot of things to be considered. If so, then we must be ready for all the consequences the transformation might bring us.

I won’t let this end without mentioning one of the most inspiring lines from a man who I owe a great debt of gratitude. I have this instilled with me from the time he shared this insight to us until today. Unfortunately, it seems I have failed to live this up, but I am always trying to do it. These are the lines that I will keep as a guiding principle:

Today, I will start the change I want to see.
- Bro. Rafael Donato, FSC