Changing the World

    Wow did I get overwhelmed and behind in the daily A-Z blog.   It's good to have work to do though.  With the letter C, several things came to mind; compassion, college; and clarity all came to mind, but I feel a tug towards change.   Maybe in part because I teach Organizational Design, Development and Change in the graduate program for Siena Heights University.  Maybe because there has been so much change in my life over the past eight years in particular. Certainly because guiding organizational and individual change is so much of my life's work to date.
     I love Peter Drucker and a couple of his thoughts in particular.  "One cannot manage change. One can only be ahead of it." And "The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different."
      Howard Gardner in Five Minds for the Future talks about how we must not only develop expertise in one specific area of study or endeavor, but how we must also extend horizontally into other fields to create something new of value to the world. Some would call that divergent thinking.
     I also remember a sermon I heard on the radio out of Chicago years ago that actually turns out to be a quote from the Dalai Lama.  Paraphrased it goes along the lines of:

    "Think you can't change the world? Impact your country.

     Think you can't change your country for the better, try something at the state level. 

     If you want your state to be better, make a difference in your region.   

     If you want to improve your region, do something in your community.

     Desire improvements in your community, start in your church. 

     Want your church to do more, start with your family.

     If you want your family to improve, then start with yourself.

     If you change yourself, you HAVE changed the world."

     So regardless of what happened yesterday, I remain open to the hope, the potential, the opportunity to make a difference in the world today by taking the time to change what needs to be done in me.  Understanding psychology and psychiatry basics I won't be accomplishing that change in solitude, thought that's also sometimes necessary.  I will simply be open to the constructive criticism, advice and concepts from the many I know who are much wiser than I.  And rather than be offended, I'll be grateful for the chance to grow to become what I am not today, but may be tomorrow.