I can change the entire world all by myself. It’s not difficult to do, and in fact, as humans it is really all we do, every moment.
When we look at all of the troubles in the world, it may often feel like making a meaningful change is hard to do, and for one single ordinary person to make much difference may even seem to be an impossible task. The thing is though; individually, we make ALL of the difference, every single moment.
The Mental Experiment
Sometimes it is said that we are all connected, as if we were all part of one gigantic being that is consciousness itself. One way to envision such a thing is to examine a fractal pattern such as the self-repeating formations seen in a mathematical formula called a Mandelbrot set.
In a mental experiment, suppose that each frond in the paisley edge of an infinite fractal represents an individual and all of their deeds throughout their lives up to this moment. If we zoom in on a particular being, we can see the unique details of what in the world they have done, and their indelible effect on the whole pattern becomes visible.
Zooming back out, we know that those actions have changed the entire design, and having been given the formula for creating these intricate patterns at birth, it then becomes a matter of what we do with the fractal paisley that we are forming.
Will our design make the world better, worse, or will things stay the same?
Will we inspire the frond next to us to mimic our designs, or will we mimic theirs?
Given free will and the ability to choose, we are completely responsible for the designs and patterns that we form, which means that we have the ability to change the entire design with our every move and our every word. This is a big deal.
Knowing that we are all consciously (and unconsciously) designing one of the ornate frills on the edge of creation of all that is, we can still change the world as usual, but with a fresh awareness of our own individual importance here, we can cause the changes to be fitting with the world that we’d like to live in.
The Mental Experiment Goes Live
I started applying this fractal math to everything a while back, and decided that since I would already be generating an elaborate frond on the edge of reality, etc., then I would generate one that would improve the entire design; simply by improving my own self, I improved my house and garden, which improves the neighborhood, which improves the world.
Examples
How could I-- a single individual-- really make a better world? Many of the answers were there in plain sight for me, and for example; I knew that I could make a world with less suffering in it, and one way to do that would be if I chose to stop eating meat, so that by my choice, one less consumer of animals would mean a little bit less suffering in the world. So it was that I decided to become a vegetarian.
Becoming a Vegetarian For Moral Reasons
I chose to stop eating meat around March of 2016, and when I did the math, I realized that I wouldn’t need for the whole world to stop eating meat with me, because I had already stopped myself, so I was already making the world a better place-- I have that power.
If my choosing to stop eating meat makes the world better, then perhaps I should try to sell everyone on the idea of vegetarianism, but that is not my purpose, and what other people eat is usually none of my business. I'm intending to make the world better using my creative powers, and If I bothered people while they were trying to enjoy their chicken or steak, then that doesn’t really make the world a great place for them. I’m trying to make the world a lot better by not being the vegetarian who berates anyone who eats meat.
This is another way that I help to make the world better; I don’t tell people what they should eat, because I want to live in a world where I get to make my own choices, and so I treat others as I’d like to be treated.
By becoming vegetarian and consciously taking responsibility for my intentions and my actions, I know that I help reduce the suffering in the world a little bit. Even as I still use some dairy products which invariably causes some suffering for the dairy animals who are forced to produce it, I have still done something to help, starting by eliminating meat from my diet.
We can all do little things to help the world, and really that’s how it always works; many of us doing little things to make the world better, changing the bigger pattern with our numerous small actions.
Building Bridges to Improve the World
Another little example of things that I do to improve the world; sometimes I build free bridges!
I live on a rental property on a sort of community farm, and since I’ve lived here, I’ve been using this idea of fractally building the decentralized gardens and edible forests of the future, a way that I could make the Earth just a bit better.
I’ve built a couple of bridges and walkways around my house, and used my own time to construct these improvements. Part of the enjoyment that I got from making these additions to the farm was that I never wanted to be repaid for my time or materials-- I didn’t ask the property's owners to take it off of my rent or anything, because I was already benefiting from the bridges.
The way I saw it was that I got a dryer path to wheel my piano home, and the owners of the property got a free bridge. According to my simple calculations, this adds up to a better world for everyone involved. I changed the world a bit-- I have that power.
mural made with leftover spray paints
We Are Always the World’s Designers
Those were just a few examples of things I thought of that I do to make a better world, and because I care about the world and the people on it, I intend to do what I can to make life good for everyone involved. Something as simple as turning a brick wall into a piece of art can be counted as one of those little things. Some people make the world better with pastries and pies, some with technological inventions, but we all make the world, every moment, always, so there's plenty of chances to improve things a bit.
It’s simple: we all individually make an imprint on the overall pattern, each of us, every moment. The ripples from our movements spread out through the medium of life as we are here, and our lives paint an integral part of the mandala that we all are printing here every second. When the ink dries we can see what patterns we have formed, and the feathered paisley shows what our frond is going to add to the big mandelbrot masterpiece that we are making here. It is our choice-- we have that power-- we can easily make a world that we like when we consciously decide to. Lets!
if you like, there is more like this at @therealpaul plus things that are nothing like this. You'll just have to see it for yourself. Video is from utube, while all photos and graphics here are mine.
Yes. No misinterpretations, no pretension. Just straight up golden rule. I guess it's why we get along, brother.
Great view of the world. As much as I can, I try to subscribe to the same philosophy. It's great that you don't preach vegetarianism, unlike others. Everyone is entitled to their own thing. To each their own. In any case, every individual action contributes to the world and universe at large, so everything still counts.
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Definitely, to each their own, and if no harm is done, then I encourage it. If harm is done, I'll not hesitate to defend the innocent and/or myself from such harm, but I won't try to tell anyone how to live. I have a sort of internal monarchy going on here, one ruler, inside of me-- I rule only myself.
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Interesting take on how we can each make a change. For me, making this world a better place means contributing in positive ways. I have found my calling through crytpos because I see how life changing these technologies are. I am committed to being at the forefront of this legendary revolution.
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Yes, contributing in positive ways is what it takes. I've always felt that supporting Steemit and ultimately crypto in general is a positive contribution to the world, another great example of individuals making changes that result in a better place to live.
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I really dislike "vegetarian for moral reasons".
Plants have feelings too.
They feel pain just like cows.
Further, you are denying an animal an existence where it allows itself to become food for humans. Completing a wonderful circle.
But, you do not wish to eat meat, so a cow will not be raised for you. No cows lives are extended because someone becomes a vegetarian. One less is born. Or worse, killed as a newborn.
Now, vegetarian is an appropriate diet for many people. (notable exceptions are women working on being mothers. You need lots of proteins for that.) There are many people who really don't need and don't want the heaviness that meat gives them.
Also, speaking from the other side, a human body doesn't really need much meat. A grown person needs really only about 8 ounces of meat a week.
The typical "american" diet is way to high in meat, and way to low in vegetables.
And, to all of those reading this, find out which diet works best for you. Listen to your body. It may be that you need to cleanse your body first, but when you get your body in tune, it will tell you what it wants. (seriously, you stop craving sugars after you clean up your body)
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I didn't stop eating meat for health reasons, I did it for moral reasons, period. Now, while I think you're being facetious about the poor cow being denied a life for to be slaughtered for me, I have considered the idea that plants have some awareness and are certainly part of consciousness. Since I consider the sweetness of a fruit to be no accident, I must suppose that the plants that we eat are depending on us to bring consciousness into the physical world so that we can all exist together, (that "wonderful circle"?) and I'm for that, since I'm not ready to become a breatharian just yet, and I expect to be a conduit for consciousness to whirl into the world for a while longer here.
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One could equally not give a damn about the cow and still be doing it for moral reasons, but simply be thinking at a system level, whereby it makes sense to reduce meat intake in order to dampen the effects of climate change, which could be entirely out of concern for other humans. There are complex sets of reasons that being veggie or reduced meat can be moralistic. Everyone has their own moral codes that make sense to them.
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That's a good point too, just the expense of fresh water for livestock should be a concern for all water users on Earth. One of the points I had hoped to make here in this article was that I don't try to be more moral than others, and I certainly don't intend to try to convert anyone to my methods; my formula is to make the world only 1 better by improving myself, the only place that I have any authority or real responsibility.
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I think also it's interesting to think about it from a psychology stance. If one is truly set upon changing society, and so changing other people's minds, I really don't think that taking a hardline radical stance is actually very effective. It tends to alienate you from the people whom you wish to convince, and establishes tribal like hostility. So actually being 100% vegan and beating everyone about the brow for being terrible immoral human beings for eating meat (something humans appear to have been doing for a long long time) will probably have the completely opposite than desired effect, simply making them see you as an enemy and motivate them to do the opposite of what you are trying to get them to do, thus delineating their tribal identity.
Conversely, your approach of gently gently and non-accusatory establishes zones of commonality, which is much more likely to motivate people to align with you, perhaps bringing the rest of their tribe with them in the process.
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That is a good point, those tribal tendencies are likely to be a strong influence on peoples perceptions of new or different things. Food choices seem to often be founded on existing belief systems, so it's practically two different religions-- Veganism and Carnism. Vegans are at a disadvantage from the beginning because they have that specific label; the 'Vegans', while the Carnists are just 'everybody else'. I think that if I didn't already know what a vegan was, I would think it sounds like some kind of cult-- the name doesn't make me want to join! The similarities to religions are so acute, I don't dare try to push my particular faith on anyone.
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Like you, I stopped eating meat (cold turkey ;-) a year ago mostly for moral reasons (animal suffering, mostly in North America).
However, I became (food) vegan, not just vegetarian.
Did you consider the suffering of milk cows and egg producing hens?
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I do consider the suffering of dairy animals as I mentioned. Here in this article though, I was showing how there are little things that individuals can do to improve the world, using some examples from my own life. Teaching or trying to influence others is something that I also do, but to explain the formula that I use, I meant to stress that we are only in charge of our own selves, and we are really only able to change ourselves, and no one else. I've had to learn to accept that any change made to the world starts with me, and ends with me. In this article I looked at the bright side: just by eliminating meat from my diet made the world a little better. Could I do more by going full vegan? Yes, and eventually I'll find no use for dairy and eggs, but for this article I dared to dance with the religion of Carnism to make a point about how we individually can reduce suffering in the world, I definitely wasn't attempting to brag about how moral I am while I munched on a grilled cheese sandwich. It's why I spent a paragraph or two saying 'eat whatever you want, it's not my business...' because that wasn't meant to be the topic of this piece. If someone is inspired to change their diet to vegetarianism based on this writing, then I would see that as an improvement to the world, and if they go full vegan-- even better. It's the real reason that I shared this idea, to inspire others to do little things-- even if it's just letting a car into traffic or holding a door for someone- it's another way that I can help make the place nicer to live in.
"Cold Turkey" haha-- it wasn't too hard for me at first, I'd learned how to eat vegan at times when things like meat cost more money than I had. It gets tricky when I'm on the road traveling. I still haven't figured out how to eat on the road. I pack a lunch but it's never enough and not always what I want to eat when the time comes. Another banana or another peanut butter sandwich? Ugh. It's still worth it though!
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Fair enough. Thank you for answering my comment.
And I totally agree with you that it is better to change your own behavior that to proselytize.
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Very inspiring! I have always felt that kind of collective consciousness you mentioned, and I always love coming across another individual who feels this way. Thanks for this.
I have to say, I like the bridges you have made especially! Keep it up!
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I get the impression that we are all one consciousness, and individually we bring it into the physical world in our own unique ways each moment.
These are the most permanent bridges that I've constructed, the originals were made from the fallen timber from an ice storm- they were cool, but rotted too quickly. Glad you like them!
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It is possible to make the world a better place only by educating people and changing their belief systems. They cannot be forced to believe any philosophy, they have to realize that first by their own.
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That's what I try to do too-- I wouldn't want to force a philosophy on anyone, or even try to change them, I just do what I can to improve myself, and that makes the world a little better. If others choose to do the same, then even better!
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Oh, I love this. It's Sunday morning, and once upon a time, on the rare days we didn't go to church, we would instead listen to my dad read a chapter from one of the numerous 'devotional' books my mother had bought, which always contained scripture references so he would go back and forth from the devotional to the bible. Every devotional was written by different people, and each chapter was generally a story about 'life' and an interpretation they felt went with certain bible passages. When I was young it would bore me to death, as I got older I would think about what was being said and there was a time where it all sounded reasonable. Until I went out from the very sheltered world my parents had built around me and found that life was not like those devotionals at all, and whoever was writing them must live in a church, creating a fictional world based on a similar sheltered experience as I'd had. It was Father Knows Best meets televangelism with a dash of a Folgers Coffee commercial- decaffeinated coffee that is.
But this post is a true devotional. A connection to the real spirit in mankind, uplifting, encouraging and practical. And more spiritual than anything I ever felt from the 'daily bread' or the like. Because those were always about being powerless to do anything, about accepting that only the Big Man in the sky had the power to affect change and without him we were destined to fail.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Don't lament that the world isn't what you want it to be or plead with some Graybeard to make it the way you want it to be. Be the way you want it to be and yes, it will be better for it.
Thanks Paul for a great good morning :)
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Oh that sounds pretty dreadful, you were homechurched! I got enough sunday school in my youth to know that boredom. I think it's because the preacher man often doesn't really comprehend the text that he's spewing as gospel, and the kids don't necessarily get it either, but they know when enthusiasm is being faked.
Back around 2008 I hung around on a forum that had a pretty liberal membership, and when Obama came along saying "Be the change..." I thought, for just a second, 'hey, this guy's been reading my stuff!' As it turned out, I'm not sure we were talking about the same thing after all, but I never stopped being the change that I'd intended well before then.
I can do simple math, and when I figured out that I could change everything by adding 1 good thing, it was an equation that made sense to me. Then I got this big idea to use the complex mandelbrot set equation to describe my 'add one good thing to make everything better.' That's why I included the video, worth a thousand words, and too complicated to write about for me, but it illustrates things so well, I often return to the fractal zoom as a reference.
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The fractal zoom reminds me of a video I saw once that zoomed into the human body into the smallest atom and how it looked quite a lot like space, then zoomed back out into space.
The only thing I can say about church is I met two of my closest friends there, sisters whom Jenna and Jess from my book are based on. Their family made mine look positively liberal-- let's just say that the things I wrote about Jenna and Jess's family in the book were not far off from reality minus having a cool aunt like Harriet. But if they did have an aunt like Harriet their family would definitely have treated her the way they did in the book. I think what separates my own parents and some of my extended family who subscribe to the Christian faith is that their love for people is genuine and they're much less judgmental because of it.
That equation makes sense to me as well.
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Noticing the good things, the positivity, helps make a better world by itself, when even the littlest thing count.
Thanks for reading!
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hey @therealpaul,
really your examples are very great.Post of the day.i love you blog.
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Thanks for reading!
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Great and learn from it. Changes start on each one of us and it is also our choice on how to do or make but not harming others. You point it out clearly and now I think I've already done some and think for another to really feel the changed. Sharing such inspired a lot. Tnx steem on and God bless
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Hey I'm happy that you notice that you are already doing good things for the world. We are good people, us humans!
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Amen to that! Small changes starts within us it.may a small things but big enough to change. Tnx. Steem on
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Awesome post @therealpaul, each one of us can make a huge difference and stop passing the responsibility, we after all only need a tiny little flame to start a huge fire! I recently read of a farmer who repaired a badly potholed road in a small town where the authorities were doing nothing about this.
We've been planting fruit trees (papayas, mangoes and avocado trees) along the verge opposite our home, and have been considering starting a veggie pavement garden on that same verge and eventually offer it to passers by. There are a couple of similar projects in various South African cities/ towns. Some local authorities encourage projects called 'Adopt a verge' which obviously comes with responsibilities.
You may enjoy reading about such a veggie garden:
https://rosebankkillarneygazette.co.za/62622/greenside-pavement-vegetable-garden-spreads-smiles/
Thank you for the inspiration :)
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I love the idea of turning unused space into food production. While it takes some knowledge and time to make it happen, the intent behind such projects shows the wisdom of those who partake in little urban garden projects. I'll check out the link, thank you!
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Nice post by @therealpaul
Cheers~~~
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Thank you @dinisanda, cheers!
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Wow! Great thought, about the making of good world. You are most welcome friend for awering people of such important job. Yes we always say people about environment degrading problem, but do nothing about its care. If people of the world think like you, then the future of mankind will be bright. Thanks for sharing such a valuable lesson.wish you a very beautiful time.
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Thanks for commenting, yes I think lots of people naturally make the world better without trying. Then there are teachers like you who mean to make the world better every day-- each person on Earth makes the world, and we choose to make it better!
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nice writing
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...and the word "individual" MEANS undivided.
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Upvote me
from ACEH saket me
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