Will I change the world?

Will I change the world?

You can if you want to.  Do you want to?

We've all grown up hearing stories of heroes and heroines who take on difficult tasks and become
victors.  Harriet Tubman who fled slavery then returned to captivity 19 times to help free hundreds of slaves; Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. who dared to challenge the status quo of the racially and economically segregated U.S., and Tank Man in the famous Tiananmen Square image who literally stood before an army of tanks to try to change the world.

And then there are other real life heroes who see a problem before them--a mountain for instance--and literally decide to dig their way through the problem.  Such as Dashrath Manjhi who spent the better part of 22 years digging a shortcut through a mountain so that the people of his village could access medical care, markets, and neighboring villagers in the closest village a bit easier; Manjhi was prompted to carve out a 360foot long, 30 foot wide road after his wife died because she could not reach a neighboring village to access proper medical care.  The original route around the mountain was dangerous and lengthy.

And then there's Ramchandra Das, who was inspired by Manjhi's actions and spent 14 years of his own life digging through a mountain so his fellow villagers could access neighboring fields and so he could park his truck outside his home; the mountain near his home had prevented both things.  Das carved out a 32 foot long, 13 feet wide tunnel through the mountain.

These men dug through mountains to create something as simple as roads because they saw a need for those things for themselves and others.  Yes, you most certainly can change the world if you set your mind to do so and seek the means to make it happen.  

So, how are you going to change the world?  What are you going to do to make this world a bit better for yourself and the rest of us?

Go out and change the world and leave your last mark.  But begin by knowing this: yes, you can change the world if you so desire.

For some real life inspiration, check out this footage of Tank Man staring down those tanks:

Or

Prof. Chatterbox