Three times a change

Many of us want to change the world, but how can we achieve that?

First of all, it is obvious that we don’t just aim to change the world – the world is already changing, regardless of what we do. The ancient philosophers wisely claimed that the only constant in nature is change.

In reality, it is not just any change that we seek, we are looking for a secure, positive change – a redirection towards a brighter future for humanity.

None of us can achieve significant change on our own.

Although we are familiar with the names of great individuals who have sparked major historical changes, such individuals are rare exceptions. However, even those great people did not work alone. They were the tip of the iceberg or the mountain, but never a solitary island.

So, what are the paths to achieving such change?

We must be idealists, because only idealists can envision a better world.

We must be philosophers, because only those who love wisdom freed from subjectivity can truly understand the complexities of the world. You and prejudice, can find a correct way to achieve your ideals.

We must be volunteers, because this new world will not be built from thoughts, prayers or desires, but from action – action achieved freely, efficiently and with the best intentions.
Let’s explore these paths a little deeper.

Idealism

An idealist intuitively feels the difference between what is and what could be. An idealist looks with the heart, imagines a possible future, dreams of a better world.

Idealism was the fundamental starting point for Socrates, Plato and the classical philosophical schools, it was at the root of the Renaissance and the civil rights movement in many countries.

Idealism is at the heart of everyone who fights for justice, every true artist and religious leader. Without idealism, there is no progress, but not progress in terms of new technologies, but in the true sense of human progress – self-awareness and self-realization.

Philosophy

Philosophy is the love of wisdom. A philosopher strives to recognize truth and seeks wisdom. be in harmony with each other.
Philosophy is the opposite of dogmas and prejudices. A philosopher never attaches themselves to opinions, but constantly questions knowledge, practically and under the inner light of reason.

Just like Socrates, philosophers are the “bees” of society who always expose hypocrisy and at the same time set an example of moral living.

Volunteering

Volunteering is now considered to be an activity without receiving financial compensation, but the origin of the word is in the Latin word voluntarius, which means goodwill. It refers to actions that are taken voluntarily, and it is less important whether a person receives financial compensation for it or not.

However, in order to be able to act voluntarily, we must first free our will.

Acting out of a desire for reward, a desire to please others, out of fear, for flattery or coercion, are just some examples of how lower aspects of our nature can imprison our will.

Integrated approach

Idealism, philosophy, and volunteering – these three paths must be interconnected. Being connected is crucial in order to achieve beneficial, positive, and long-term results.

Being an idealist without philosophical contemplation is a recipe for fanaticism. Many fanatics may intuitively perceive archetypal-spiritual realities and genuinely desire to make the world a better place, but without reflection and internal self-examination, their efforts will taint their personal inclinations, beliefs, and prejudices. They do not question their beliefs in the light of reason, thus their vision of a better world becomes a reflection of their subjective imaginings and past experiences.

When combined with philosophy, idealism realizes that the first and most important change must occur within ourselves. We must not demand from others what we ourselves would not do.

We dream of peace in the world, yet we are unable to live in peace with our neighbors or even our own parents. We speak against violence and advocate for the acceptance of diversity, but woe betide those who disagree with us. We promote compassion towards animals, but… [the rest of the text is cut off] we treat other people with disrespect.

Bringing about change in the world is like a ripple effect on water, it starts from the center, and the center for each of us is always ourselves.

Volunteering without philosophy is also useless because it becomes a Sisyphean task, like a doctor constantly treating only the symptoms of a disease but unable to cure the disease itself. That’s why we have endless wars against hunger, poverty, drugs, and even war itself, which leads nowhere and achieves no progress.

When great leaders like Buddha, Jesus, Martin Luther King, and Mahatma Gandhi tried to help humanity, they tried to impart certain knowledge so that people could better understand themselves and live better, in other words, they taught them philosophy. It is always better to teach a hungry man to fish than to give him a fish.

In the end, idealism and philosophy without volunteering are like a soul without a body.

Without volunteering, idealism and philosophy remain only good intentions, but they amount to nothing. It is a practical approach to life. They do not lead to tangible results and remain unfulfilled dreaming. The power of the mind is undeniable, but we cannot achieve a better world just by thinking.

In the history of mankind, positive changes have never occurred without effective action by individuals, groups, or communities of goodwill who knew how to connect idealism, philosophy, and volunteering.