Starting a Quiet Revolution

Isa Mary - 28 Dec 16

It started as a dry, throwaway comment at the Christmas dinner table:  “Well, the human race hasn’t exactly moved itself forward this year, has it?”  but it has niggled me ever since.

The reason it has niggled me is quite simply this: what have I done in 2016 to make the world a better place?  Nothing, if I’m honest.  Disgusted as I am with politicians, governments, the media, big business and all the usual suspects, I don’t have a leg to stand on.

Becoming a mum – when it seems that my children will grow up to a world that is less stable and more unhappy than the world we all grew up in – has made me want to change things.  But with the relentless whirlwind of family, childcare, work and household stuff, putting “change the world“ on my to-do list feels somewhere between ambitious and ridiculous.

But what if I ask myself, before everything I do:  “How does this make the world a better place (even if only a tiny bit)?“.   It is a broad enough question to apply to almost every choice I make.

What if… instead of joining in the bitching that inevitably breaks out in our extended family at this time of year, I spend time pointing out the good in people?

What if... I ignore the chores piling up and instead make sure I spend time with my family and go back to work fully rested and raring to go?

What if… I get together some warm clothes and bedding for the local lady who is taking a van to Calais – instead of just meaning to get round to it?

What if… I text the friend who is recovering from an operation and whose husband is working 16 hour days on his startup, and offer to take her round some dinner?

What if… I make sure that my groceries are as eco and fairtrade as possible, and get shit-hot at recycling and turning the lights off?

What if… this time next year I can say that the world is in a better state – at least a little bit – because of me?

Yes, it is small and very ‘first world problems’ – but it’s somewhere to start, and I can see it beginning to snowball as the mindset becomes a habit.

And what if it isn’t just me?  I’m sure many people believe that they are doing the best they can for the future of the human race…  but there are probably loads like me, caught up in everyday survival and not even thinking about it. 

What if… the question, “Is what I’m about to do the best thing I can do for as many people as possible”  became part of politics, instead of “will this get my party voted in again next time”?   Loads of studies have been done in business, showing that companies do better and have more engaged employees when they have a guiding purpose and are clear that they are making the world a better place – could this work for individuals as well?

Isa Mary

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