Journal Entry #14

“Be the change you wish to see in the world”

– Gandhi

I think that Gandhi is trying to tell us not to be hypocrites. When we always want to “change the world” and “make the world a better place”, we need to first follow our own rules and morals, or else the changes we preach are useless and unconvincing. When we want others to improve, we need to improve ourselves too, so that we become what we preach and the role model we set will enhance our message.

An example of not “being the change” was the Pharisees from Jesus’ era. I don’t know about Pharisees nowadays, so I can’t say anything about them. However, the Pharisees of Jesus’ time always spread the “law” and the rules that people should follow so that they could be safe from God’s wrath. Jesus comes in and tells them that God doesn’t need all these rules besides true love from his followers, but the Pharisees didn’t listen. Being known for hypocrisy, they always preached rules they didn’t follow. Once chided by Jesus, they became furious and tried to save their “reputation” by killing Jesus, another example of hypocrisy.

Many people always talk about solving the problems of poverty, but does nothing to fight against it. Why debate all the time, when all it takes is you yourself donating to the poor? I learned in Ethics class today that if all the people in Christian churches followed the 10% of your earnings rule and gave it all to the poor, all poverty in the world would be gone in two weeks. Just two Sundays!

Therefore, we must be the change we wish to see in the world and not be hypocrites who sit there and do nothing.