How Do We Better Things?

No one can expect to, by his will alone, effect social change in a group. Each man's will is not the will of any other individual; and so, no one has ultimate power over the direction of a group. It is important at the outset to realize that this is how things are. In order to have any hope of positive change, we must understand what we can change for the better.

But neither can a man expect to effect change in his own will. For how can a will will what it will not? It is a contradiction. Thus, neither our own will nor the will of our neighbor can we change.

What then are we to do? The good news: not everything is will. As conscious persons, we have much in our world that we have to work with besides "self-improvement". In that world, we have a lot to pay attention to. It seems that by paying attention to what we see as good now, leads to the development of good in the future. Conversely, refusing to enjoy the good, we refuse the only thing that will bring happiness to us.

Thus, our attitude toward affecting change should be one of gratitude towards the good we now experience. It is one that cultivates what we have, and it does not seek to go beyond and do things it cannot. We can't give ourselves new material to work with, we have to do with what we've been given. And so we should do what we can: "do whatever our hand finds to do."