Is it possible to change the world?

When I was 17 years old I started thinking about how one person could change the world. After 20 years of searching and engaging, I have become convinced that the answer is “us.” To be specific, the answer is “you and I” working together with “them.”

There are as many problems in the world as there are people, if not more. The question is, “How do we discover solutions?”

There are three very common elements in a solution to almost any problem: people, opportunities and resources.
• People – Human beings
• Opportunities – situations that can be influenced for positive change
• Resources – Tangibles like time, talent, funds, raw materials, manpower, etc that can be invested in creating a solution

In order to engage these elements in the creation of a solution each one must be understood, developed and connected.
• Understanding – research of context and capacity for positive change
• Development – empowering positive potential
• Connection – linking together relationships that produce positive change

Is it possible to change the world?
Yes.

I wholeheartedly believe that the answer is simple, but it would be naïve to assume that the process would be easy. The root cause of almost any problem can usually be traced back to the same common elements of a solution: people, opportunities and resources.

Ultimately we are talking about choices. The world we live in is the result of all of the decisions we have made collectively. Therefore, the most basic component of change is each person’s personal decisions. How will yours affect others?

Is it REALLY possible to change the world?
Yes.

There is a “nexus of opportunity” for our generation to make a significant impact on the most urgent issues of survival and sustainability. The world is constantly changing, now more than ever… The processes of globalization are reconfiguring how people relate at a local and a global level. The key to changing the world is found in tapping into the latent and unused positive potential in each person.

If you can change, the world can change…

Dustin Barrington