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Building a kinder world-what can we really do?
karasti
BreathingMinnesota Moderator
We talk about this in relation to a lot of topics-what can we REALLY do to help solve any of the problems in the world, to work towards building a kinder world? This is in a page I've been following recently and I found it interesting, and good little bits of advice we can all take into practice 
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Comments
I think the key is in your title -- what can we really do?
There's no question that each person can make a difference. Some for the positive, some for the negative. The question is, at least to me, what's do-able. And what's do-able for an individual, or a group, or an established group can be very different.
That fellow who visits us every once in a while and has decided it's his goal to change the world...well, I think that's just too grandiose to be practical. I often think a better question is, "Can I change my world", and if one can do that, then one can move on to bigger things.
For sure, and I think the list in the article is about doing that-making small scale changes that make a difference in your world and the immediate world around you, causing ripples, so to speak, that go out into the world.
I think a lot of people, I see it a lot now with kids my son's age (going into college) really strive to make a mark on the world, to want to be known and famous in their own way for making a difference. I think when people focus on that too much they miss the opportunities to truly make an impact on a smaller scale (and who knows the impact of those smaller opportunities on the world-at-large!). Then they get disenchanted with the whole idea when they realize the world's problems are too major to tackle on that level.
I also think that simply being 'nice' (a word that would send shudders through my English Teacher!) has fallen out of fashion.
It's time to start being Nice, again.
Yes, anarchy is the main step
That word doesn't mean chaos. It means to take your and the others lives into your own hands. Not to surrender into the "higher" powers, like religions and the other institutions. Unfortunately people will never be mature enough for that. You have now spotted an (another) "anarchist" crackpot in this forum 
When I was in school I got my funding from the military so at that time I really didn't care how that particular thing affected the world. I mainly cared about which advisor and which area of research I was studying. I studied electrochromic conjugated polymers. Right down the hall I could have worked for a professor making bio-degradable polymers. If I go back to school in science I will try to keep in mind the results of the research.
I feel it is often a question of finding the area that motivates and interests you. It is why I promoted and worked with open source software. That was just a means towards an end.
http://www.opensourceopensociety.com
Here is a practical example of an alternative to Sunday Church that started with a simple meeting . . .
https://sundayassembly.com/about/
Here is another related to keeping religious privilege (including the Dalai Lama/Buddhism) out of govt.
http://www.secularism.org.uk/what-is-secularism.html
The assumption that we are part of the solution may mean examining our assumptions . . .
However I had also hoped my son would be a lawgiver and serve the public and he and I really did work towards it. He has since changed his mind and wishes to pursue a corporate career. So I think that it is best not to expect anyone else to have the same values as you when it comes to making the world better and just do your bit and it is enough. I am not an activist buddhist and my engagement (philanthropy) is removed from my practice. I have once left a small sangha as they had ambitions for certain representatives to get a seat in the senate and that they were very ambitious.
To me religion is a very personal thing. And for some reason it is simple remembrance. And whatever actions I take - if they are good I am happy as it is thru learning from good people and if they are bad then I have a lot of work to do
Metta
I think I've been asking myself this question most of my life. Because I saw a lot of poverty, corruption, hopelessness etc around me as I grew up, I thought I could and should do something to change the situation around me. I'm still seeing these things, yet on a smaller scale now. I'm one of the millennials, "generation Y", who want to live a meaningful life, who want to "change the world". But sometimes we have way too high expectations from us and from the world. We think we could become the next leading scientists, or presidents, astronauts, famous musicians etc. Sometimes we think we can be all of these at the same time.
We take on projects that are larger than life, we talk about them, show others what we could do, we might even start doing something about these projects. But we give up after a while, because we've talked so much about the things we're going to do that we feel we've already accomplished them. The problem is that most of the time we only talk about doing these things. We want the glory without the hard work. And when that doesn't happen, we become unhappy, confused.
Speaking of unhappiness, this gets me to this article from Wait but Why:
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html
It's a great read and shows how by setting more realistic objectives we could make a change in the world.
Just going with the flow and seeing what happens from moment to moment works better, and makes your life more enjoyable. The interesting thing is that just by doing the work you want to do without expecting anything in return, you get better results that can improve your life and others'.
"Building a kinder world-what can we really do?"
Lead by example
Nice but far too long, I can only remember 3 things at any one time.
You'll do.
We are all hypocrites, it is a question of degree. For example I do not not think one should kill and torture ones friends or those less able. My animal friends are however nutritional and delicious . . .
So it is precisely as you have described, doing what one can. Not wasting energy on ones endless hypocrisy and failings as @tibellus mentions.
We are encouraged in Dharma to be calmer through practice. Less busy with our hypocrisy. More reflective . . . a good start ...
Absolutely. Everyone can only (and should only) do what they can. The list is more for people who don't know where to start or what they can do at all. I know so many people who like to talk the hell out of every problem thy see, and then continue to sit on their couch doing nothing at all. Not that they can solve global hunger, but they can do something other than throw up their hands and do nothing, which is what most of them do. This gives them a place to start, even just to consider.
And yes, action is always better than simply intention or positive thoughts. But a lot of people are not in a place to act until they can build their intention/positive thoughts before hand.
I'm just trying to start small and do what I can
You'd be surprised how much the tiniest acts of kindness can make. If lots of people do that, you're soon finding yourself in a much nicer world. But the key is people need to actually do something, not just enjoy the idea of taking action and then stopping at that.
Any parents out there...teach away the ego. Any friends out there....teach away the ego. Any war hero's out there, show your scares the.....teach away the ego. Until the ego is gone can one not be lonely and finally sit in time.