Commitment to a cause

Just a browse of the social media, will prove that people are aware of all, maybe most, of the social ills. Things that need to change. There are pages, and hashtags for :

Equal Education, Access to Clean Water, Justice for All, Affordable Health Care, #HumanRights, #EarthHour, #StopRape, Democracy, @GenderEquality #HumanTraffickin, Child Soldiers #ModernDaySlavey #PoliceBrutality etc.

We don’t need more visionaries to change our communities, we need people who are committed to a cause. Hit and run only highlights issues, we need more than that if we are to cause true and lasting transformation.

Unfortunately we are cultivating a culture of just highlighting and hoping those in charge will act. We don’t have to put our money where our mouths are, all we do is raise the issue. To get world leaders to agree on peace, to make education accessible to all, save our planet, etc. all we need to do is sign a petition. Add your signature. Add your voice.  

We copy and paste a status to show we care, change our avatar and add our #voice.  

We are not required to invest or sacrifice our time or resources. In some cases we may be required to donate our time, talents and resources. Donate - not sacrifice.

If we are to see change, it will cost more than a donation, it may cost us our lives. Nelson Mandela can tell you that the long walk to freedom was not a walk in the park. There was a price to pay, a sacrifice to be made. He said “It is an ideal for which I am willing to die”. We need to be committed to a cause, not just pay lip service or tweet about.

Choose causes close to your heart, and dedicate your life to fighting the injustices. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army said, “While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight. While men go into prison in and out, in and out, I’ll fight. While there yet remains one soul without the light of God, I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end”. Find something that you are willing do more that just tweet or Facebook about.

I love the book of Nehemiah, because it shows how Nehemiah combines prayer with action to achieve his goal.

“Commitment does not guarantee the rightness of a cause, but it does determine the likelihood of any cause making a difference. Committed people make history. They live in alignment with their deeply held beliefs…they are in tension with the world around them because they have an agenda for change”. (Steve Addison in Movements that change the world)

Final thought:

You cannot call yourself a change agent or social entrepreneur if you are not willing to pay the price. All you really are is a “Daydreamer”.