The Element of Change

When I was about 12, I wanted to be Canada’s first female prime minister.  As this was a few years ago, Kim Campbell had not yet served in this role, so this was a theoretical possibility.

It’s not that I love the politicking – at least, not the kind we see so much of right now.  The campaigns designed to smear and tarnish.  Somehow, this always puts me in mind of a runner in race who trips a competitor in order to cross the finish line first.   The wrongness of it disturbs me.

What has always drawn my interest in politics is this:  the ability to effect change.

As a child, I remember feeling many wrongs in my world.  Some were silly – though of course the purple bathroom should have been exclusively for my use at five years old.  Others objections had more credibility.  Bullying is wrong.  All the time.  It isn’t fair when people think a girl can’t do something just because she’s a girl.  And adding tax to a $0.25 bag of potato chips when someone’s allowance is a quarter is downright mean.

I tried a variety of means to right these wrongs.  Some worked well.  Some didn’t.

As an adult, I still see many wrongs in my world.  Some of them are larger.  Bullying is still wrong.  As an adult, I see that translated into many more ways from abusive relationships to abused children to a sad continuation of behaviours I witnessed and experienced in schools, and now online.  Prejudice is still wrong.  Stereotyping, sexism, and ageism are all wrong.  Racism is still wrong.  I didn’t see all of these things as a child, but I’m confident they were there, and just as wrongly so as they are now.

I can’t change all of these single-handedly.  And I still haven’t gone into politics – though you never know what the future might hold.  After all, Kim Campbell was appointed, not elected, and held office for only a short term.  There’s still a possibility out there if I want to pursue it.

But there are changes I can make that impact the world around me.  I can be kind.  I can listen.  I can offer help when there’s a need that I can fill.  I can set a good example by countering the wrongs that I see in my own behaviours – whether with my friends, in my business or work, or in my volunteer contributions.

You, too, can be an element of change.  What are you doing today where you can take an action or set an example to make things better?