You deserve more, and you are capable of more than you know
You deserve more. And I want you to know that you are capable of more as well. Every day I ask myself how I can do more, and I know a lot of you do too. And every day we try our best to find a way to make a little difference in our own way; with our work, our volunteering or our activism. And somehow each night we lull ourselves back to sleep just to do it again the next day.
But as the catastrophes and cataclysms increase in their severity and rapidity, and as the weight of the social, environmental and economic injustices of our world become too much for us to bear any longer, we have to finally change something drastically. We have to expect more from ourselves. Not necessarily more in our desire or want for change, for that we adequately possess. Not necessarily feeling more pain or empathising with the suffering of others, for that we already experience enough of. But more in our trust and belief in ourselves to be able to affect true and lasting systemic change, beyond the inconsequential changes that popular culture asks of us - like refusing plastic straws, or using a reusable coffee mug.
No more changing light bulbs or signing petitions to relieve ourselves of the moral duty to build a better world. No more struggling to buy textbooks and school uniforms while bank and mining CEOs raid the world and buy our politicians with their wealth. No more taking shorter showers while billions of litres of water are given freely to mining companies, who also receive billions of dollars in subsidies from our government for no good or apparent reason. What the f*** kind of s***-f***ery is that!?
The time has come where little changes in our little lives are no longer enough, as valiant as we wish to believe they are. The time has come to understand what this society is built on, to actively dismantle it and aid it along in its collapse, and to actively get engaged in establishing socio-economic justice and ecological preservation and connection. It is the rent you are required to pay as a living breathing human on this planet.
The dire state of the world, the ramifications of climate change and the suffering of our fellow humans asks of us to have more trust and faith in ourselves, our efforts, and our capacity as individuals to create real, true and lasting systemic change.
These small, feel-good tasks that take little effort to achieve are good and well, but they should not allow us to absolve ourselves of engaging in real, true and deep social change.
Our democracy is dead, our economy is rigged, our politicians use fear and prejudice to divide us, the ecological balance of this immense planet has been disrupted, species which have been evolving alongside us for millions of years are being wiped out every day, people are sleeping hungry even after a hard days work, while others are dying because of clogged arteries. Our world is unhealthy and dying... and a new civilisation will be born out of this.
A new world will arise out of this horror. A world that refuses to believe in any of the lies our current society is based on. A world that is built on the pillars of justice, peace, equity and unity. A new world will flourish gloriously when the excesses of materialism and the corruption of our society finally collapse the weak foundations of our current world order.
This new world is not going to be born in a day or a month, but over many, many years. It will come together from all corners of the world, through the initiatives of millions of individuals, and it will be brought about through a spirit of service and a posture of humility and learning.
This new world is being built right this very minute. In amongst the collapse of our current paradigm are the sprouts and seedlings of this new world, reaching for the light, beyond the rubble of our collapsing society.
We are witnessing, when we pay attention, the concurrent collapse and construction of our world. The rapidity and intensity of these twin processes is what makes it overwhelming at times. The horror of a world in its death throes and the glimmers of hope and joy and beauty, all in the same day, the same moment sometimes.
I want you to know that you have a role to play in this civilisation building that is required of us. You have a place, and you have every right to expect more of your fellow humans, more of yourself as an agent of change and more from life.
You exist to flourish and excel, to grow and develop mentally, morally and spiritually, to build things of beauty and create things out of love. Life is meant to be joyous and exhilarating and not a monotonous grind to keep your head above water just a moment longer.
And if we don't yet have the world we can feel in our hearts, and imagine in our minds, then it becomes our role and responsibility to bring it into existence.
As changemakers, activists, social justice advocates, social entrepreneurs, parents, students and people who are genuinely concerned about the state of the planet and want to make a difference, I tell you, you can make more than a positive impact, you can upend these systems of injustice and actively build the world we deserve.
If you've read this far, then you care enough about the state of the planet to keep putting yourself out there. And you may care to know that for this very purpose, to build your capacity and confidence in yourself, to empower you to understand the systems and structures in play, to develop the effectiveness and efficacy of your actions and plans, I'm creating a course to empower and heighten your change-making abilities. and I want this to be accessible to as many agents of systems change as possible.
My personal answer to the question I started this post with of 'How can I do more?' is to guide as many of you as I possibly can to clarity and conviction in your own capacities and initiatives.
For many years, what I have committed myself to do was to read, research, write, read and research, again and again, to bring some sense and some clarity to the worlds of activism, advocacy, citizen agency and social change...
Over the past 10 years, I've completed my Masters in Communication for Social Change, worked with countless NGOs and community development organisations across the country, worked with schools, detention centres, remote communities and frontline activists. I've written multiple books, launched Newkind Social Justice Conference, consulted for organisations such as Amnesty International Australia and the Australian Red Cross, and throughout all of it, my purpose has been to create a just, peaceful and equitable world free of suffering, injustice and disunity.
And now, I want to empower you with the insights and experiences I have gained to ensure your efforts are powerful, effective and to the point. Next week I will be launching a course that will be enlightening, inspiring and accessible to all! If you think this is something you're interested in, or just want to know more, then get in touch and let me know you’re interested! You can check out all the details below and at Systems Change 101.
Let's change this world.
- by Erfan Daliri
About the Author
Erfan Daliri is an author, poet, social change trainer and consultant with a Masters in Communication for Social Change. He has over 15 years of experience working with NGOs, community groups and government agencies in a diverse range of areas, including participatory development, cross-cultural communication, youth empowerment, education, mental health, settlement services, and social justice advocacy.
Erfan is the founding director of Newkind Social Justice Conference and programme coordinator of the National Unity in Diversity Conference. He consults and advises on communication and project design for organisations such as Amnesty International and the Australian Red Cross.
He is particularly passionate about empowering organisations and communities to address issues of social, environmental and economic justice and to help them build a more inclusive, cohesive, sustainable and equitable society. His most recent book Raising Humanity discusses the underlying causes of socio-economic injustice and covers the themes of ecology and economy, resilience, resistance and what it takes to be an effective changemaker.