{"id":8783,"date":"2010-09-29T12:28:23","date_gmt":"2010-09-29T17:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sustainablog.org\/?p=8783"},"modified":"2010-09-29T12:28:23","modified_gmt":"2010-09-29T17:28:23","slug":"perfect-world-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/perfect-world-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Working for Change in a Perfect World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"800px-Margate_sunrise\"<\/p>\n

In my last post<\/a>, I explored the truly radical (and yet ancient) notion that, as Lao Tzu puts it, the world is perfect<\/em> and \u201ccan\u2019t be improved.\u201d That is, the world is perfect with all of its beauty and its ugliness, its joy and its sorrow. When we see the world from this perspective outside of the judgmental nature of everyday duality, it can help us not to get caught up in our own judgments, ideals\u2026and causes.<\/p>\n

But even if one accepts this notion, that still raises some key questions: How does one live, and act, in the world? Is there any reason, or justification, to work for change<\/em> if the world is already perfect<\/em>?<\/p>\n

The answer to this question starts from the understanding that to say the world is \u201cperfect\u201d does not mean that everything has to be good, beautiful, or pleasant. That view would be just to cast everything as white by repainting the black. Instead, a perfect world includes both<\/strong> good and bad, white and black, yin and yang.<\/p>\n

What matters, however, is to understand that what we perceive as good or bad is always seen by the lights of our own personal perspectives–which are limited, contingent, imperfect, and variable over time.<\/p>\n

This recognition immediately exposes the relative nature of our judgments. You may be dead certain, for example, that it is absolutely wrong to hunt animals for food. Yet an Inuit hunter who relies on animals as the sole source of food for him and his family could feel equally strongly that, done rightly, hunting animals is not only necessary but valuable. Who is right?<\/p>\n

Making Change in a Perfect World<\/h2>\n

When one recognizes the relative nature of all judgments about right and wrong, one can then begin to see things with more understanding. People with differing opinions are not outright enemies to be conquered, or evil villains to be thwarted and punished for their crimes, so much as other equally limited humans.<\/p>\n

This is important, too, because the greatest hindrance to positive actions for positive, helpful change is a dogmatic, myopic attitude. The greatest catalyst for war and destruction is seeing things in an \u201cus vs. them\u201d way\u2026to draw sharp, deep dividing lines across the world. The loss of empathy is a sure step towards harmful actions.<\/p>\n

How does one act and work for change in a perfect world, then? Some important steps include the following:<\/p>\n