living by example

Sometimes it frustrates me when my friends tell me that they must have consumer item XYZ, and that they cannot possibly live without luxury good ABC, and that life is just so difficult. Sometimes I want to scream at them that they’re sending us all in a downward spiral to hell, and that those kids they dream about having are going to inherit one hell of a messed up planet.

I used to get all sanctimonious about these things, until I realized that it didn’t really make a difference. We all have our deep-rooted excuses for why we are the way we are, and any pushing on my part just makes them even more intransigent. I’d love to see some real change on the parts of many people, but I’m not going to reach that goal by getting annoyed. Besides, I have my own flaws too.

I took a look around one day at the people I admire most, and tried to figure out what it was that made them so great. One person in particular stands out to me. He’s an older gentleman whom I’ve known for about 4 years. He leads an exemplary life, one I try to emulate. And that’s when it struck me - what is so remarkable about this person is that he lives by example. He doesn’t preach (not even in the classroom), he just quietly goes about doing what he does. In doing so, he serves as a guidepost for the rest of us.

So I’m going to try a change of pace. I’ll still rant on my blog about American entitlement while a billion people starve. I’ll still send emails soliciting donations for my favorite causes. But I’ll stop criticizing people’s lifestyle choices (at least in their presence). I’ll start walking the talk myself. And maybe slowly I’ll see some positive change both in my life and in the lives of others.

(Inspired by this post)