I do not want to change the world. I don’t control it, so to try would be futile. I want only to change my self. To be a better man, more grounded in my life, is all the control I have. All else is hubris. And should I make some small strides in self betterment, I will be a better man in the world. Then, perhaps, in some small fashion, that man’s actions can cause ripples in the world. A small nudge, here and there, is all one can expect.
It is not the large boulder thrown in the pond that has the better effect. Greater, yes, but the greatness of chaos is of questionable worth. And where there was once clear water, now the turbulent chaos has muddied the waters, making them turbid and unusable for any purpose but obscurity. The small pebble, however, makes gentle ripples in the surface, leaving the water clear and usable, while sinking to the bottom, forgotten. But things still change, with more intention and purpose.
It is the great, bombastic blow that drives the ship to ground, and all is lost. The gentle wind that drives the ship before the waves delivers her to shore safely. The sound and fury of the storm means only danger to the ship as chaos leads to death and destruction beneath the wind-torn waves. But the sun-tipped waves of fair passage are the harbinger of a successful voyage.
The gentle wind and the pebble are the work-horses of the world. With clear waters and safe passage, the future lies before the traveler and obstacles are few. And when we come together as a people, the breath of many words guides the ship of our future to safe harbors. The pebbles of our intentions, well grounded in who we are, ripple the pond of our society with vibrant and intricate patterns, unthinkable without the whole.
Beneath the warm sun of spring, new beginnings bloom. Winds may blow violent, but the cool calm of a new morning wakes hope to the possibilities. And our lives can become joined for something more than the cruel selfishness of our self-directed intentions. No world in history has ever survived the selfish wants of individuals. The creed of Ozymandias stands mute testimony to the pointlessness of the one.
Plato derided “the many” as the rabble, the unwashed, uneducated masses. But in a world where only rich, propertied men were allowed to be educated, what options were afforded the masses? There is wisdom in the masses, strength in the collective. Not the discordant cacophony of the herd seeking its basest level. But where we each own our own destiny joined to a greater vision of what might be, we raise ourselves above the crowd and become a collective.
A collective of distinct, meaningful individuals, each aware of their own potential and ability, joined together for a purpose. Each individual a pebble contributing to the greater intricacy of the pattern. Each voice a gentle wind guiding the ship safely to its destination. But if we each seek our own self-aggrandizement and benefit at the expense of the other, the ship will be torn apart. The pebbles will create a turbid froth and we will all be lost in our personal miseries, subject to the whims of the “Great Man.”
So, I seek to be a better man. I look within and consider my actions’ impacts on others. I am not alone in the world, and I only have meaning in it in relation to others as we work toward a common goal. And when beneath a winter’s sun, my body ceases to live, there should be no memory of me as my ashes are scattered to the wind. If I have been a better man, the world will have been a better place, and my memory is unnecessary for others to live a better life. As my ashes are absorbed to nourish the trees, let my memory be absorbed into the world.