We are the change we seek in the world

[Richard]

Up until 10 years ago I was one of the world leaders of Greenpeace, following a career with the BBC as a war correspondent. You could say that throughout my working life, I witnessed the worst that the human race could do to each other, and the worst that the human race could do to our planet. After nearly ten years of campaigning 24/7 to "save the world", I burnt out, and spent a fairly long time in a psychiatric clinic, with severe clinical depression. I was treated with cognitive behavioural therapy, and it was the starting point of a radical change in my life. I was an empty cup ready to be filled ... and to fill itself.

One of my most treasured possessions is a T-shirt that one of my best friends & the leader of the Save the Whales campaign, brought to me in the clinic. On the front it had the Greanpeace logo with "Save the Whales" printed - but, on the back the slogan read "F...k the Whales, Save Richard". Of course the message was not meant to be taken literally, but it brought home the message that unless we take care of ourselves, we cannot take care of others ... and certainly not change, or save the world.

Over the ten years I was with Greanpeace, we did have some significant successes - the signing of the Antarctic Protocol, the banning of dumping nuclear & toxic waste at sea etc. etc., but the reality is that our planet is still being destroyed at an alarming rate. We may have made a small impact for the better (and I do take some positive pride in that) But, I learned that we cannot force change on others. The only change that we can make is to ourselves.

Mahatma Gandhi expressed this as "We are the change we seek in the world". My change began in the Charter Nightingale Clinic. I was encouraged first to examine myself - to build self-awareness - increase my knowledge - and to start on the road to true happiness (in the Greek sense of 'human flourishing').
On my own, I searched for and found my "purpose in life", based on the human 'virtues' I believed to be most important. I decided to "dedicate" my life to the search for happiness and freedom. Erasmus said that "the summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is". And Theucydides said "the secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage". (Those ancient Greeks certainly had some great insights Steve). I take freedom in the personal growth sense to mean 'Freedom from Needs - Freedom from Wants - Freedom from Fear' - all of which takes courage.

The holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl expressed the above very clearly when he wrote "Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you miss it. For success like happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue as the unintended side effect of one's dedication to personal unity and a cause greater than oneself".

For the past ten years (I have just turned 60), my life has been dedicated to the search for personal unity. On leaving the clinic with a clear vision of what I wanted my life to be, I bought a 25 year old landrover and drove from the UK to the Taurus mountains in Turkey, where I now live, with my new wife, two dogs & two cats, in a stone farmhouse in the centre of a pristine mountain forest. At last I am enjoying a small part of the environment that I spent so many years trying to protect. I live in a totally sustainable way (although I still trying to cut down on the amount of rubbish my wife and I generate). I renovated a traditional stone cottage and barn as a guest house, and now some of the mountain villagers have followed my example, rather than build from cement. I guess I am the change....?

[billybrads]

You're inspiring to me

[VeganMelissa]

I am also both inspired and touched by your story.
Thank you for sharing such a personal experience with us.
I have started to do my small part to make my environment a cleaner place. I have noticed that friends see me making that difference and they too start doing small things to make it cleaner.
It's amazing how such small changes that you do for yourself can lead to bigger changes around you.

[Lychee]

Thank you for sharing

[Shaden]

Wonderful story Richard?

Have you considered exploring a belief in intention-manifestation? Under that belief helping yourself would be helping the world which would effectively allow you to achieve both ends.