Round and Round We Go… Because Choice Trumps Change, Every Time

Recently I was asked ‘If you had one opportunity to change one thing in the world, what would that one thing be?’  Many things, people and situations came to mind but I realised I was thinking in terms of elimination rather than change.

I find that change is very achievable on the physical level, like changing countries, changing homes, schools, jobs, partners; but changing how we think, how we feel about things is very difficult. Changing a mind-set, a belief is very hard and changing a social construct is damn near impossible.

Choice trumps change every time

For example, everyone knows or they should be aware, that it is fundamentally wrong and unacceptable to judge someone based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious and political beliefs.

Millions of pounds have been spent on educating the universal population in diversity, equality and inclusivity. We all believe that the social construct has been changed and we now supposedly live in a more tolerant, more compassionate world. Yet, very recent statistics (yesterday in fact) show that hate crimes against the Jews and LBGT is on the rise. Again!

So not much changed there, despite the awareness programmes, the education and the laws that are in place to reflect the changes society has agreed to.  And the reason the hate crimes against Jews and LBGT are on the rise? because it is what people choose to do despite the belief that we as a society and individually have changed our mind set and the social construct.

It seems that every time the world is in crisis (which is practically all the time, lately), the hate crimes against these two populations rises. It is a case where choice trumps change; because  ultimately, it is the choices we make, consciously and subconsciously, individually, as a society and as a community,  that matter.

But there is one thing we cannot change and we have no choice in

We are all facing the same identical exit, no exception…All of us – regardless of who or what we are, what we believe in, what we fight for – we will all get old, our bodies and minds will slow down and then we will die. Every single one of us.

That time, between the first breath we all must take to start life to the last time we exhale, is a reflection of the choices we make every single day.