I CAN CHANGE the WORLD, YOU TOO!!!

I was questioned a lot when I tried to promote my group Gender Equality Brain Storm. The most common question is why are you interested in this topic? Most of the time I would answer them that in my grow-up environment my mother was the bread winner but she was trapped in the traditional stereotypes what she wasn't supposed to care. Sometimes I'll explain in detail until the listener got bored by either too much information or not a supposedly juicy story. After several times of the awkward situation, I got to think about it. Do I need an eligible reason to be interested in this topic? Do I NEED a proper cause to do something about it in China if it is not for profit? 

If you check my profile you can find that I recently became an Honorary member of Rotary club Shanghai. I actually attended Fresh Start Club, one of the Rotary clubs in Shanghai focusing on doing social good and helping social enterprises in China. We do our regular breakfast meeting every Friday morning. Last Friday after the regular meeting our president, Angie Eagan said to me: You know, you just need to take the challenge and stick to what you want to do, and it is people like you who change the world. I was enlightened suddenly from struggling thinking of the topic of my next LinkedIn article,  why don't I write something about changing the world?

I know I am not an expert of talking about changing the world, yet. The other day I watched a short animation movie called  L'homme qui plantait des arbres (The Man Who Planted Trees). It is basically about a shepherd man living in solitary in the desert who planted trees in the 1940s or 1950s with a simple hope to change the environment there. Over four decades, the shepherd continued planting trees and turned the poor and hostile area into "Garden of Eden". It also reminded me of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate-Wangari Maathai. She started the Green Belt Movement and fought for working and benefit equality for African women since the 1970s, as the first female PhD and the only female in academic, she was more challenged or maybe threatened than supported. I watched an inspiring talk given by her before in which she claimed, in the years she wasn't recognized, she held the belief of saving one fish even out of a million matters to the single fish. 

When I talk about changing the current situation about certain things in China, even my best friend would mock me like: who do you think you are? Change the world? Are you a policy maker or a political influencer? Do you have enough money to do that? How about focusing on getting enough money to pay for your rent next month? For sure it is very important to pay for our rent and food, but after that what do we do? Even we don't really have a lot of money, how about our time? Instead of filling our minds with the brain damaging taste devastating soap operas, can we do something more meaningful and more fulfilling?I am not wealthy myself, thus I chose to do volunteer jobs to help people in need. As you can check from my first article "The 5 Reasons Why I am Doing Volunteer Jobs", I guarantee you that you can get more than you expect or even give through volunteering. For years we spend all our time thinking about how to get enough money. But nobody can get ENOUGH money with growing desire. I saw too many people spending huge amount of money on items they don't actually need, afterwards those items even became burden to them. Can we spend our money more effectively? Maybe like doing something to help those who are not capable of paying the rent? Who were not treated fairly as us? Who didn't know as much as we do but have the right to? Or help save the environment? The endangered animals?

I also have some friends asking they don't have time nor money to spend on others, what can they do to change the world. Maybe shut the faucet after using it even it is not in your apartment; don't shut the elevator door on other's face when you see him/her rushing to it; don't stop in people's way during the rushing hours anywhere; being more considerate to the other people, the environment and your future self.

I am not a saint at all, I am selfish, greedy short-sighted, any weakness other human beings have. I like beautiful dresses, ice creams and chocolates. I believe a good cup of latte can save me from the gloomy Monday. But when Angie said I could change the world, I deeply took it. I am the same as you and everybody else, if I can change the world why can't you?

Joy is in her friends' words is "an unofficial unprofessional chicken soup seller", please check her shop here: Gender Equality Chicken Soup

All the explanations for "The Man Who Planted Trees" are based on the same item from Wikipedia.