“Become the change you want to see in the world.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
I’ve heard and seen this quoted as “be the change…” as well; who knows which is accurate? Not me. Splitting hairs, it may seem, and still, I prefer to become the change I want to see in the world.
In its subtlety, the difference between “be” and “become” resonates profoundly.
Be: to belong; attend; befall.
Become: to come, change, or grow to be (as specified); to come into being.
To be the change is simply to belong to its form. You take on the form of the change you want to see and wear it like clothes, dress it up with props and accessories. But to become the change, this is true transformation.
To become the change you want to see in the world, you must not simply wear the change; you must embody that change. You must be like GE and bring that change to life. Live and breathe that change in every waking moment, and then dream that change until it’s no longer a dream, but the essence of your being.
Yes, to become the change, that is the greater challenge.
What change will you become?