Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.—Montaigne
During times of blatant or concealed oppression, when things seem not to be right with the world, it's common to have feelings of anger, frustration, and even despair. What's forgotten is much of these grievances are ultimately external to ourselves. While it may be intuitive and feel good to immediately try to thwart and resist such issues, there's sometimes a more optimal way to bypass it all.
Whenever I'm surfing on a beach and there's a rip current, I make sure swim parallel to it, not against it; or else I will get caught in the moving water's path of least resistance and get pushed out to sea away from the surf zone. Learning how to do this makes the whole process of surfing smoother and a more pleasant experience. Similarly, there are forces at work that push events no matter how strong or how much force one tries to counteract it.
Much has been discussed regarding reform movements, particular in the great works of literature. Eric Hoffer the author of the True Believer, prophetically described the mindset of people who gravitate toward mass movements and the sort of attitude man takes as reactionary factions become more popular. We see this today with the neo-reactionaries movements and whatever other fad people are joining thinking social change can be substituted for a lack of personal responsibility.
In the The Ordeal of Change Hoffer wrote, "When a population undergoing drastic change is without abundant opportunities for individual action and self-advancement, it develops a hunger for faith, pride and unity. It becomes receptive to all manner of proselytizing, and is eager to throw itself into collective undertakings which aim at 'showing the world'."
All types of social reforms have not only been futile, as shown by history especially in the 20th century, but it has led nearly everyone astray in how they view their own personal lives. Confrontation has been the focal point over circumvention, and what has that amounted to? Perhaps by focusing on trying to reform ourselves, individuals will find out that it's the only thing one can do with any possible degree of certainty and this might as well in the end "change the world".
