Do Not Wait For Leaders Essays Examples

Mother Teresa belongs to the most outstanding personalities of the twentieth century, and her attitude could serve as an example for people all over the world. This great woman once said: “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone. Person to person”. In this simple and short quote, every human being could see a direction for improvement – in different realms, by various means and using an enormous number of resources available nowadays.
Indeed, it is an implicit and undeniable part of human nature to long for affiliation, social interaction and being a part of a group. However, in the modern highly organized and structured world, fruits of civilization made distribution of potential and resources so unequal that many people internalize the sense of powerlessness and find comfort in being a part of the crowd. Power relations in the modern world literally rob many people of the sense of empowerment, and this effect has been so detrimental that most people do not believe that one person can make a change.
The modern world is full of distractions and challenges preventing people from feeling empowerment and responsibility for the future. While some are disempowered by social conditions and their own daily struggles, others’ minds are controlled by the irresponsible consumer culture that makes them passive and ignorant. Another obstacle is overwhelming and perpetuated division – cultural, religious and social.
It has become comfortable to believe that going against the grain to make a change requires enormous resources and power; however, the first step in changing the world to the best is a fundamental change in one’s mindset. We are used to the state of permanent waiting, expecting someone else – someone allegedly more powerful and resourceful – to come and lead in resolution of global problems. We are used to waiting for someone else to make social policies more transparent and fair, to solve the problem of poverty, to make water and cities clean, to eliminate racism and sexism, to overcome global inequalities and cultural strife. However, we are not used to making changes themselves. Yet, true empowerment comes from small efforts: if each of us started doing at least something for improvement, even on a small scale, the changes would be enormous.
Some would say that the scope of the most serious humanitarian or environmental problems is beyond capabilities of ordinary people; some would say that an ordinary human being is too weak to address them. However, the real problem is that all these ordinary people are divided, unorganized and disempowered. Probably, many people would find themselves thinking: “Well, even if I buy food for this homeless man, it will not solve the problem of poverty”. Others believe that one person sorting waste and using environmentally friendly bags will not solve the problem of pollution. Basically, it is disempowerment and lack of unity that speak in each of these people. Even the noblest initiatives are often destined to fade away and drown in our sense of powerlessness.
It takes changes in mindset and attitude towards the world and ourselves to start making changes. If a person does not undertake responsibilities at the personal level justifying such reluctance by the lack of power or resources, neither of the global issues will be resolved. Assuming the mindset of the leader is crucial for changes, because leadership is not the matter of power, money or rank. Even the most affluent and wealthy people fail to embrace leadership and responsibilities it entails. Leadership, on the other hand, is a matter of confidence, willing and initiative.
If we look at numerous world’s charity organizations, we will see that most of them are non-governmental and rest on joint efforts and dedication of people who do embrace their potential to make a change. Such organizations as Feeding America, Age UK, Defenders of Wildlife, Charity: Water, the Salvation Army and many others rely on conscious and responsible approach of ordinary people who embrace leadership mindset and believe in their inherent power to make a change. Experience of numerous donors and volunteers proves that one human’s contribution can make a difference. For example, many people in America still suffer from hunger, which is outrageous given that the country’s food supplies are enormous and large amounts of food are simply wasted on a daily basis. As food supplies are distributed unevenly due to social inequalities, even an average American family can contribute to the solution of this problem by donating excessive food to a food bank and save those suffering from malnutrition. Indeed, this simple action does not need legislative initiatives or a high-ranking leader: this is a simple and conscientious assistance provided by on person to another.
In the modern world challenged by division, disempowerment, mercenary interests and lack of organization, the only way to make positive changes and solve the biggest global problems is active and empowered attitude of each and every human being. As Mother Teresa said, we do not need a leader to make a change, we can change our society by seeing leaders in ourselves and endeavoring to act individually for the sake of our future.