The Philosophy
The philosophy behind YourOwnDoorsStep.com is pretty simple: that small and convenient but meaningful and focused changes made by lots of people can have a very positive and measurable effect on the world as a whole. This isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s based on the following ideas:
- Everything in our world is an expression of who and what we are either inividually or collectively as a people. This includes the problems the world faces, our governments, industries, institutions, social systems, technology and everything else. This one might be clearer with a bit more of an explanation.
- The larger problems the world faces have their root causes in the way we as individual people live our lives, think and behave. We tend to look at them as systemic (related to government, policy, our social and political systems, etc.) but the logical conclusion from point number 1 above is that fundamentally the cause of our problems is much deeper: ourselves.
- Systemic solutions don’t work. We generally try to solve our larger problems by creating or modifying our social and political systems to encourage or prevent specific behaviors but since the problems are not systemic, these systemic “solutions” usually don’t work. They treat the symptoms and not the causes. Systemic solutions have their place as well when more immediate but imperfect relief is needed or when we need to buy some time, but meaningful and permanent change requires something a lot deeper.
- Meaningful change is possible. If we each try to make a few small, convenient and unobtrusive changes, and we do it en masse, then our world and its problems will begin to change. The better we do, the better it will be. We don’t need to focus on the world or its larger problems. We need to focus on ourselves and on making ourselves and our lives better, happier, healthier and more sustainable. With enough of us doing that, the world will follow along on its own.
- Small, widespread changes are optimal. The smaller and less intrusive the changes we try to make are, the more likely they are to last. One or two small changes at a time is ideal. When we try to make large or uncomfortable changes, we tend to have a bit of success in the beginning but then revert back to our old ways, so we have our greatest chance for success with a series of smaller, unobtrusive and non-threatening changes. Slow and steady change wins the race, so to speak.
- The power to change and fix everything is in our hands, not in government, industry, technology or anywhere else. If we had the power to create the world around us in the first place, including our governments, industry, technology and all of our societal problems, then we certainly have the power to transform or even re-create them in a better way. The power to steer the evolution of society lies with the people, not with the institutions we’ve created. Real, lasting and meaningful change can only come from the bottom up. As Albert Einstein said: “No problem can be solved by the same level of consciousness that created it.”
- A world made up of happier, healthier, unafraid people who respect themselves, others and the world around them will be a happier, healthier and better world. It can’t be any other way because the state of society and the world on a large scale reflects the collective state of its individual citizens. It will be what we are.
This is just a quick overview of the ideas that make up the core of the philosophy behind YourOwnDoorStep.com. I’ll expand on it in articles from time to time, but YourOwnDoorStep.com isn’t about philosophy. Philosophy has never solved any real problems and philosophy has never been and will never be enough to lead people to happiness or to set them free.
If we want to bring about meaningful change we need to act, not just read and think, so check out the pages on Getting Started and the Core Principles then jump into the Articles , but most importantly, try to make some kind of positive difference in the world – no matter how small – because every little bit helps.
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