How the DIY Mentality Can Fix The World
DIY mentality is the solution to many of the problems of the world.
Human existence is a creative existence. We are creators. We build and we destroy and we rebuild again. That is our nature. Whether it is the fall of empires or the cleaning up after a natural disaster, we rebuild. Although humans have much room to improve, we're one incredibly resilient species. No arguing that.
What is it that makes us this way? That, I do not have an answer for. I am writing this to express a thought that I have and hopefully offer some reasoning to support my statement: DIY mentality can fix the world.
What I mean by "Fix the World"
It's no secret that the human species has its share of problems. Collectively, we have problems. I am not talking about any specific faults here - as we are all human. Everything we allow to happen is our fault because we are the dominant species on this planet. Governments and politics pose many problems and fail to solve the ones they are appointed to, populations of people all over the world struggle with poverty and lack of basic human necessities, there are innumerable problems that we are faced with every day. It is all just people. People that have the power to solve problems, but a faulty system that we are far too reliant upon.
Problems, Solutions and Inaction
Are there more people doing things that get closer to solutions? Or are more people creating problems than those solving them? I think there is a large number of us that do nothing at all. We simply hope the problems go away. We all know it won't happen, so why do we..well...do what we do? We wait for problems to be solved that we have the power to fix. We can't fix it all, but we can fix way more than any government could ever fix. People are the solution. We can fix most of the problems we create.
Some of these problems can be solved and others that we find hard to believe can ever be solved (but they can be). We relinquish responsibility too easily. We elect others to solve the problems. That is government, in a nutshell, isn't it? We elect people who say they can fix the problems we feel need to be fixed. Simple, but terribly ineffective. Why doesn't it work? Answer: It is not designed to solve problems.
The Current OS Is Broken
The systems that we have in place are designed to create problems and offer solutions to those problems, in my opinion. The world governments are not designed to solve problems they did not intentionally create, in other words. I could be way off or dead on - that is up to perspective I suppose. Humans are natural-born problem-solvers. Governments are not. You cannot put people that have innate problem-solving abilities into a system that won't allow solutions by design. It won't work. Politicians cannot fix the problems of 7 billion people because there are only so many politicians and they only do so much. You know who can fix the problems of 7 billion people? 7 billion people.
The hands of a few cannot solve the problems of many
Another statement I feel some might push back against, but again - I mean what I say and the way that I say it. More people solving problems is better than more people with problems and fewer people to solve them. Many hands can solve more problems. That is common sense. So why do we ignore that fact and elect a small group to solve all the problems? And I must also ask: WHY do you think no problems ever get solved this way? We see protests when there's no solution, but we don't see the very fact that we are going about finding solutions the wrong way!
The ONLY way to start reducing the number of problems on this planet IS and ALWAYS WILL BE to fix it yourself. Take responsibility for providing solutions. Stop being the one to expect others to fix it all - they won't - believe me. We have created a system that rewards politicians whether or not they fix a damn thing!! Do you honestly think it matters to them? It is their career - not their obligation to care for us.
Actions speak louder than words
Politicians get rewarded for rhetoric, not action or results. If we elected people based on their actions and results, we would not have the same governments (all of them) we have right now. The "roster" would be entirely different. The system is flawed and it is not built to solve anything for you and I or our children's children. No legislative branch or government body is going to "save the day". They can't "fix" your problems, mine or their own for that matter!!
What is DIY mentality?
DO-IT-YOURSELF mentality: I can do it mentality.
It's an attitude. It's a lifestyle. It's a way to approach problems. It is problem-solving and accepting of challenges. It is the ability to be dynamic instead of static. It is the willingness to learn and grow beyond your current boundaries. It's a way to make things happen for yourself and to show others how they can find that same gratification. It is something that I truly believe can change the entire world. People that accept challenges and pursue solutions are often those who find them; not those who submit and wait for them.
DIY mentality IS about being a TEAM
It is not about being a singular unit. It's about team effort and cooperation. Many people that learn to solve problems tend to share that with others. That is the beauty of our species. We are a team. With the internet, we become connected in ways that we have never seen before. At no other time in human history have we, as humans, been so capable of fixing our own problems.
Let's Hear YOUR Thoughts Below
Actions do speak volumes more than words, I know so many people that always say they are going to do this or that. And they sit on the procrastination fence, I have been guilty of doing it at times also. I like the article because it reminds me of the importance of being self sufficient. Thank you for posting.
We've all been there and done that, it is what we do today and tomorrow that matters!
We're all human and procrastination can be in moderation.haha
You're absolutely right, self-sufficiency is a major stride toward independence. That is greatly why I started the Growing Money in Your Yard Series so that more people take more control of their food supply, becoming less dependent (while making money, of course!). If you would like to contribute in the upcoming half of the series, feel free to jump into the Growing Money in Your Yard discord channel, read through the material, and let me know if you'd like to be an author or curator. No worries if it is not something you'd like to participate in, but I will be publishing the next part of the series circa first of March.
There are many little things that we can do that create lasting value for our environment and those around us. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, @gails-word-syrup.
Good thoughts. Thank you. I agree and disagree. Yes, we need more hands on donit yourself people! No doubt about that! We also need specialized interest groups to focus on particular problems as they very greatly - from corruption to poverty to illness to crime and the list is a million long. A problem needs to be first identified and then a solution needs to be found and then that solution needs to be implemented. This takes people and resources that are dedicated to one problem; as there is not a one solution fits all. We also do not want wasted energy and resources in the form of separate groups solving the same problems independent of the others. This causes redundancy and inefficiencies. Some solutions will require the implementation of "laws" or public policy so these groups would need some sort of authority to envoke them. This authority should be accepted and approved by the people. This then creates a form of government...
So, I do not believe that our government is currently operating in an efficient manner and it is at times working against the solution of problems that it could be fixing. But ultimately that is because of us voters who have not held our representatives responsible for doing the job they were elected to do. So many of us brush off the corruption and inadequacies as "politics". We allow them to be bought by monied interests. We allow them to use their office as a means to better their personal interest - themselves. I believe that if we had a more informed and engaged voting base, we could hold the government and politicians to a higher standard and solve many problems through it.
Is this my unwavering believe? No. Just a stream of conciseness that was turned on by reading your post. And through it I forgot what my original response was going to be haha.
Last year I decided that the only thing I could do was to become involved. So I stopped being an observer and became a participant. I ran for and was elected to a local office. One that I cannot make a career out of. I kept my full time job and am doing this as a public servant. It has opened my eyes to the goodness that is in many electeds hearts. But on a national (and state level) we need a massive overhaul and replace them with people who genuinely want to serve and help. Not those who have made a career out of advancing themselves.
Thank you for the discussion topic!
I appreciate your thoughts and points, @jonpetric. Certainly worth the discussion. I am more focused on the 'whole' picture, which to me, says that the government is constructed of people. That said, we are all people; people create the problems. One problem is we have no universal language, terms are loosely defined and ambiguity creates confusion. Would you agree many disagreements are due to the undefined terms? Like the term "authority" for example. I could sit and compile a list a mile long of people that 'have been appointed as authority', but they excercise absolutely zero command (knowledge) of what it is they were appointed to. It happens. People are elected and appointed BY others that are elected and appointed. The political system does not appoint the most suitable person for the job, they appoint the one who played their 'tune'. Often why many of us can run for local government, but the 'glass ceiling' is very real. Local govt is where the real progress is made anyhow, not the ones so far off the ground that they can't hear the people. Many of us will not make a career of politics and rightfully so - if we all worked for the government maybe even less would be accomplished ;)
We are ALL capable of change. If more of us can convince ourselves of that, we are going to be better off. The change I'm am speaking of is one that comes from within each of us. There are billions of people that are NOT politicians and they DO wonderful things to improve the lives of many others.
My question is: why wait for someone to fix the problems all around us when we can start now?
The DIY mentality has generated so much information and knowledge that is at our disposal. No department of government can take credit for the millions of hours of free tutorials on the web. Not one. All of it is generated by people, out of love and compassion. No mandate or legislation could ever do that.
Good for you for taking it upon yourself to be active. Regardless if it is full-time, part time, or some times...better than inactive any day of the week. The more that each of us decides it is time to take responsibility for our lives, the less dependent on those around us we become.
If more people had less problems - would the world be more or less peaceful?
We have the power to help ourselves and others. The more we can do as individuals, the more can be done as a community and as a collective species.
In the 'big scope', I think we agree on just about everything @jonpetric. I appreciate the discussion and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Tremendously inspiring call to marry the concepts of self-reliance with interdependence @grow-pro.
Incidentally, this quote from you is pure gold:
Thanks @jbgarrison72, I certainly have seen the shift in recent years and it is scary to see people so eager to relinquish their controls. I appreciate you reading and hopefully, this feels like a pat on the back to all of those taking steps towards independence. I will leave you with another great quote:
Part of the problem is the money governments collect to fix and maintain....like roads...gets misappropriated...or education resources get funneled into systems geared to those in power and not for direct benefit of students...
I can attest to that! The college I attended was a branch of Art Institute and I literally took part in calling the use of resources into question with the state. The school was found to be doing quite unsavory things and was shut down! I dropped out school with a 4.0GPA and it costs me still to this day. It is proof that no amount of honest people within a system that functions on dishonesty can have any true benefit to any community. That goes for governments, schools, and many resource providers.
It's a bad system, simple as that. Fortunately for all us, it was created by humans - it is entirely reasonable to assume that we can fix it. We just have to change the way we work as a collective species.
Taking responsibility for ones actions and admitting to ones faults with the intention to "fix them" is what is lacking in this world.
No "hand outs" shall ever fix that.
So you have hit the nail on the head, but you have said it all in such a nice way that those who recognize themselves as being part of the problem don't feel bad about it.
You should consider a career in politics!
Although I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, let alone you, but you do have a knack for "being nice" even when it concerns those who haven't deserved it!
;)
Great read mate and definitely agree with it.
You said it wonderfully:
We are to eager to pin the blame on someone, rather than accept our own responsibilities. We are all guilty of that at some time or another. However, only some will choose to see it that way. Doesn't make it any less true. It is up to all of us, not just the 'smiling glad-hands'.
I see people divide themselves and push blame around the table like politicians running for office. People are shamed over words as if they were violent acts and it seems the human race is still unready to accept that we have created all of this. It wasn't just politics, it was all of us.
I may be an asshole at times, but I still realize kindness to be a great way to encourage people. Even bad people are capable of doing good things. Every open mind has the ability to change. It's when we close it off is when we get in deep water. Being dynamic, not static, is the way to meaningful change for the human race.
Voting for one side or another is refusing reality; the reality is they are one in the same. Many of us are well aware, but we often forget that WE ARE THE PEOPLE.
We all are part of the problem, that is entirely true. However, we should feel damn good about being alive, at a time where we are more able to fix our problems than ever before.
You're a large inspiration for my writing this, Jack. The things that we can do, right now, can change tomorrow in ways we can only imagine today. And you know as well as I that when people connect to reach greater goals = progress follows. 😉 Thanks Jack!!
This post went in a totally different direction than I expected by reading the title. But I love it. It’s so well worded.
We believe this too. Change happens most effectively from the bottom up and actions always speak loudest. We’ve resteemed this to our curation page featuring earth-centered inspiring content. Thank you & keep it up 🙏✨
Thanks @the-hearth! Keep spreading the love, I can feel the warmth!! ✌️😎
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