It is easy to become despondent with the world.

A world where genocide is justified with whataboutisms.

A world where we believe peace can be imposed through military force.

A world where we kill animals at an industrial scale.

A world where every day we dump more than 100 million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, dump more than 2,500 tonnes of plastic into the oceans and clear more than 30,000 acres of forest.

I have just finished reading ‘Moral Ambition’ by Rutger Bregman and he highlights that for everything that people do that makes us despondent there are also many people doing incredible things that also make a huge positive impact on the world. Those people who stood up to abolish slavery, to hide Jews from the Nazis during WWII, to eradicate smallpox, to fight for women’s rights, to fight malaria … the list goes on and on.
Our true nature is to be kind, compassionate and generous and we need to remind ourselves of that. This is where we can start to make a difference.

While reading this book the following quote from Rumi kept reverberating in my head, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

‘Moral Ambition’ by Rutger Bergman reminds us that we must see the good in others and demand more of ourselves, it asks us to stop wasting our talents and privilege (which I am guilty of) and start making a difference and that our behaviour is contagious so a better world does indeed begin with us. He challenges us to expand our moral circle.

It is the everyday person, that’s you and me, that brings about the change we need in the world. We should remind ourselves of Margaret Meads words, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

And as Maya Angelou said, “Your legacy is never one thing. Your legacy is every life you’ve touched, every person whose life was either moved or not. It’s every person you’ve harmed or helped. That’s your legacy.”
Rutger has been described as one of the greatest thinkers of the twenty first century.

I would have to agree.

Moral ambition is not a trait, it is a mindset, and reading this book may also inspire you to catch this bug, as it has done me.

This book has spoken to my soul, filled my heart and inspired me to act.

So do yourself a favour and get your eyes into this book.

It might be the best thing you ever do.