The place to improve the world is first in one's heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.
Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world", and this quote is expressing the same sentiment, but in a more formal and step-by-step way. Simply put, if you want something to change, change it within yourself first. If you feel that the world is becoming cruel and intolerant, be kinder, and more tolerant and lead by example. To change someone else's mind about something or someone, first change your own mind about that person and try to see things from their perspective. It is also a developed reference from a Bible quotation, "Judge not, lest ye be judged"; do not look for change to come in the world into a vacuum. Change is generated by people, and you are "people" too, therefore the responsibility lies with you to start the changes.
The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth", and so it goes away. Puzzling.
"There's none so blind at those who will not see". This is a reference to this saying. We claim to be seeking for the truth, whether it is our own truth, or the truth about an event or a person that we claim we want to find, but sometimes, we are not looking for the truth as it is, we are looking for the truth as we want it to be. This prevents us from seeing the truth, because we send it away when it doesn't give us the information that we are looking for or wanting, just the information that actually exists in reality.
Sometimes we are so busy seeking the truth that we become caught up in the act of seeking and do not realize we have already found it. It's like losing something in your house, and walking past it several times because you just can't see for looking. We must never become so caught in looking for something that we do not see when we have found it. It's important to realize when we have found a truth, and then to act upon it accordingly.
We're in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went, and sorry it's all gone.
Although the book was written several decades ago, this observation is extremely relevant today, as people spend so much time looking down at their cellphones that they never remember to look up from them. We are not very good at living in the moment because we are always in such a hurry for the next moment to arrive. Sometimes we get so stuck in our routine that we don't do anything that is outside it, and consequently miss out on people, places, experiences and shared wisdom that might break the monotony of our other actions. This makes the time blend into one stretch rather than into experiences we can look back on. We spend so much of our time getting to the next place and the next thing that we don't truly appreciate everything that is around us at the time until it is too late.
