This is not a shower talk. This is an actual result of my own tiny little research that I did. I will provide the links to my references at the end. I started thinking about why there are no major changes happening related to the degrading environment after watching the video: "The lie we live".
So, how do we change the world for good?
Simple answer: By first changing the way we speak and instruct.
Got you curious, eh? Let me elaborate.
Haven't we all been taught not to throw trash around and not to waste electricity and not to waste water and not to cut trees and what not to do ever since we were kids? The education system thinks by telling children at such a young age about what not to do, the children can be conditioned in a way to not harm the environment. But what the educational system is unaware of is how wrong their methods of conditioning are!
Where we went wrong is the way we've been teaching the new generations or just people in general. We've always been hearing the phrases, "don't throw trash", "don't pollute the earth", "don't cut trees", "don't waste water". But what's wrong with these phrases is that they turn out to be counter-productive. Our brains are wired in a way to dismiss negative sentences and even worse, sometimes, to completely go the opposite way of what's being told in those negative sentences. There are many experiments to back this up. No matter how good the reward might be for "not doing" something, our brain subconsciously believes "not doing" it to be a wrong thing and we all end up doing what we're told to NOT do. Humans should change the way education works. Humans should change the way they phrase their sentences for making a difference that matters. It's as simple as changing the negative sentences into positive ones to bring about a REAL change. "Do it". Those are the magic words. Our minds strangely accept positive things and dismiss negative things. That's how it has always been. So from now on, instead of asking people to not do, ask them to do. To make a difference in the world which could lead to finding the cure of cancer or even end global warming, we have to first learn to speak and instruct the right way. We have to learn to say the sentences the right way. Tell people, "please do plant more trees", "please do care about the hygiene of your surroundings", "please do save water because it's a precious resource", "please do quit smoking because it will improve your health". The words, "please", "do" and "because" are associated with positive thinking and reason. Using these can bring about the change humans NEED to survive in this world. "Change" that can literally end world hunger and bring world peace. The power is all in understanding communication and psychology and using it to make the Earth alive again.
References-
http://www.nlpco.com/2008/08/negative-commands/
Research paper: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jozef_Maciuszek/publication/267337868_Don%27t_pay_attention_to_what_you_see_Negative_commands_and_attention_bias/links/544d75bd0cf24b5d6c42b598/Dont-pay-attention-to-what-you-see-Negative-commands-and-attention-bias.pdf
Video of the experiment (where a person is told to not do something but ends up doing it): Could you kill a kitten?
Well, that's how you can get people to change the world for good but how about you? What is something that you can do to make a difference? When people think of "making a difference", they think it's a huge task. A task so huge that only the most powerful can do it but it's false.
Feeling that only the most influential humans can make a difference is a "lazy follower" mentality. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK FIRST. Change can happen even with the smallest things YOU do in life that might seem insignificant but they aren't because even the smallest things can lead to a huge impact! I'm pretty sure all of us know about the butterfly effect. I'm not here to ramble about "complicated" stuff. If anyone wants to really make a difference and make the world literally a better place to live in but are completely lost, let me help you kickstart your potential. It can be as simple as quitting to eat meat which has the huge potential to end world hunger. It can be as simple as quitting to smoke which has the huge potential to reduce pollution. It can be as simple as using biodegradable bags instead of plastic. It can be as simple as growing a plant and taking care of it. It can be as simple as picking up trash from the neighborhood instead of throwing waste on the streets. It's just THAT simple and yet when people think of change, they think about big politicians and systems and the government and what not. Think about it, without people like us, all the "big guys" are nothing. So let's decide to go the right way, support our own self and vote for our own betterment instead of supporting someone else! It's high time everyone redefines their meaning of "change".
