MOVING BEYOND GOOD INTENTIONS

By DR CHANDRAKANT SHAH

We often see, hear, read and experience things which make us upset, angry and frustrated, and we desire change in our systems, organizations or societies.

Many of us feel hopeless and helpless and do not know how to bring the desired change and hope some mystical person will act on the issue and bring the change.

Several kinds of changes – technological, economic, social and religious – do occur in our society and the time frame differs for each one of them.

Technological changes like acceptance of mobile phones are relatively quick; economic changes such as prosperity in society are slower than technological change; social changes such as antiracism are even slower to evolve and finally, changes such as acceptance of gay marriage by those of a religious persuasion move at a snail’s pace. Understanding these helps us to adjust the anticipated time frame for the efforts required.

Many of us are concerned and passionate about bringing about social changes, but we do not understand the process of how to go about achieving it. With all our good intentions, we wait for someone else to initiate or bring the desired change!

 Anthropologist Margaret Mead famously said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; it’s the only thing that ever has.”

First and foremost, to bring the desired change one must be passionate about the cause espoused; however, while passion is necessary it is not sufficient.

What one requires is a sustained commitment for months, years and even decades for the desired outcome to happen.

There are steps one may have to take before the desired change will happen and they are as follows:

• Recognize that a problem exists. Discrimination in hiring practices, for instance.

• Ascertain that it affects many people; that is a prevalent problem in the workplace or society.

• Mobilize forces to begin to address the problem, initiate a movement against systemic racism in the workplace.

• Develop a desired action plan to achieve the change – employment equity, for example.

• And finally, implement the plan for the desired goal – such as an affirmative action plan for hiring visible minorities – to be achieved.

Every cause you espouse may not need all these steps.

The following example from my own experience may help to illustrate how I was able to bring about a change in the citizenship examination.

The citizenship department requires all immigrants who wish to become Canadian citizens to be well versed in certain aspects of Canada. In the late 1980s, when my wife decided to take Canadian citizenship, I first encountered the citizenship guidebook which contained only three cursory lines about Indigenous people. There was no mention of the treaties that were signed; the forced process of assimilation through residential schools; the “sixties scoop”; and how Indigenous peoples were stripped of their culture, heritage, language and belief systems systematically.

In 1991, I began a one-person letter-writing campaign about the need for a change in the Citizenship Guide to provide more information about Indigenous peoples to new immigrants.

Since Confederation, new immigrants represent at least sixteen per cent of the Canadian population, yet they had very little or almost no knowledge about Indigenous peoples – leading many new Canadians to hold stereotypical negative views towards them.

My letter-writing campaign lasted for almost three years and as a result in 1994, the materials provided in the citizenship guide and the citizenship exams were updated.

The guide now includes relevant material about Indigenous peoples and questions on the citizenship examination.

Since 1994, over six million new Canadians have now become aware of Indigenous peoples and their history, as will all the future newcomers to Canada!

In summary, many people have great ideas to bring equity, social justice, harmony and peace in the communities. But good ideas and intentions are not good enough unless they are acted on.

Those few who act on them, quit when they meet difficulties. Those who are successful are those who have passion and sustained commitment to the change they desire.

Be one of them!