Changemaker 2.0

Change, they say, is a domino effect. Every change starts with a vision, of an individual or a group, which, when acted upon, inspires others to join the cause or take initiatives of their own. In a tweetchat conducted by One Degree Initiative Foundation on December 7th, using the hashtag #VisionPost2013 as their tagline, Fatimah, a participant, tweeted, “I genuinely see Bangladesh making more progress if we take, even if small, yet constant initiatives.”

The aim of the tweetchat was to create a platform where ideas could be shared and encouraged so individuals can take the lead in bringing about small changes that would, together, create a profound impact. In all honesty, I expected nothing more than the usual rants about the political stalemate, poverty, power cuts and price hikes in the tweets. I was taken aback when tweets regarding the protection of the garments industry and the Sundarbans started showing up under #1diweb. Improvement in the education sector, availability of unadulterated food, restoration of secularism under the constitution and embracing green technology were topics that saw the exchange of innumerable tweets. A huge surprise to me was that posts about women's rights and status in society were not shot down as feminist views as they most often are. The barrage of ideas and views were almost impossible to keep up with.
What made the biggest impact on me were tweets that advocated the idea that one has to change in order to bring about a change. Be an example to set an example! That, I think, is what we need the most right now considering the current condition of our country. Instead of playing the blame game, if we all took the initiatives of self-improvement, society, as a whole, would see a great improvement. People are always influenced by their peers, and when one person changes, he or she encourages others to do the same. This vision is absolutely rudimentary and it is probably one change that has an immediate impact.
Unfortunately, as Amiya, another participant pointed out, “We often fail to ensure continuity!” Many come up with brilliant ideas, but they lack the drive to pursue them long enough to enforce a change. It's important to remember that perseverance, no matter what the cause, always pays off.