Working in the System

As an organizer I start from where the world is, as it is, not as I would like it to be. That we accept the world as it is does not in any sense weaken our desire to change it into what we believe it should be — it is necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it to what we think it should be. That means working in the system.
Saul Alinsky
Rules for Radicals

Introducing change, getting people to move in an other direction or new way of thinking is hard everywhere. Don’t be so ignorant to think your case is ever unique. The past is full of examples for you to learn from.

Authority figures block whatever you are trying to get out there or decline every suggestion you make. Of course that might get discouraging for a while, but if you were them you would probably do the same. People will always try to stick to what they know, what they are used to, what pays their bills.

So why keep running against the wall? Wouldn’t it be better to get at their side of the wall by playing the game the way they know it? Joining them shouldn’t be the end-goal, consider it a tactic to slowly introduce them to your way of thinking in a non-threatening way.

It’s not that you have to like them for it. Keep your eye on the Grand Strategy and let that help you make your decisions. Where you are now, shouldn’t define where you see yourself in 1 year, 2 years or even 10 years.