by Emanuel Kuntzelman

Recently, I have been hearing a lot of people say, myself included, that we have a moral obligation to do our part and transform society. But what does this this idea of a moral obligation really mean? To clarify, I believe this obligation raises our notion of morality to a new, higher, transformed level of awareness. Henry David Thoreau sums it up in his quote:

“Be not simply good. Be good for something.”

In other words, the norm up till now has settled on just trying to be a good person, i.e. don’t do harm to others. This is fine, but in our new consciousness we can do better than that. Let’s move beyond the neutrality of not committing bad acts and move into the sense of obligation that we have to commit good acts, and often, and every day to all kinds of people in all kinds of ways.

Therefore, we have to be good for something. We need to find our purpose, focus on it and act upon it. The world needs our help, and just as we would come to the aid of an injured individual on the street, we now have to look at human society as in need of our help, and Earth even more so.

Just look at the gyres of plastic in the ocean the size of Texas. These swirling masses of garbage are directly affecting aquatic sea life and having detrimental effects on its health. This is just one example, not to mention fracking, strip-mining, deep oil wells, and diminishing and polluted water tables.

It is time to take action and be good for something. What are your passions; what do you feel strongly about?  When you can answer these questions it is time to go out and create positive change. Whether it is helping to solve the environmental ills I have mentioned, or pushing for social change in a number of other ways, we must commit to being proactive in positive social change.

Want to learn more about being a change-maker during this momentous time in history? An upcoming event hosted by New Momentum for Human Unity will feature a day of inspiration on how to be good for something. Learn more about how to attend Thrive in 2012 & Beyond.