Changes in the World and Society Essay

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Introduction

In the modern world, there are many different problems, dangers, and challenges. While individuals can rarely influence the course of global events, everyone becomes affected by them and undergoes changes. By 2022, society as a whole has evolved compared to the beginning of the previous century. Therefore, it can be concluded that the world has changed for the better because of increased emphasis on human rights protection, equality, tolerance, and freedom for all.

While some people might be skeptical about society’s positive development, an outlook on current trends indicates that more people have access to education, decent jobs, and other resources compared to a hundred years ago. For example, women were not granted the same human rights as today, which is a result of the continuous fight for equality that is still ongoing. In general, social discrepancies such as racial, gender, and economic inequality are widely discussed and addressed nowadays. Researchers examine various effects of discrimination and power distribution in modern society, pinpointing acute problems and developing solutions. My own experience proves that more young people show interest in human and animal rights protection, which is a positive tendency.

Besides, the idea of tolerance is one of the central values in the contemporary world. After centuries of violating the fundamental rights of non-binary people, individuals with mental illnesses and disabilities, minorities, and other underrepresented groups, society has come to realize that everyone deserves recognition and acknowledgment. In this regard, my environment mostly includes people who support inclusivity and equality. Furthermore, in a world stricken by war, violence, and oppression, the value of freedom has risen, uniting people to fight for a better future and support each other.

To conclude, the current trends regarding human rights, equality, inclusivity, and liberty indicate that the world has changed for the better. Skeptics might argue that there is a need for significant improvement regarding discrimination, violence, and intolerance. At the same time, it is evident that society has evolved by focusing on acute issues and seeking effective solutions to ensure a better quality of life for everyone.

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Essays About Change: Top 5 Examples and 10 Prompts

If you are writing essays about change, see below our best essay examples and writing prompts to help expand your horizon on this topic.

The only thing constant is change. It could be good or bad. It could be short-term or have a lasting impact. The best we can do is to ride on this inevitable and never-ending cycle of change and try coming out of it still standing, thriving, and smiling. This ability to cope with change is called resilience. 

However, some changes – such as the loss of a loved one or a livelihood — are too overwhelming to deal with that some fall into trauma and depression, in which case psychological support is highly encouraged. Read on to see our round-up of rich, well-written essays about change, and a list of helpful prompts follows to help you start your essay. 

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1. “The Psychology Of Dealing With Change: How To Become Resilient” by Kathleen Smith

2. how prison changes people by christian jarrett, 3. six ways the workplace will change in the next 10 years by jordan turner, 4. “social movements for good: what they are and how to lead them” by derrick feldman, 5. “the right way to make a big career transition” by utkarsh amitabh, 1. changing your lifestyle for the better, 2. be the change the world needs, 3. adapting to life-changing events, 4. addressing climate change, 5. how did technology change our daily lives, 6. people who changed the world, 7. if you could change the world, 8. dealing with resistance to change, 9. coming-of-age novels, 10. changing your eating habits.

“If you can learn to cope with change, you’ll lower your risk for anxiety and depression. Your relationships will flourish, and your body will feel healthier. But if you can’t cope with change, only a minor amount of stress can make you feel overwhelmed by life. You might also struggle to set and meet the goals you have for yourself.”

Instead of fixating on events and people over which we do not have the power to control, we should focus on ourselves and how we can embrace change without fear. Some tips in this essay include practicing self-care, being in the present, and focusing on your priorities, such as health and well-being. 

Check out these essays about being grateful and essays about heroes .

“Ultimately, society may be confronted with a choice. We can punish offenders more severely and risk changing them for the worse, or we can design sentencing rules and prisons in a way that helps offenders rehabilitate and change for the better.”

In an environment where you are forced to follow the rules to the letter and worry about your safety and privacy daily, prisoners could develop a kind of “perpetual paranoia” or “emotional numbing” and deteriorate cognitive abilities. The essay suggests a rethink in how we deal with law-breakers to encourage reform rather than punish and risk repeat offenses.

Check out these essays about police brutality and essays about assessment .

“As technology closes the divide between geographically separate people, it introduces cracks in relationships and cultures. The remote distribution of work means that many employees will not build the same social relationships in the workplace, leading to issues of disengagement and loneliness.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has already disrupted our way of work in our new normal, but more changes are yet to unfold. This essay looks into the future of work where responsibilities and demands will see a sea change; machines will be co-workers; and the best employee is defined by digital skills, not years of experience.

You might also like these essays about cinema and essays about jealousy .

“Social movements for good establish a mass platform of action for a population, which helps inform and cultivate the awareness necessary to help prevent an issue from affecting more people. True social movements for good have the power to generate awareness that produces tangible results, helping the general population live longer, more productive, happier lives.”

A social movement for good aims to bring social justice to an aggrieved community by calling for tangible support and resources. To accelerate a movement’s momentum, an effective leader must possess certain qualities in this essay.

“There were so many questions running through my head during this time. Why should I quit to make this my full-time job? Is this what I really want? When should I quit? Poet Mary Oliver’s words kept ringing in my head: ‘What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’”

Deciding on a career change is more complex than deciding whether you want to do something different. A career shift entails lifestyle, mindset, and motivation changes, each of which has to be carefully reassessed and prepared for. This essay guides you in deciding when or why it is right to leave your job.

10 Interesting Writing Prompts on Essays About Change

Below are thought-stimulating prompts to help with your essay: 

Committing to regular exercise or getting to bed earlier may be easier said than done. Moreover, the determination that was burning at the start of your lifestyle change journey may wane in the latter part when things get tough. So, for your essay, provide practical tips from wellness experts and your own experience on how to sustain a routine toward a better lifestyle. You can split your essay into sections for each health and wellness tip you recommend.

This is the gist of the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi: “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Unfortunately, many of us get frustrated over people refusing to change but fail to see how this change should start with our perception and action. In this essay, write about what an individual can do to focus more on self-improvement and development. 

Have you ever faced a situation where you had to adapt to a drastic change? It could be moving to a different city or school or dealing with losing a loved one. Share your experience and list the traits and practices that helped you through this challenging phase. You may also research what psychologists recommend people to do to keep from falling into depression or developing anxiety. 

To offer a unique highlight in your essay, tackle what your school or community is doing to fight global warming. Interview city councilors and mayors and learn about ongoing initiatives to keep the city clean and green. So this essay could help entice others in your community to work together and volunteer in initiatives to slow climate change.

Essays About Technology

List down the advantages and disadvantages technology has presented in your life. For example, seeking clarification from teachers about an assignment has been made easier with the many communication channels available. However, technology has also enabled a work-at-home or distance learning arrangement that is causing burnout in many households. 

Feature a person who has revolutionized the world. It could be a scientist, artist, activist, writer, economist, athlete, etc. Preferably, it is someone you idolize, so you do not have to start from scratch in your research. So first, provide a short profile of this person to show his life and career background. Then, write about their ultimate contribution to society and how this continues to benefit or inspire many. 

If there’s one thing you could change in this world, what would it be? This sounds like a question you’d hear in pageants, but it could be a creative way to lay down your life advocacy. So, explain why this is where you want to see change and how this change can improve others’ lives.

Resistance to change is most common when companies modernize, and the dinosaurs in the office refuse to learn new digital platforms or systems. Write about what you think leaders and human resource units should do to help employees cope with changes in the new normal.

A coming-of-age novel tells stories of protagonists who grow up and undergo character transformation. From being eaten up by their fears, the main heroes become braver and better at confronting a world that once intimidated them. For this prompt, share your favorite coming-of-age novel and narrate the changes in the hero’s qualities and beliefs. 

Delivering fast food has become so easy that, for many, it has become a way of life, making it an enormous challenge to replace this practice with healthy eating habits. So, research and write about nutritionists’ tips on creating a lifestyle and environment conducive to healthy eating habits.

If you’re still stuck picking an essay topic, check out our guide on how to write essays about depression . For more ideas, you can check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Making The World a Better Place — If You Could Change the World, What Would You Do

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If You Could Change The World, What Would You Do

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Published: Aug 31, 2023

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essay on changing world

If I Could Change the World Essay: Examples & Writing Guide

To write an engaging “If I Could Change the World” essay, you have to get a few crucial elements:

  • What? How? Whom? When? Where?
  • The essay structure that determines where each answer should be;
  • Some tips that can make your writing unique and original.

Let us help you a bit and give recommendations for “If I Could Change the World” essays with examples. And bookmark our writing company website for excellent academic assistance and study advice.

  • 🗯 What Would You Change?
  • 💁‍♂️ How Would You Do It?

👉 Whom Would Your Changes Affect?

⏱️ when would you change the world, 🌎 where would you make changes, 📦 out-of-the-box thinking, 🤔 deep understanding, 🧠 an intelligible structure, 🗣️ excellent language.

  • 📝 Essay Example

✏️ Change the World Essay FAQ

🔗 references, 💡 if i could change the world essay: essential questions.

What do you think about the world we are all living in? The vast majority of people love their lives, being human, and living on the Earth. They may have no time to think about the world around them or notice that this world requires changes.

And do you have time to notice this? Do you believe that our world is no longer the best and safest place to live in? If you do and have some suggestions on how our world can be changed, you can write a good “If I Could Change the World” essay.

Start crafting your paper by considering these questions:

If I could change the world essay questions.

Answering them will boost your imagination and help with outlining your essay. Besides, you may find something new about yourself and your mind.

🗯 If You Could Change the World, What Would You Change?

What do I want to change in the world? Start this essay with those particular things that you believe require fixing. We are sure you will not have difficulties with this point because the problems we face these days seem endless.

We’ve gotten used to having such problems, and many people are sure that nothing can ever change. But what if millions of people became more conscious and decided to make even a minor effort to solve just one problem? In that case, we would already live in a better place.

For example:

Why not mention global warming or air pollution? There are plenty of problems common to humanity that require our intervention, so essay writing about global issues is also a great opportunity to narrow down your topic.

Use your imagination and describe your great ideas in your essay about changing the world for better. You could build up a fantastic paper—or maybe even change the world.

💁‍♂️ How Would You Change the World?

What ways do you think would be the most effective to make necessary changes? Whose help might you need? You have to speculate, “How can I change the world?” for the essay.

You’ll have to use your imagination here again:

  • Delve deeper into the topic. List the ways, methods, or strategies you’d utilize to help the world we live in.
  • Make a list of these people or organizations.
  • Explain how they could contribute to achieving your aim.

For instance, you could consider involving global charities or celebrities to assist you on your path to a better world.

Would your changes influence society in the world? Or some particular groups of people would need them more than all the others?

This is another exciting idea that you could develop in your essay. Give insight into whose lives your actions would change. For example, you could think of improving the lives of poor, hungry children in Africa or helping animals suffering from global warming.

Do you think that the problems you are talking about require immediate solutions? There are issues worldwide that can’t wait any longer and need to be changed urgently.

Why not discuss them?

Here’s an idea: Bring up a topic related to a pressing global health issue. For example, focus your main point on incurable diseases or infectious diseases that annually kill more than 17 million people .

In what part of the world would you change something?

It’s essential to touch on the location of your global changes. Are you audacious enough to implement your great ideas worldwide? Or would you be better off starting in a small area and eventually growing it into something on a larger scale?

Consider these ideas as well, and don’t forget to mention the location in your paper.

You can also read our article on world peace to learn more about current problems and issues that require changes.

✒️ If I Could Change the World Essay: Writing Guide

What are the criteria that guide your professor when evaluating your “If I Could Change the World” essay? Are there any one-size-fits-all characteristics you can safely incorporate to end up with a breathtaking paper?

There are! And knowing them will help you write more convincing essays that earn better grades.

If I could change the world essay tips.

Representing your original thinking as an author doesn’t mean that you have to invent something new or discover some unknown theory. Not to discourage you, but chances of doing that are pretty small.

Try writing a “changing the world” essay different from other students’ papers because of its original approach . You could look at things from an unusual angle or come up with a new hypothesis. Even the purpose of your writing can differ if you add creativity.

Your “If I Could Change the World” essay topic is a platform for unlimited imagination and original thinking. Go ahead and make the most of it!

A perfect essay about the world’s problems—just like any other essay—shows in-depth knowledge. Demonstrate the comprehension of all the facts, concepts, and issues you’re talking about. You also need to clearly understand why these ideas matter, both to you and your reader.

To end up with a fantastic “changing the world” essay, you should do the following:

  • Craft and polish a persuasive thesis, stating your position clearly.
  • Find credible sources to add quotes and value to your writing.
  • Use engaging, relevant facts for your arguments and central hypothesis.
  • Consider and analyze different viewpoints.
  • Summarize and synthesize data from various sources.
  • Double-check information that you’re uncertain about.
  • Write a reference list at the bottom of your essay.

Don’t forget to analyze and consider all points of view and include quotations from reputable sources.

The first and foremost thing to bear in mind when outlining your essay is that it should answer the following three questions:

Also, a high-quality essay contains all of the necessary parts of an academic paper:

  • Introduction : Starts with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. Directs the reader, identifies the focus, and provides the context of the issue. Most importantly, it includes a thesis statement. If you struggle with this part, try to make use of a thesis statement generator .
  • Main body : Provides the argumentation for your thesis and supporting details. Includes quotes and other data that you’ve gathered. Every paragraph starts with a topic sentence and ends with a concluding one, tying the text together.
  • Conclusion : Restates and develops the thesis and summarizes the arguments. Gives the last impression on the reader, leaving the final thoughts in the concluding sentences. May include a call for action.

Your “If I Could Change the World” essay should have a consistent discussion and a balanced argument. Relevant facts and data should support all the points. The conclusion weighs your evidence and provides your final opinion about the paper’s central idea.

Your discussion should be smooth and effortless so that your readers feel like they are in safe hands. The sentences should be flowing naturally and logically from one to the other. The reader should understand everything from the first read. Do not deviate from your topic, or else the focus of your essay will be lost.

You should strive for flawless grammar, spelling, and punctuation, without mistakes or typos. To ensure its flawlessness, proofread your paper or ask someone to do it for you.

If I Could Change the World: Essay Topics

  • Can one person change the world?
  • What can we do to eliminate the global violence?
  • How I would change animal rights and welfare laws .
  • Helping homeless people is a critical task for humanity.
  • Becoming a social service assistant is the best way to change the world.
  • Creativity can change the world and make it a better place to live in.  
  • If I could change the world, I would destroy nuclear weapons.
  • Can courage change the world when the cost is so great?
  • We need to stop climate change to save the world.
  • What I can do to save the world from global warming.
  • The things I would do to eliminate gaming addiction from the world.
  • I would save the Earth from destruction by making hanges in an energy crisis.
  • Why we should pay more attention to the overpopulation problem .
  • Fighting inflation and unemployment is a way to change the world.
  • What I can do today to help integration of children with special needs.
  • Elimination of smoking will change the population’s health for the better.
  • If we want to save the Earth, we should reduce air polution.
  • The best career choice to change the world.
  • If I could change the world, I would improve the humanity and nature relationship.
  • The most important thing I would change about this world is the disease prevention level.
  • Combat the growing trend of obesity to improve health in the community.
  • Should we ban consumable plastics to save oceans wildlife?
  • Using electric vehicles instead of gas cars will improve people’s life quality.
  • Removing domestic violence and abuse is the thing I would do to change the world.
  • What I would change to create an ideal society.  
  • Becoming a teacher is my way of improving schooling for young learners.  
  • How I would change the economic situation in modern Latin America.
  • My plans on banning experiments on animals.  
  • Preparing effective tools to change the children’s world.
  • We need to change the system to remove health disparities.  
  • What I would do to change the situation with alcohol abuse in the world.
  • Racism is the global issue that requires an immediate change.
  • The things that can be done to change the level of substance abuse among adolescents.
  • If I could change the world, I would remove gender inequality from it.
  • The solution to social problems within educational institutions is the change we should make in this world.
  • What changes can we make to overcome the world poverty?
  • Why it’s important to resolve the global water crisis.  
  • The solution of immigrant problems is a step towards a better society.
  • How eliminating corruption will make this world better.
  • What can I do to help resolve the problems of older adults ?
  • Lowering crime rates will change the world.
  • How I would change the situation with indigenous Australians.
  • Preventing and curing breast cancer is one of the greatest concerns in modern society.
  • What can we do to prevent disease outbreaks?
  • Why the problem of school violence requires our immediate attention.
  • How I would change the food distribution to combat the issue of world hunger.  
  • Why we should promote renewable energy sources.
  • Terrorism is the most urgent problem in modern society.
  • What would I do to change the situation with school bullying?  
  • What should we change in the world to resolve the problems of LGBT people?

📝 If I Could Change the World: Essay Example

In this section, you’ll find an essay example on the topic. The downloadable PDF version is under the preview. Hope it will inspire you to write your own If I Could Change the World essay!

If I Could Change the World: Pros and Cons (Essay Example)

The idea of having a tremendous influence on the course of the world history is rather tempting since it implies huge power and the availability of any resource possible. Thus, the possibility of changing the world might be perceived solely as a positive concept at first. However, without the ability to encompass and understand the global implications of the changes that I would make, I would take the actions that would most likely result in the suffering of multiple people, which is why the described scenario is highly undesirable.

Now that you know a little more, it’s easy to come up with even more “If I Could Change the World” essay topics. Just think about them carefully or surf the web for some inspiration.

Thank you for reading till the end! Leave your comment in the section below. Share the article with friends who also have to write an “If I Could Change the World” essay.

Further reading:

  • World Peace Essay in Simple English: How-to + Topic Ideas

It is a paper that deals with a controversial question “Can we change the world” (or similar). There are many ways to develop this topic: from telling about a person, invention, or idea of speaking about skills for changing the world.

To be concise within such a broad topic might be a challenge. One strategy might be to think about who or what in human history has changed something in society a lot. It might be an invention, a politician, a scientist, etc. Then, focus just on that subject.

There many ways to change something, both negatively and positively. If we do not care about ecology, we ruin the world’s biosphere. If we do our best to stay eco-friendly, we make it a better place. We can also change the world with the help of education, science, medicine, etc.

If you do not like the topic you are given, there are always ways to divert from it. Meanwhile, you will formally keep it the same. You can, for example, start by introducing a correlated idea. Then, write about that idea and its connection to the topic.

  • One Person Can Change The World
  • Essay about Three Things I Would Change in the World
  • The Power of Music to Help Change the World (and Me!)
  • If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
  • To Change the World, Change Yourself
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Hey, Julia! Really appreciate your efforts And amazing and useful information has been provided. Just a suggestion: if you would write a sample essay for more clear understanding. But, anyway, it was great and time-consuming reading. Thnx, dude??

Really mind-blowing service. Thank you so much!

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Thank you for your kind words about the blog, Marylou! I’m glad it was helpful.

Good speech and very easy

I want to compose a full-fledged essay about a different topic. I read your guidelines to get some ideas to write something valid and meaningful. Really these are helpful.

This was very useful for me. Thank you!

Thank you for the inspirational advice!

Essay “if you could change the world”: what would you do and why?

Very nice essay about the world B-)

Julia Reed

Hi Pragati! Are you writing an essay on this topic? Did you find the article helpful or you need additional help? Always happy to answer 🙂

To Change the World, Change Yourself

You can't change the world if you don't change yourself first..

essay on changing world

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” — Leo Tolstoy

It was the American author and speaker John C. Maxwell who wrote:   “Most people want to change the world to improve their lives, but the world they need to change first is the one inside themselves.”

Everyone has an opinion on what is wrong with the world, yet few will do the work to improve their own lives. It is easy to draw attention to what is wrong in the world because on one level it is frustrating to observe these conditions and stand back while they take place.

I often remind myself and others, the world has existed for 4.54 billion years and is much older and wiser than us. We have existed for a minor part in that timeline and conditions weren’t always ideal. In fact, history shows conditions were less than idyllic. So, a Utopian paradise needn’t exist for us to be happy. We can still thrive despite the unrest in the world because outside conditions aren’t as bad as you think they are.

If you want to change reality, start with yourself first and attend to your own personal development. In doing so, problems give way to solutions and no longer affect you.

Author Larry Weidel writes in   Serial Winner: 5 Actions to Create Your Cycle of Success : “If we all live the richest life possible, it’s personally fulfilling, but it also changes the world.”

Raise Your Level Of Consciousness

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” — Mother Teresa

Most people are frustrated or angry with circumstances beyond their control. They believe that, if they can control these situations, they will be happy. Sometimes it is not possible since there are too many things to control. It requires redesigning your life to suit you or playing God, neither of which is possible.

Undertaking personal development will not only help you but influence those around you. It is simpler to attend to your own personal development. So when you feel frustrated, angry, or any other disempowering state, become curious and work on that part of you that is at war with reality.

It is futile trying to change conditions out there because life is constantly changing. It is like trying to keep plates spinning on a stick while more plates are added. You cannot keep up, and they will eventually come crashing down.   It makes sense to work on yourself so that outside conditions no longer affect you as they once did. This is the key to enlightenment: raising your level of consciousness so you transcend problems with a higher awareness. Albert Einstein recognized this principle when he said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Consider the following example, highlighting why you must attend to your own personal growth if you want to change the world. Imagine 100 people who constantly complain about the state of the world. One day they collectively decide they’ve had enough and undertake personal development to change their lives. Within months, they have stopped whining and are now open to embracing life instead of being mired in their problems. They act from a place of love, peace, and joy.

You’ve heard it said, you are the sum of the five people you most associate with. Therefore, if 100 people can influence five others, we have 500 people who are now more self-aware than before. If that cycle continues, a tipping point will occur so that anger and fear no longer prevail.

It’s an inside-out job. Now, I am not naïve and know this Utopian reality will not miraculously emerge overnight, if at all, within the coming decade. Yet, undertaking personal development will not only help you but influence those around you.

I have seen evidence of this with my family and friends and those I’ve coached. You change the world not by pointing out what is wrong with it, but by   upgrading your model of reality   to coincide with what you wish to see in the world.

It’s an inside-out job.

“You don’t have to change the world. You just have to change what you pay attention to in the world. And that, it turns out, is hugely powerful,” affirms Vishen Lakhiani in   The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed On Your Own Terms .

Upgrade Your Model Of Reality

“You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world.”  ― Woodrow Wilson

It was the late Dr. Wayne Dyer, a well-known self-help author who said: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” He knew change must first take place from within and has a ripple effect on the lives of others. If that change is powerful enough, it will gather momentum to affect the whole of humanity.

Be aware of when you are pointing the finger outside of yourself. I admit it is difficult to focus on what is right in the world when we are governed by our internal state, which gets the better of us. The media adds to the negativity by reporting bad news to promote fear, and it becomes challenging to break the spell.

I often succumb to these disempowering states at times, so it is remiss of me to offer the advice and claim not to feel this way. Yet, through my own personal development, I’ve come to appreciate that these are fleeting states, and I don’t remain stuck in this condition for long. Awareness has taught me that what I focus on builds momentum and becomes integrated into my reality.

So the advice is clear and simple: be aware of when you are pointing the finger outside of yourself. Go within and attend to that part of you that is inclined to judge outside circumstances as bad.

Heal yourself first by integrating your shadow self and be mindful of your thoughts leading you down a path of negativity. If you do this often, you will break the cycle of incessant thinking that dictates there is something wrong with the world. It is worth the effort to your personal growth.

Eventually, problems that once consumed you will no longer affect you because you have upgraded your model of reality to coincide with a new awareness.

Reprinted from The Mission

Tony Fahkry

Tony Fahkry is a s elf-empowerment author and expert speaker. Your journey towards greatness starts here:  www.tonyfahkry.com

More By Tony Fahkry

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Essay on Change The World

Students are often asked to write an essay on Change The World in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Change The World

What it means to change the world.

To change the world means to make it better for everyone. It can be big, like stopping climate change, or small, like helping a friend. It’s about making a positive difference.

Starting Small

Big changes start with small steps. Picking up litter, being kind, and learning new things can all add to a better world. Everyone can do something good every day.

Working Together

No one can change the world alone. When people join hands for a good cause, they can do great things. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Using Creativity

Thinking of new ways to solve problems is important. Being creative can lead to amazing changes and a brighter future for all.

250 Words Essay on Change The World

What does it mean to change the world, starting with yourself.

The first step is to start with yourself. Be kind, learn new things, and help others. When you become the best version of yourself, you inspire others to do the same. It’s like a chain reaction. Your good actions can encourage your friends and family to spread kindness too.

Helping Others

Helping others is a powerful way to change the world. This can be as simple as sharing your lunch with a friend who forgot theirs or helping an elderly neighbor with their groceries. When you help someone, you make their day better, and they might help someone else in return.

Protecting Our Planet

Our planet needs us to take care of it. You can help by recycling, turning off lights when you leave a room, and using less water. If everyone does their part, we can keep our Earth clean and healthy.

Changing the world might seem like a huge task, but it starts with each one of us. By being kind, helping others, and taking care of our planet, we can make a big impact. Remember, even the smallest act of kindness can change someone’s world. So, let’s all try to do our part and make the world a better place for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Change The World

When we talk about changing the world, it means making it a better place for everyone. It’s like when you clean your room so it looks nicer and feels better to be in. Changing the world can be big things, like making sure everyone has food and a home, or small things, like being kind to a friend.

Starting with Small Steps

Learning and sharing knowledge.

Going to school and learning new things is a big part of making the world better. When you learn, you can share what you know with others. If you learn about plants, you can teach your family how to grow a garden. This helps the air stay clean because plants make oxygen.

Being Kind to Others

Kindness is a superpower. When you are nice to other people, it makes them happy. They might then be kind to someone else. It’s like a chain of happiness that keeps growing. So, always try to share, help others, and use kind words.

Using Technology Wisely

Our planet is our home, and we need to take care of it. You can save water by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth. You can also remind adults to use less plastic. Every little bit helps our Earth.

Change is easier when we all work together. If you and your friends pick up trash at the park, you can make it clean for everyone. If everyone does a little bit, it adds up to a lot.

Believing in Yourself

Changing the world might sound like a huge job, but it’s made of many small acts. Remember, whether it’s being kind, learning, or taking care of our planet, every little thing you do can help. So start with one small step, and you might be surprised at how far it goes.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Happy studying!

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essay on changing world

How to change the world (and five sources of inspiration)

Warning message.

As COVID-19 has expanded around the globe, many of our worlds have seemed to shrink.  We see too little of nature, receive too much bad news, and settle for virtual companionship in place of actual community. 

A post-COVID-19 world will not be the same one we knew before, but it can be a better one. “When we get past this crisis, which we will, we will face a choice,” says United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres. “We can go back to the world as it was before or deal decisively with those issues that make us all unnecessarily vulnerable to the crises.”

As the Earth Day is observed again this April and as plans are being put in plan to move forward, you’re invited to draw inspiration from people and projects already working to make the world a better place.

https://youtu.be/pCUKMx7zd7A

Recognize your strengths

“I was planning to be an astrophysicist,” admits Katharine Hayhoe. Instead, Hayhoe is a climate scientist, university professor and the host of the digital broadcast series, Global Weirding . “I realized I had the exact skills that we need to address this urgent problem.”

The urgent problem she refers to is climate change; and her exact skills include the ability to bring wide-ranging technical information down to a local scale, so that people can apply it in their lives and use it to inform their decision-making. “Because,” she explains, “hardly anybody ever talks about this issue.  And if we don’t talk about it, why would we care? And if we don’t care, then why would we act and why would we demand that others act too?”

When she isn’t writing papers or teaching graduate classes, Hayhoe continues to use her voice. An advocate of remote communication even before the COVID-19 pandemic, she can be found on social media, creating webinars, giving lectures and participating in online discussions. She contributed to Seasons 1 and 2 of Years of Living Dangerously , which aired on the National Geographic channel in 2016; and her latest episode of Global Weirding discusses climate change in the context of the COVID-19 virus , a theme she also tweets about regularly. 

In 2019, UNEP recognized Katharine Hayhoe as a Champion of the Earth for Science and Innovation .

Be part of the solution

“We’re in business to save our home planet.” This is the battle cry at Patagonia, the outdoor clothing brand founded by avid sportsman and rock climber, Yvon Chouinard, almost 50 years ago. Having observed the extent to which nature had already been destroyed, Chouinard was determined that his own company must adhere to a principle of no harm.

Fundamentally, this has meant creating high-quality products, designed to last. Because, explains Lisa Pike Sheehy, Patagonia’s Vice-President of Environmental Activism, “one of the most effective things you can do for the climate is to keep your clothing for longer.”

Beyond its commitment to impact-neutrality, however, the company is proactive in finding solutions to environmental challenges. In the 1980s, it adopted a self-imposed tax to generate funds for grassroots organizations working on environmental issues. It works with its customers to repair and reuse or recycle their old clothing items; and allows employees to leave work for up to two months–with full pay–to work for non-profit organizations on an environmental issue that they care about. The company continues to set aside one per cent of every sale and, to date, has donated more than US$100 million to non-government organizations. Sheehy is emphatic: “The climate crisis is real. It is here, and it needs solutions that match the urgency of the situation.”

In 2019, UNEP recognized Patagonia as a Champion of the Earth for Entrepreneurial Vision . 

Create communities

“I think everybody has a dream to become a hero and change the world,” says Di Xu. “But they cannot achieve this dream in daily life.” Xu is the Head of the Aliplay Ant Forest project, a project that turns regular people into a community of green heroes.

Users of the app are encouraged to adopt low-carbon activities in their daily lives–like walking, riding bicycles or using public transportation instead of driving. When they do, they earn virtual credits that are then used to engage non-governmental organizations and fund the planting of trees.

Xu explains that the name of the app, Ant Forest, is a precise reflection of its value: ants are very small in comparison to forests. And the power of an individual is limited, but when individuals collaborate, they can do great things. They can create forests! To date, Ant Forest has brought together 500 million people, planted more than 120 million trees and mitigated the impact of over 7 million tonnes of carbon.

In 2019, UNEP recognized Ant Forest as a Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action .

Become the leader you wish existed

“Nowhere have I found anyone in power who dares to tell it like it is,” says Greta Thunberg. Thunberg is now 17 years old, but she drew global attention when she was just 15. Frustrated by the lack of action on climate change, she sat in front of the Swedish parliament, every school day for three weeks, sharing her personal protest on social media.

In September 2018, she announced that she would continue striking every Friday until Swedish policies provided a plan for keeping the global temperatures within 2°C of pre-industrial levels . In doing so, Thunberg has inspired young people all over the world, who continue to strike as part of the Fridays for Future movement.

Explains one supporter, “It is our future at risk and the politicians who will probably not be alive when we will be adults are the same politicians who aren’t doing anything.” Fridays for Future is believed to have inspired some of the largest climate strikes in world history and continues to motivate activists of all ages: “People ask me what I am going to be when I grow up. And I ask them, why do I have to grow up to be somebody?”

In 2019, UNEP recognized Fridays for Future as a Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action .

“You could say that Costa Rica is so small that no matter what they do, it won’t have an impact on global emissions… But what is done in Costa Rica proves that it is possible.”  President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Qesada speaks on behalf of a country with remarkable ambition.

Costa Rica is moving toward carbon neutrality faster than many other countries and has pledged to achieve zero net emissions by 2050.  If this seems unlikely, one might consider its track record. Fifty years ago, it had identified conservation as a priority and today, more than half of the country’s territories are under some degree of protection.

Since the 1980s, Costa Rica has effectively reversed the effects of deforestation, achieving forest coverage of over 52 per cent. Eco-tourism has provided a source of economic growth and 99.5 per cent of the energy it uses is from clean and renewable sources.

Noting that many of these initiatives began decades ago, the President acknowledges that, “It is a great responsibility to be consistent with this legacy and keep moving forward–and not by doing more of the same… We must do more.”

In 2019, UNEP recognized Costa Rica as a Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership .

Champions of the Earth is the United Nation’s flagship global environmental award. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2005 to celebrate outstanding figures from the public and private sectors and from civil society whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment.

For more information, please contact Joyce Sang: [email protected]

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A Rapidly Changing World Requires Renewed International Cooperation

Technological, environmental, and demographic shifts are redefining the global order, says Secretary Shultz.

By: Adam Gallagher ;  Anthony Navone

Publication Type: Analysis

Emerging from the economic havoc of the Great Depression and the violence of World War II, the United States found itself at a hinge of history moment. American leaders like President Harry Truman and Secretary of State Dean Acheson believed that the United States should not only change the way it engaged with the world but assert itself to shape and lead it into a new era of international cooperation. Today, amid a global pandemic, the world faces a similar moment, with massive technological, demographic, environmental, and geopolitical shifts redefining the global order, said former Secretary of State George Shultz. “They [American leaders after World War II] said what we could say now … we are part of this world, whether we like it or not. And they set out to try to make something different.”

A small boat filled with migrants comes ashore after making the crossing from Turkey, near the village of Skala, on Lesbos island in Greece. Nov. 16, 2015. (Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times)

To plot out a course for the United States at this inflection point in history, Shultz, a decorated American statesman who was secretary of state during the waning days of the Cold War, organized the “ Hinge of History: Governance in an Emerging New World ” project at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. During a virtual conversation with USIP Board Chair Stephen J. Hadley, Shultz explained the genesis of the project and why he believes the United States is uniquely poised to lead the international community to ride this wave of change.

Technological Revolution

“Big changes are afoot,” said Shultz, who was also secretary of labor and the treasury in the Nixon administration. Technological developments, particularly artificial intelligence, are “changing the nature of work and the way we can look at all kinds of things.” And while this technological innovation has shown the potential to create a more prosperous world, it also presents significant economic and security challenges. 

Technology that can accomplish tasks more efficiently than humans has forced many people to change professions or learn skills more compatible with a tech-oriented future. “Nearly every worker is affected in some way,” said James Timbie, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, in a panel discussion that followed Shultz’s remarks.

The flood of new technology is also changing the global conflict landscape. “Artificial intelligence, the information revolution, and new manufacturing methods all come together to affect our national security,” added Timbie. Both Timbie and Shultz pointed to Iran’s recent missile strike on a Saudi oilfield as an example of how low-cost, lethal technology such as drones has permanently altered the nature of conflict.

Global Demographic Shifts

And while technology has scrambled the global economic and security calculus, so too has the drastic shift in demographics. “We have a group of countries that are rapidly aging with a shrinking work force and we have, on the other extreme, a group of countries that are young” and rapidly growing, said Silvia Giorguli-Saucedo, president of El Colegio de México.

This trend, combined with what Saucedo said will be a “sustained, and probably increasing migration in the years to come,” presents the international community with a massive logistical and humanitarian issue. “Migration is not good or bad by itself,” said Saucedo. But in recent years, Saucedo said the systems meant to handle migration have been marred by inefficiency and back logs: “We already have a broken system and are already behind, and now you have these new flows” of migrants. She added that even as we begin to reform our approach to migration, patience will be paramount, saying, “We won’t see the results in one, two, three years.”

However, there is a bright spot in charting demographic changes in that they are more reliable compared to other types of projections. This allows analysts to more accurately predict how the global population will shift and offers future policymakers a modicum of stability when planning for other, more unsteady issues like economic changes.

Climate Change and Biology

As we move forward into the heart of the 21st century, even the ground beneath our feet is liable to change. “The earth is not static,” said Lucy Shapiro, a professor of developmental biology at Stanford University. “The rate of change of the earth’s ecosystem is extremely rapid … and it has deep consequences for ongoing global stability.”

Climate change is already driving drought and changes to agriculture around the world—exacerbating poverty and creating an entirely new category of migration with the advent of widespread climate refugees.

And as COVID-19 continues to touch all parts of the globe, environmental changes threaten to increase the spread and prevalence of infectious diseases—a warning that the Hinge of History project says predates the current pandemic. “This is not in the future, this is now,” says Shapiro. “We’re seeing old diseases in new places and new diseases appear.”

How to Govern Amid Upheaval

In the face of these monumental shifts, how can leaders govern effectively and harness the positive aspects of these developments while mitigating the negative?

“The institutions of governance are going to be challenged at every level,” said Chester Crocker, a professor of strategic studies at Georgetown University, adding that in Africa there are widespread demands for a different future. “I don’t think we can look at governance anymore, we have to look at whole societies” as well as determine how to distribute the benefits of advancement equally.

However, Crocker, a former USIP Board chair, was quick to praise several countries who have found meaningful success in the face of seismic changes—including Tunisia and Senegal, both of which have managed to find democratic stability despite upheaval in their respective regions.

Individuals, countries and governments can only do so much, though. As these issues increasingly become global in scale, any effective response will require a collaborative international approach. For Shapiro, fixing the disconnect between the scientific community and policymakers—as well as the state of mistrust between nations on the global stage—is a vital first step: “What we desperately need is better communication and diplomacy so these different worlds can communicate … It can’t be a patchwork quilt.”

To do so will require addressing the resurgence of global competition, most notably between the United States and China. The interests of the two nations are “now in a collision,” said Hadley, a former national security advisor under President George W. Bush. “And how that competition comes out matters if we’re going to have the right kind of international culture to deal with these problems.”

Recent events don’t paint a hopeful picture for the level of U.S.-China cooperation needed to get the international community on the right track—but as the two countries continue to face the same crises in isolation, the incentive could build for a partnership. “We have to think more and more about concerts of likeminded working together on problems,” said Crocker. “Bottom line is we need more diplomacy.”

Beyond diplomacy, these challenges require innovative thinking. “It's quite clear that we're going to have to be much more creative and broaden our lens as we think about institutions of governance … it's going to require global leadership as well, because none of these problems can be solved by individual nations acting alone,” said George Moose, USIP’s Board vice chair who moderated the discussion.

America’s Role

The United States is a markedly different country than it was at the end of World War II, said Hadley. Why is it, then, that it is positioned in 2020 to lead the world through this rapidly evolving landscape, he asked? “We’re a resilient country. We’ve handled change well over the years. We also are the most diverse country in the world” and have learned to build good governance amid that diversity, said Shultz.

These lessons will come in handy as both China and Russia attempt to export their authoritarian models of governance to places like Africa. “If we maintained our own strengths, our leading position, and technology, economy, military, and our partnership with allies and friends, we can be in a position to” counter authoritarian influence and create an environment conducive to diplomacy, said Timbie.

But why should the United States not adhere to a hidebound realism, eschewing international cooperation and only looking to advance its own interests? “There is an idea that’s been floated around that when we do something out in the world, we’re making a gift to other people. That’s not the way to look at it,” said Shultz. American leadership to build a better, more secure, more prosperous and peaceful world “is in our own interest.”

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How Fumio Kishida Shaped Japan’s Foreign Policy

How Fumio Kishida Shaped Japan’s Foreign Policy

Thursday, August 22, 2024

By: Mirna Galic

Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the surprise announcement that he would not seek another term. Although he was prime minister for less than four years, Kishida’s foreign policy legacy spans strategic and tactical advances in Japan’s defense and diplomatic posture. His approach represented both a continuation of and divergence from the legacy of his former boss, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, under whom Kishida acted as Japan’s longest-serving foreign minister. Although Kishida’s successes on foreign affairs were overshadowed by domestic political scandals involving his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as well as lack-luster economic growth, he oversaw increases in Japan’s reputation and popularity in the region and globally, as well as the institutionalization of related partnership gains.

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Southeast Asia Web Scams Reach U.S., Setting Off Alarms for Law Enforcement

Southeast Asia Web Scams Reach U.S., Setting Off Alarms for Law Enforcement

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

By: Priscilla A. Clapp ;  Erin West

From their base in ungoverned stretches of Southeast Asia, international criminal networks are prowling the Internet, seeking to defraud victims around the world with sophisticated and psychologically devastating scams. Gangsters operating out of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, relying on forced labor, have spread their tentacles through Asia, Africa and Latin America and increasingly within the United States, stripping gullible prey of at least $64 billion annually. Clearly, to eradicate such a global menace will require a coordinated international response. Even so, the United States is not internally powerless to confront this striking example of how conflict and corrupt governance in distant parts of the world can directly threaten Americans’ security and well-being.

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Why Is the U.S. Deploying Long-Range Missiles in Germany?

Why Is the U.S. Deploying Long-Range Missiles in Germany?

By: Yashar Parsie

On the sidelines of last month’s NATO summit, the United States and Germany announced that Washington will begin episodic deployments of long-range conventional capabilities to Germany. In 1987, the United States and Soviet Union agreed to eliminate these systems under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, but Russia’s violations led the United States to withdraw from the treaty in 2019. Three years later, Russia invaded Ukraine and has engaged in nuclear saber-rattling since then. Washington plans to deploy these systems to strengthen deterrence, but Moscow has criticized them.

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Russia’s War and China’s Rise Set a New Path for South Korea-NATO Relations

Russia’s War and China’s Rise Set a New Path for South Korea-NATO Relations

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

By: Geunwook Lee;  Kwang-Jin Kim

July 2024 marked the third time South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol joined a NATO summit along with the leaders of the alliance’s other Indo-Pacific partner countries (Australia, Japan and New Zealand), informally known as the IP4. This represents a new phase in South Korea’s relations with the Atlantic alliance, but building a lasting friendship will take time and requires navigating a series of challenges. Amid an emerging global division of democratic and authoritarian camps and the challenges posed by China and Russia for both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions, it is incumbent on both Brussels and Seoul to build a more cooperative relationship. That journey, however, has just begun.

How our interconnected world is changing

Globalization isn’t going away, but it is changing, according to recent research  from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , MGI director Olivia White speaks with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the flows of goods, knowledge, and labor that drive global integration—and about what reshaping these flows might mean for our interconnected future.

After, global brewer AB InBev has flourished in the throes of what its CFO Fernando Tennenbaum describes as the recent “twists and turns.” Find out how in this excerpt from “ How to thrive in a downturn: A CFO perspective ,” recorded in December 2022 as part of our McKinsey Live series. 1 Please note that market conditions may have changed since this interview was conducted in December 2022.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Globalization is here to stay

Lucia Rahilly: Pundits and other public figures have wrongly predicted the demise of globalization for what seems like years. Now, given the war in Ukraine and other disruptions, many are once again sounding its death knell. What does this new MGI research  tell us about the fate of globalization? Is it really in retreat?

Olivia White: The flows of goods, the real tangible stuff, have leveled off after nearly 20-plus years of growing at twice the rate of GDP. But the flows of goods kept pace with GDP and even rose a little bit, surprisingly, in the past couple of years. Since GDP has been growing, that means actual ties have gotten stronger.

One of the most striking findings from this research was that flows representing knowledge and know-how, such as IP and data, and flows of services and international students have accelerated and are now growing faster than the flow of goods. Flows of data grew by more than 40 percent per annum over the past ten years.

Lucia Rahilly: Goods are a smaller share of total flows, a smaller share of economic output, than in the past. That doesn’t necessarily sound like a bad thing. Could it be a sign of progress?

Olivia White: The fact that certain goods are growing less quickly than other types of flows shows this shift in our economy and what’s most important to the way the economy functions. It comes on the back of a long history of different factors that influence growth and shifts in the way patterns work. What’s happening, in part, is that a variety of countries are producing more domestically—first and foremost China. That has been driving a lot of the flow down, if you take the longitudinal view, over the past ten years versus before.

The world remains interdependent

Lucia Rahilly: How interdependent would you say we are at this stage? Could you give us some examples of the ways we’re interconnected?

Olivia White: The top line is, every region in the world depends on another significant region for at least 25 percent of a flow it values most.

In general, regions that are manufacturing regions—Europe, Asia–Pacific, and China, if we look at it on its own because it’s such a large economy—depend very strongly on the rest of the world for resources: food to some degree, but really energy and minerals of different sorts. I’ll give you a few examples.

In general, regions that are manufacturing regions depend very strongly on the rest of the world for resources: food to some degree, but really energy and minerals. Olivia White

China imports over 25 percent of its minerals, from places as far-flung as Brazil, Chile, and South Africa. China imports energy, particularly in the form of oil from the Middle East and Russia. Europe is emblematic of these forms of dependency on energy. It was dependent on Russia for over 50 percent of its energy, but now that has drastically changed.

In some other regions in the world—places that are resource rich, like the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America—those places are highly dependent on the rest of the world for their manufactured goods. Well over half the world’s population lives in those places. They import well over 50 percent of their electronics and similar amounts of their pharmaceuticals. They are highly dependent on other parts of the world for things that are really quite critical to development and for modern life.

North America is somewhat of a different story. We don’t have any single spot of quite as great a dependency, at least at the broad category level. We import close to 25 percent of what we use in net value terms across the spectrum, both of resources and of manufactured goods.

This doesn’t yet speak of data and IP, where, for example, the US and Europe are fairly significant producers/exporters. A country like China is a very large consumer of IP.

Lucia Rahilly: How interdependent are we in terms of the global workforce?

Olivia White: This is quite striking. We asked how many workers in regions outside North America serve North American demand. And we asked the same question for Europe. It turns out that 60 million people in regions outside North America serve North American demand, and in Europe the corresponding number is 50 million.

These numbers are very substantial versus the working populations in those countries. So when you consider how much of what North Americans or Europeans are consuming could be produced onshore, by onshore labor, the answer is not even remotely close to those sorts of numbers—at least given the means of production or the way services are delivered today and the role people play in that.

Lucia Rahilly: Let’s turn to some of the categories of flows that have increased in recent years. What’s driving growth in global flows now that the trade in goods has stabilized?

Olivia White: Flows linked to knowledge and know-how. Knowledge services that have historically grown more slowly than manufactured goods and resources, with increased global connection over time, have flipped over the past ten years.

Professional services, such as engineering services, are among those more traditional trade flows that have been growing fastest, at about 6 percent a year, versus resources, which have slowed to just around two percent. Anything that involves real know-how—engineering, but also providing, say, call center support—is in that category.

The flows of IP are growing even faster. Now, IP is tricky because accounting for it is a very tricky thing to do. But it roughly looks at flows of the fun stuff. In the report we talk about Squid Game , but IP also includes movies, streaming platforms, music, and any sort of cultural elements that we consume.

It’s also important to consider flows of patents and ideas and the way countries or companies will use ideas or know-how developed in one country to help what they do broadly across the world. Those flows have been growing at roughly 6 percent per year as well.

There are data flows—the flows of packets of data. For example, if we were in different countries while conducting this interview there would be the flows between us. There are also flows linked to our ever-expanding use of cloud and data localization. Data transfer is happening more and more quickly.

The flows of international students have also been rising. That was mightily interrupted by the pandemic, for reasons I don’t need to belabor, but these flows seem to be rebounding. It’s important to consider the degree to which those will jump back on their accelerated growth trajectory.

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How covid-19 has affected global flows.

Lucia Rahilly: You mentioned flows of international students dropping off during COVID, for the obvious reasons. Did other flows generally drop off during the pandemic? Or were there examples of flows that were particularly resilient throughout that period?

Olivia White: There’s some variation, but many flows were remarkably resilient—resilient in a way that’s a bit counter to the general narrative about what happened during the pandemic.

The flows of resources and manufactured goods jumped reasonably significantly in 2020 and 2021, both to levels of about 6 percent per year on an annualized basis. To some degree, what was happening is that cross-border flows stepped in to replace interrupted domestic production. Flows from Asia came in, for example, to the US or to Europe. We’ve seen some flows go in reverse directions. There was a bunch of interruption in domestic production, which was quite surprising.

Flows of capital also jumped quite a lot as people needed to shift the way they were financing themselves. Multinationals needed to shift the way they were financing themselves. Some were moving liquidity to different parts of the world under times of financial stress. But those jumped to levels of growth in the tens of digits from what had actually been reversed growth for the past ten years. All those things jumped. IP jumped a little bit; data remained high. So these flows have been remarkably resilient.

The good and bad news about resource concentration

Lucia Rahilly: You invoked concentration a bit when you talked about Europe being dependent on Russia for 50 percent of its energy. Can you say a bit more about what concentration means in this context and how it affects the dynamics of the way we’re connected globally?

Olivia White: From the global perspective, there are some products that truly originate in only a few places in the world, and all of us across the globe are dependent on those few places for our supply. Iron ore is quite concentrated, and cobalt is concentrated in the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo].

The second type of concentration is viewed from the standpoint of an individual country. Lucia, you talked about Europe and gas dependency.

For example, Germany was getting gas from only a very concentrated set of sources. These are places where, for a variety of reasons, countries have built up dependencies on just a small number of other countries.

Why has this happened? Why are we in this position? Cost is one reason. People have made decisions based on economic factors. Another reason is regional preference. Not all goods are created equal, even if they fall in the same category.

The third reason is preferential trade agreements between different countries or other forms of tariffs or taxes that shape the way flows occur. We’re in a world in which suddenly people are realizing they have to contemplate the consequences associated with concentration—not of suppliers, but of the country of origin from which they’re buying things.

Lucia Rahilly: It sounds like concentration also increases efficiency in some cases where those disruptions don’t occur. Is concentration always a bad thing? If we rethink concentration, can we expect to see some loss of efficiency in the interim?

Olivia White: No, it’s not always a bad thing. But there are a lot of considerations to make that involve costs, involve geopolitical relationships, involve the role that various countries want to play themselves, how they’re thinking about development, how they’re thinking about their workforces. All those things have to be part of the mix.

Imagine three or four different countries, each with three trading partners, and they’re largely different trading partners. Swapping off who’s supplied by whom is a huge problem of coordination.

How global chains will evolve

Lucia Rahilly: Geopolitical risks  have obviously trained a policy spotlight on reimagining these global value chains, whether for security reasons or to strengthen resilience more generally. Accepting that the world remains interdependent, how do we see trade flows continuing to evolve in coming years?

Olivia White: Broadly speaking, there are four categories of potential evolution. Semiconductors are most prominent in public discussion. Electronics, more broadly, is one of the fastest-moving value chains since 1995, with 21 percentage points of share movement per decade. Pharmaceuticals and the mining of critical minerals are other examples. And they will be part of what shifts the way that flows crisscross the globe.

Second category: textiles and apparel. This category is not as sensitive in a geopolitical sense as some of the things I was talking about before. This category is one where you actually do have new hub creation right now. Consumer electronics, other forms of electric equipment that aren’t particularly sensitive, possibly fall in that category too.

Third category: IT services and financial intermediation or professional services. That will reconfigure the ways in which services flow.

Fourth and finally, there’s the stuff that’s just going to be steady—food and beverages, paper and printing. There’s no particular reason to expect that there are strong forcing mechanisms that will change the way those things are flowing across the world right now. They’re things that have remained relatively steady for the past ten or more years.

Global flows are necessary for a net-zero transition

Lucia Rahilly: Do we have a view on whether the evolving state of global flows is helping or hindering the net-zero transition ?

Olivia White: The way I’d put it is, there is no way we move quickly toward a net-zero transition without global flows. There are certainly things about global flows that are tricky from a net-zero perspective. It costs carbon to ship things and move things a long way. But in order for net zero to be attainable, we need to make sure that energy-generating technologies and fuels are able to flow across the world.

Energy-generating technologies include both the minerals that underpin construction of those technologies and the actual manufacturing. So, in the first category, think nickel and lithium. In the second category, think about the actual manufacturing of solar panels. The minerals themselves are processed in only a few countries around the world. So people are going to have to move them from one place to another. Maybe the world could have broader diversification of such things, but on average, the timeline from discovering a mineral to being able to produce it at scale is well in excess of 16 years. If we want to move fast, we have the luxury to move things across the world. Meeting cost curves for manufacturing at scale and in locations where you have at least some established presence is going to be important.

The final element that’s crucial with respect to net zero is cross-border capital flows. It’s really important that developing countries are able to finance shifts in the way that energy is produced and consumed in their countries, which means they may have to both spend more, at least as a ratio of GDP, and have less ability to spend, given other forms of development imperative.

Multinationals and global resilience

Lucia Rahilly: What’s the role of major multinational companies as we look ahead toward reimagining the future of our global connectedness?

Olivia White: The first thing that needs to be recognized is that major multinational corporations play an outsize role in global flows today. Multinationals are responsible for about 30 percent of trade. They’re responsible for 60 percent of exports and 82 percent of exports of knowledge-intensive goods. So they disproportionately drive flows, especially the ones associated with knowledge. And therefore, they’re going to be the center of managing for their own resilience, but also in a collective sense, for the resilience of the world.

The future of global flows

Lucia Rahilly: The media tends to focus on what some see as globalization’s imminent demise. Accepting that global ties continue to bind and connect us across the world, it’s also natural for folks to have pretty strong reactions to these intense and ongoing global disruptions that we’ve experienced in recent years. How would you sum up the way we think about the future of globalization at a high level?

Olivia White: The world we live in right now is highly dependent on flows. Will those flows reconfigure and shift? Yes, absolutely. They have in the past, and they will in the future.

Lucia Rahilly: Do we see anything in the research to indicate that the world is actually moving toward decoupling, which is also very much part of the media narrative?

Olivia White: If you look along regional lines, individual regions can’t be independent. If you just start to play with what sorts of decoupling of regions would be possible, you see very quickly that it’s not something you can do.

Now, is it possible that you would get groups of countries that become more strongly interconnected among themselves and less strongly connected with others? Absolutely. It’s possible to move in that direction. The question becomes, is there an actual decoupling, or do you just have a shift in degree? As with most things in the world, the answer tends toward the shift in degree rather than an abrupt or sharp true change or decoupling.

Lucia Rahilly: Does greater regionalization improve resilience?

Olivia White: To some degree you can say, “Look, if I’m self-sufficient, I’m more resilient.” On the other hand, all of a sudden you depend on yourself for everything, and that’s a point of vulnerability in the same way that getting it only from one other person would be a problem.

There are a whole host of reasons some degree of regionalization might help. You’ve got things closer to you. But dependency just on a few sets of people, whether or not they’re in your region, means you’ve got dependency on just a few points of potential weaknesses rather than a broad web, which in general is a more resilient and robust structure.

Lucia Rahilly: Thanks so much, Olivia. That was such an interesting discussion.

Olivia White: A real pleasure, Lucia. Thank you.

Roberta Fusaro: One example of resilience is AB InBev. Here to talk about how it’s prospering in the face of worldwide disruption is its CFO, Fernando Tennenbaum. This excerpt, “ How to thrive in a downturn: A CFO perspective ,” from our McKinsey Live series, was recorded in December 2022.

Lucia Rahilly: Fernando, we’re confronting an unusual constellation of disruptions: inflation, high interest rates driving up the cost of capital, geopolitical turbulence unexpectedly upending supply chains and sending energy prices spiking—it’s genuinely a volatile moment. Tell us, how is AB InBev faring in the current context?

Fernando Tennenbaum: We’re fortunate to be in a resilient category. Despite these twists and turns in different parts of the world, beer sales have been quite strong. That said, inflation has turned out to be much higher than expected. 2 Market conditions may have changed since this interview was conducted. We need to ensure our operations are in sync with the market, to meet this unique moment. We need to understand the state of the consumer and adjust our operations accordingly.

In emerging markets like Latin America and Africa, inflation is not new news. There are different levels of inflation, but inflation has been a part of these economies for a very long time. Consumers are more used to it, companies are more used to it—and it’s probably a more straightforward discussion.

Lucia Rahilly: You’ve spent much of your career in Latin America where, as you said, inflation has historically been much higher and more volatile than in the US or in Western Europe. Walk us through some of the lessons that we in the US, for example, could learn from.

Fernando Tennenbaum: Make sure that you’re always looking at your customers, and that you’re always keeping up with inflation. You should avoid lagging too much, and you should avoid overpricing compared with inflation. If you do too little or too much, you start disturbing the health of the consumer. If you get it right, it’s probably a good thing for the business. You have to make sure you navigate the rising cost environment while ensuring that the consumer is in a good place, your product is in a good place, and the category is a healthy one. It’s a balancing act.

You should avoid lagging too much, and you should avoid overpricing compared with inflation. If you do too little or too much, you start disturbing the health of the consumer. Fernando Tennenbaum

Lucia Rahilly: AB InBev has a diverse portfolio of brands. Volumes are good. Are customers trading up or down, during this period, between your premium and mass-market brands?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Premiumization continues to be a trend, and consumers continue to trade up to premium brands. Over the course of this year, people often asked whether consumers were trading down—and we see no evidence of trading down. That is true for the US, that is true for Africa, and that is true for Latin America—which is quite unique.

I don’t know if the future will be different; the world is changing so fast. But if you were to ask me ten years from now, I’d expect premium to be even bigger than it is today.

Lucia Rahilly: Let’s talk about uncertainty. The economy could play out in many different ways. How do you manage for that?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Let’s take our debt portfolio. Now is the moment that interest rates are going up. Inflation and borrowing are going up. Overall, this tends to be bad news—but for us, it’s quite the opposite because we don’t have any debt maturing in the next three years. We prepared for this when we saw the world going to a very different place at the beginning of 2020.

We ended up raising some long-term debt and repaying all our short-term debt. Now we’re left with a debt portfolio that has an average maturity of 16 years and no meaningful amount of debt maturing in the next three years—all at a fixed rate. Since we don’t need to refinance, we’re actually buying back our debt. Rising interest rates can be good when you can buy back debt cheaper than it cost to issue.

Lucia Rahilly: You became CFO at AB InBev in 2020, when pandemic uncertainty was at its peak. Talk to us about how you navigated that period.

Fernando Tennenbaum: The first thing we did in 2020 was pump up our cash position. Not that we needed it, but I felt it would give operations peace of mind. To be prepared, we started borrowing a lot of money. And we started taking care of our people. We needed to make sure our people were safe—that was priority number one.

Once we made sure our employees were safe, our operations were safe, then we looked at opportunities and started to fast-forward. I remember we looked at May, for example, and started to see a lot of markets doing well in terms of volume. We had a lot of cash. We started buying back some debt, especially near-term debt, to create even more optionality for the future.

We also accelerated our digital transformation. The moment was uniquely suited for it. Digital was a much better way to reach customers at a time when everybody was afraid to meet in person. In hindsight, the company ended up in a much better place today than it was three years ago—in terms of our portfolio, our digital transformation, and even financially—because we acted very quickly and created a lot of optionality during the first few months of the pandemic.

Lucia Rahilly: Any mistakes to avoid?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Looking back, I wouldn’t have done anything massively different. If I had known the outcome, I might have done things differently. But without knowing the outcome, I felt that the way we managed and the optionality we created set us up well.

Lucia Rahilly: Brewing is such an agriculturally dependent business, and agriculture has been significantly disrupted, both because of the war in Ukraine and because of climate-related risk. As CFO, how do you think about sustainability in terms of longer-term value creation?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Sustainability cuts across the whole of our business. We have a lot of local suppliers—20,000 local farmers. Our brewing processes are natural. The more efficient we are there, the more sustainable we are and, actually, the more profitable we are. We have local operations, and we sell to the local community. And most of our customers are very small entrepreneurs. The more we help them, the better they can run their business. And we say beer is inclusive because we have two billion consumers.

Lucia Rahilly: Is packaging also part of the sustainability approach?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Definitely. For example, we have returnable glass bottles. That’s very efficient, very sustainable, and from an economic standpoint, that’s probably the most profitable packaging we have. It’s also the most affordable for consumers. So it’s good for us, good for the environment, and good for the consumers.

Lucia Rahilly: You said beer is inclusive in part because so many of us drink it. How else do you approach inclusion at AB InBev?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Our two billion consumers are very different from one another. We need to make sure that, as a company, we reflect our consumers. Whenever we look at our colleagues, we need to make sure they reflect the societies where we operate—and we operate in very different societies.

A diverse and inclusive team is going to be a better team. That also applies to our suppliers. For example, if you think about suppliers in Africa, some are very poor. They manage to get access to technology, which means we can track whether they’re receiving the funds we pay them. We can track where agricultural commodities are being sourced. So how we financially empower them is also a very important part of our sustainability strategy.

Lucia Rahilly: Looking ahead, how are you thinking about innovation and investment in technology, in order to enable growth?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Innovation is a key component of beer, and there are two sides to that. One is innovation in products. The other is packaging. In Mexico, for example, we have different pack sizes for different consumption occasions and consumer needs.

Beyond that, there’s also technological innovation. Take our B2B platform, which we started piloting in 2019. Now, three or four years later, we have around $30 billion of GMV [gross merchandise value] in our e-commerce platform, which is accessible in more than 19 countries. That’s the optimal portfolio to improve customer engagement at their point of sale. Before we launched our B2B platform, we used to spend seven minutes per week interacting with our customers. Today, with our B2B platform, we interact with them 30 minutes per week. We increased the number of points of sales. For example, in Brazil, we used to have 700,000 customers, and now we have more than a million customers. Previously, they were buying our products from a distributor. Now we can reach them directly with the B2B system in place.

This connection with our customers means we can do a lot of other things, like our online marketplace, where third-party products generated an annualized GMV of $850 million, up from zero four years ago. That marketplace now continues to grow and to deliver a lot of value for our customers and for ourselves.

Lucia Rahilly: One more question: If you could give one piece of advice to a brand-new CFO of a large, multinational corporation, what would it be in this market?

Fernando Tennenbaum: Make sure you plan for different scenarios. The world is moving very fast, and you can’t expect it to unfold in a certain way. But if you have options, are agile in making decisions, and have a very engaged team, then regardless of the twists and turns, you are able to meet the moment. And you are definitely able to deliver on your objectives.

Lucia Rahilly: I lied. I’m going to ask you one more. How do you see, for these new CFOs, the relationship between sustainability and inclusivity and growth? Do you see those in tension?

Fernando Tennenbaum: There is this myth that you are either sustainable or profitable. At least at AB InBev, we’re sure they go hand in hand. The more sustainable you are, the more profitable you are, and the more value you create for your different stakeholders.

Fernando Tennenbaum is the CFO of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Olivia White is a director of the McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner in McKinsey’s Bay Area office. Roberta Fusaro is an editorial director in the Waltham, Massachusetts, office, and Lucia Rahilly is global editorial director and deputy publisher of McKinsey Global Publishing and is based in the New York office.

Comments and opinions expressed by interviewees are their own and do not represent or reflect the opinions, policies, or positions of McKinsey & Company or have its endorsement.

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Global Governance

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Perspectives on a Changing World Order

Although the world seems destined to grow more competitive, congested, and contested in the coming years, the logic of major power cooperation remains inescapable. Any effort to shape a new international order that is stable, inclusive, and beneficial to all must be a collaborative undertaking.

Report by Paul B. Stares , Qingguo Jia , Nathalie Tocci , Dhruva Jaishankar , and Andrey Kortunov

June 2020 , 38 Pages

Publisher – Council on Foreign Relations

Release Date – June 3, 2020

Pages – 38

ISBN 978-0-87609-006-0

Observers of world affairs like to point to a defining moment or pivotal event to proclaim the end of one era and the beginning of another. Not surprisingly, the novel coronavirus pandemic has already spawned much speculation that the world will undergo profound change as a consequence, even that contemporary history will forever be divided between what happened before coronavirus and after coronavirus. However, historical eras—and certainly international orders—rarely, if ever, hinge on singular events. They are simply too entrenched to change rapidly. For this reason, it is more accurate to identify transitional periods that span the rise and fall of specific international orders. In these periods, elements of the old order are still discernible, albeit functioning below their peak, while features of the new order are clearly emerging and playing a more influential role.

General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action

Professor & Director of the Center on Global Governance, Peking University

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Just such a situation appears to exist today. The international order largely constructed by the United States in the aftermath of World War II is still very much in evidence, but, at the same time, the global distribution of power is inexorably shifting with the rise of new powers as well as influential nonstate actors. The United States is also growing more reluctant to bear the costs of world leadership, especially when it comes to using military force. China and Russia, along with lesser regional powers, have taken advantage of this reticence in recent years to assert their own interests and to undermine the United States’ international standing and authority.

International Organizations

Regional Organizations

Treaties and Agreements

In addition, the benefits of the U.S-led order and, in particular, the many international agreements that the United States has championed to open up the world to the free flow of goods, services, ideas, and people, no longer look so promising—not least to many Americans. This shift has caused a public backlash against globalization not only in the United States but also in many Western countries.

Where all this leads is by no means certain. The major powers either do not comprehend the risks of the current transitional period or they do not have a clear vision for a new international order that will be broadly acceptable and thus considered legitimate by most other states. If anything, mistrust and friction is steadily growing among them. The prospect of a war breaking out between two or more of the major powers, something that was generally considered to be risibly improbable just a few years ago, is no longer unimaginable.

The prospect of a war breaking out between two or more of the major powers is no longer unimaginable.

With these concerns in mind, the Center for Preventive Action (CPA) at the Council on Foreign Relations launched the Managing Global Disorder project with the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. At the outset, CPA thought it valuable to get different perspectives on the state of the world from leading scholars in each of the major powers. Each scholar was asked to address a common set of questions about the current international order and their answers, which were drafted before COVID-19, varied considerably.

Qingguo Jia from China argues that the post–World War II order is not ending but is clearly in “serious trouble” as a result of recent developments. Military conflict among the major powers, particularly between the United States and China, remains unlikely, however, given the shared incentives to avoid such a catastrophe. Their relationship will nevertheless grow more competitive. If the current international order is to be sustained for the benefit of all, the leading powers will need to work together to reform its working practices and institutions in a mutually satisfactory and sustainable way.

Nathalie Tocci from Italy is much less sanguine. She sees the liberal international order as “fraying” badly, and though the risk of war is not preordained, “potent drivers” are at work that make it more likely. The European Union, she argues, needs to wake up to the evolving reality of growing rivalry among the major powers and develop a coherent and practical new strategy for defending EU interests and preserving the multilateral institutions of the current rules-based international order. The world will become more unstable and dangerous if the practice of multilateralism is replaced by narrow, nationalistic approaches.

The world will become more unstable and dangerous if the practice of multilateralism is replaced by narrow, nationalistic approaches.

Dhruva Jaishankar from India also views the world as in a transitional phase, but, unlike Jia and Tocci, sees it evolving in a more complex way with elements of unipolarity, bipolarity, and multipolarity coexisting uneasily. He shares Tocci’s concern, however, that if current multilateral approaches to international problem-solving become “undermined, bypassed, or disregarded,” then the risk of great power conflict will increase. To avoid the world growing more fragmented and dangerous, existing global governance institutions will need to adapt and new ones be created to accommodate rising powers.

Andrey Kortunov from Russia sees the world as entering a period of increasing volatility if the leading powers do not adjust to its new realities and new imperatives. In contrast to the other commentators, however, he sees the greater risk stemming less from great power competition and more from the uneven reach and benefits of globalization. The major powers, he argues, should not only develop new crisis management mechanisms but also work together to ensure that global institutions are able to manage these growing international schisms.

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While each of these scholars views the world today and the challenges that lay ahead in different ways, they share a common belief that the opportunity to shape a new international order that is stable, inclusive, and beneficial to all still exists, though the window to do this is growing smaller. The experience of earlier transitional periods suggests that any effort to reform or create a new global order must be a collaborative undertaking. Although the world seems destined to grow more competitive, congested, and contested in the coming years, the logic of major power cooperation is inescapable.

This is the first Discussion Paper in the Managing Global Disorder series , which explores in greater depth how to promote a stable and mutually beneficial relationship among the major powers that can in turn provide the essential foundation for greater cooperation on pressing global and regional challenges.

The Council on Foreign Relations acknowledges the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its generous support.

Professors:  To request an exam copy, contact  [email protected] . Please include your university and course name.

Bookstores:  To order bulk copies, please contact Ingram. Visit  https://ipage.ingramcontent.com , call 800.937.8200, or email  [email protected] . Include ISBN 978-0-87609-006-0.

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How to Change the World: One Person Can Make a Lasting Impact

By andy minshew.

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“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Most of us have heard this quote by Mahatma Gandhi and perhaps even been inspired by it. It’s a beautiful sentiment and one that reminds us how everyone has the power to make an impact. Whether it’s by volunteering at a food bank, starting a nonprofit, or caring for your kids, what you do today can lead to lasting change.

But sometimes when we hear about so many global issues on the news, it can be difficult to believe that just one person can make a difference. Luckily, social change doesn’t have to happen instantly or on your own. By working together with your community to change lives one day at a time, your actions can have a meaningful impact.

If you’re interested in making the world a better place, read on to discover how one person can change the world and what makes a social change project successful. Then, discover a few tips on how you can change lives for the better.

How Much Can We Really Make an Impact in Our World?

essay on changing world

For as long as humans have been around, we’ve been asking ourselves questions about our purpose in life and how we can best fulfill it. These existential questions seem to be a part of human nature and often drive people to start social innovation projects so they can leave a meaningful mark on the world.[2] But sometimes, it’s hard to see what difference one person can make and how we can help our local and global communities.

Even if you’re not trying to solve world hunger or global warming, brainstorming ways to help your community can make a big difference. When we help others, it doesn’t stop with us. Studies have found that when we help others, those around us are more likely to help, too.[3] This means that the more we give our time or resources to the issues we care about, the more others will give in return. In that way, one person’s actions really can change the world for good.

Altruism is contagious and if you’re figuring out how you can make a difference, take it one day at a time. You may not always see how you impact the people you’re serving, but everything you do to promote change can add up over time. If every person committed to just one act of kindness a day, think how much better our world would become.

Want to Know How to Change the World? Start with One Person

At some point in our lives, most people find themselves declaring, “I want to change the world.” We are all hardwired to help others, and altruism is a part of what it means to be human.[5] This is what causes people to volunteer or dedicate their lives to something greater than themselves.

But meaningful or effective change isn’t always instant nor is it large-scale. Real impact can take months or years, and making the world a better place often means bettering it for a few people at a time. Every time you change just one person’s world, you’re starting a butterfly effect with the potential to improve lives for generations to come.

Asking yourself, “How can I make a difference? I’m just a single person.” Keep this poem by Edwin Osgood Grover in mind:[4]

“I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

If you’re not sure what you can do to help others, consider what “the something that you can do” is. Maybe you’re a teacher and have noticed a child in your class is struggling to learn math . Or maybe you’re a parent and want to teach your family how to help others through the power of community service. Because everyone’s life is different, the opportunities you have to serve others are unique but essential for bettering the world around us.

Health Benefits of Giving Back to the Community

When we think about the benefits of helping others, our motivations are usually altruistic. But the benefits of volunteering, doing community service, and finding ways to help those around us also extend to ourselves. Our physical, mental, and social-emotional health all flourish the more we serve our local and global communities.

essay on changing world

What are the Benefits of Trying to Change the World?

In terms of physical benefits, making a difference in your community can increase your lifespan. Researchers found that seniors who regularly served others lived longer, on average, than those who didn’t.[3] The reasons are complex, but in part because people who volunteer often report lower levels of stress and depression. And what’s more, helping others can lower your blood pressure–people who volunteer for at least 200 hours a year can decrease their risk of hypertension by as much as 40 percent.[3]

And overall, giving back can help you find purpose and a sense of belonging. People who volunteer are more likely to feel like their lives have a purpose and are full of meaningful relationships.[3] Rates of loneliness and isolation plummet the more we serve those around us. When we’re helping others, we’re helping the whole community–including, as it turns out, ourselves.

In short, why is compassion so important for personal well-being? Consider the benefits:

  • Happier mood
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Decreased risk of chronic stress, loneliness, and depression
  • Longer average lifespan
  • Greater sense of purpose and belonging

What Made People Who Changed the World Successful?

So you’ve decided that you want to make a positive impact: this is the beginning step to changing your community for the better. But how can you make sure that you have an effective and lasting impact? Knowing the right strategies can help you or your group help as many people as possible.[8] Keep these four tactics in mind, along with examples of social change achieved by people who made a difference.

First, do your research.[7] Once you’ve picked a problem in your community, find out what’s already been done to try to solve it. Where did previous efforts succeed, and where did they fail? What were they missing that you could provide? Knowing the answers to these questions will arm you with the insight you need to make a solution while avoiding common mistakes.

Once you’ve immersed yourself in research, make a plan of action and write it down.[7] Studies show that written goals are significantly more likely to be achieved than non-written ones.[9]

Set goals and ways to measure progress for yourself, such as:

  • Why is this goal important to you?
  • How often will you volunteer your time or resources towards this goal?
  • What are your next steps?
  • How much do you hope to achieve in a month? A year? Five years?
  • What is your ultimate goal and how will you know when you’ve achieved it?

How Jaime Escalante Made an Impact in His Community

Take Jaime Escalante, for example. Escalante taught math in Los Angeles and discovered a way to teach his struggling students. He put together a strategy that helped poorly-performing students not only grasp basic math skills but pass the AP Calculus test. Through crafting his program and researching the best ways to help his students, he was able to change thousands of lives.[10]

essay on changing world

But never underestimate the power of changing one person’s life. Twenty-year-old Anne Sullivan graduated from Perkins School for the Blind and moved across the country to teach a deaf-and-blind girl named Helen how to communicate with the world around her. Helen Keller grew up to be an advocate for those with disabilities and remained close friends with Sullivan for her entire life.[12] Don’t think that because you’re only helping a few people that your contribution doesn’t matter.

How to Change the World: Make the World a Better Place, One Life At a Time

If you’re figuring out how to make a difference in the world, you don’t always have to think globally. Every act of service you do adds up and can lead to lasting change.

Keep these tips on how to help the world around you in mind while exploring ways that you can make a difference:

  • Try giving back to your community. Research charities and nonprofit organizations in your area and volunteer a few times a month [1]
  • Stand up for causes that you care about. If you want to protect the environment, for example, attend a protest to save an endangered species or organize an Earth Day celebration
  • Do random acts of kindness for loved ones or people you meet throughout the day. Even little things like calling a friend or buying a stranger’s lunch can turn their day around
  • Find like-minded people who are committed to the same cause as you and can help you make an impact. [8]
  • Don’t work yourself to exhaustion. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t have the energy to take care of others [3]

Mawson, J. 10 Ways You Can Change the World Today . Amnesty International Australia, November 2018.[1]

Stonge, E. How to Change the World . Retrieved from rivendellvillage.org: https://www.rivendellvillage.org/How-To-Change-The-World.pdf.[2]

McCullough, A. Doing Good Does You Good . The Mental Health Foundation, May 2016, pp. 1-20.[3]

Grover, E.G. The book of good cheer; a little bundle of cheery thoughts . Chicago: P.F. Volland, 1909.[4]

Batson, C.D. Empathy-Induced Altruistic Motivation . University of Kansas Department of Psychology, March 2008, pp. 2-32.[5]

Piliavin, J. A., & Charng, H.-W. (1990). Altruism: A review of recent theory and research . American Sociological Review, 16, 27-65. [6]

Mittenthal, R.A. Ten Keys to Successful Strategic Planning for Nonprofit and Foundation Leaders . The Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, 2002, pp. 1-12.[7]

Hanleybrown, F., Kania, J., and Kramer, M. Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work . Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2012, pp. 1-8.[8]

Utah State University. Getting What You Want: How to Make Goals . Retrieved from usu.edu: https://www.usu.edu/asc/assistance/pdf/goal_setting.pdf.[9]

Escalante, J. The Jaime Escalante Math Program . Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED345942.pdf.[10]

Röhrs, H. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) . PROSPECTS: the quarterly review of comparative education, 1994, 14(1), pp. 169-183.[11]

Biography.com Editors. Helen Keller: Educator, Activist, Journalist (1880-1968) . Retrieved from biography.com: https://www.biography.com/people/helen-keller-9361967.[12]

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How the AI Revolution Will Reshape the World

Cyber crime eye

We are about to see the greatest redistribution of power in history.

Over millennia, humanity has been shaped by successive waves of technology. The discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, the harnessing of electricity—all were transformational moments for civilization. All were waves of technology that started small, with a few precarious experiments, but eventually they broke across the world. These waves followed a similar trajectory: breakthrough technologies were invented, delivered huge value, and so they proliferated, became more effective, cheaper, more widespread and were absorbed into the normal, ever-evolving fabric of human life. 

We are now facing a new wave of technology, centered around AI but including synthetic biology, quantum computing , and abundant new sources of energy. In many respects it will repeat this pattern. Yet it will also depart from it in crucial ways only now becoming clear. Amidst all the hype, the hope, the fear, I think the fundamentals are getting lost; the unique characteristics of this wave are getting missed in the noise. Understanding them, seeing what, exactly, is changing, is critical to understanding the future.

More From TIME

AI is different from previous waves of technology because of how it unleashes new powers and transforms existing power. This is the most underappreciated aspect of the technological revolution now underway. While all waves of technology create altered power structures in their wake, none have seen the raw proliferation of power like the one on its way. 

Think of it like this. Previous era’s most powerful technologies were generally reserved to a small capital rich elite or national governments. Building a steam powered factory, an aircraft carrier or a nuclear power plant were costly, difficult and immense endeavors. With the leading technologies of our time, that’s no longer going to be true.  

If the last great tech wave—computers and the internet—was about broadcasting information, this new wave is all about doing . We are facing a step change in what’s possible for individual people to do, and at a previously unthinkable pace . AI is becoming more powerful and radically cheaper by the month—what was computationally impossible, or would cost tens of millions of dollars a few years ago, is now widespread.

These AIs will organize a retirement party and manage your diary, they will develop and execute business strategies, whilst designing new drugs to fight cancer. They will plan and run hospitals or invasions just as much as they will answer your email. Building an airline or instead grounding the entire fleet each becomes more achievable. Whether it’s commercial, religious, cultural, or military, democratic or authoritarian, every possible motivation you can think of can be dramatically enhanced by having cheaper power at your fingertips. These tools will be available to everyone, billionaires and street hustlers, kids in India and pensioners in Beverly Hills, a proliferation of not just technology but capability itself.

Read More: The Case Against AI Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Power, the ability to accomplish goals, everywhere, in the hands of anyone who wants it. I’m guessing that’s going to be most people. This is far more empowering than the web ever was. 

And it’s coming faster than we can adequately prepare for. This is an age when the most powerful technologies are open-sourced in months, when millions have access to the cutting edge, and that cutting edge is the greatest force amplifier ever seen. This new era will create giant new businesses, empower a long tail of actors—good and bad—supercharge the power of some states, erode that of others. Whether a giant corporation or a start-up, an established party or an insurgent movement, a wild-eyed entrepreneur or a lone wolf with an ax to grind, here is an immense potential boost. Winners and losers will emerge quickly and unpredictably in this combustible atmosphere as power itself surges through the system. In short this represents the greatest reshuffling of power in history, all happening within the space of a few years.

Those most comfortable today look vulnerable. Even as the discourse around AI has reached a fever pitch, those with power today, the professional classes, feel shockingly unprepared for the disruptions and new formations of power this tumult will bring. They—the doctors, lawyers, accountants, business VPs—will not emerge unscathed, and yet most I speak to are still incredibly blasé about the changes afoot. It’s not just automated call centers. This wave will fundamentally reshape and reorder society and it is those with most to lose, reliant on established capital, expertise, authority and security architectures, who are precisely the most exposed.

I’ve seen this kind of willful blindness before. I call it “pessimism aversion”: a tendency to look away from sweeping technological change and what it really means. Until recently it was a common affliction of the Silicon Valley elite, many of whom pursued technological “disruption” without considering the likely outcomes. The arrival of generative AI and other AI products has started to change that. Although there is much further to go, leaders in Silicon Valley have begun taking a more proactive and precautionary approach to the development of the very largest AI models. But more widely it’s vital that societies facing this wave do not dismiss it as hot air, turn away, and get caught out. The preparation for what I call containment, a comprehensive program of managing these tools, needs to begin now. 

As we start to see power itself proliferating, its distribution and nature fundamentally changed, pessimism aversion is no answer. It’s time to confront the consequences of this shift in who can do what, when and how, understand what it means, and begin to plan for how we can control and contain it for everyone’s benefit. History can be a useful guide. But with AI, synthetic biology and the rest, we can be confident of one thing: we are facing the genuinely unprecedented. 

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Skills for a changing world: Advancing quality learning for vibrant societies

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Eileen mcgivney and em eileen mcgivney former research associate - center for universal education rebecca winthrop rebecca winthrop director - center for universal education , senior fellow - global economy and development.

May 19, 2016

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To learn more about events and read research from the Skills for a Changing World project, please find the full series here and sign up for regular email updates here .

Preparing children for the future

How can we best prepare children for success in their lives and livelihoods? From hunter-gatherer societies to early civilizations, and into modernity, generations have grappled with this key question. As they do, our definition of what counts as a high quality education has evolved, as have the sites used to prepare children for their future.

Peter Gray, an educational psychologist who has studied hunter-gatherer education as far back as 10,000 B.C. says, “Children had to learn an enormous amount to become effective adults.” Communities of old taught children survival skills like crafting tools, tracking animals, distinguishing edible from poisonous plants, and how to negotiate with other groups and learn the social dynamics of their own. The ancient Greeks educated youth in part through “skhole,”—the root for the English word “school.” Here the intention was to develop free men into good citizens who could apply classroom knowledge through debate and critical thinking. The Protestant Church added an impetus for spreading education to the masses because they believed literacy was an important tool for religion. Thus education was for a broad group and came to promote reading along with religious and moral values. Until the 20th century the Gurukula training system in India paired students with gurus to live with and learn from them spiritual, academic and artistic skills, where “learning was a continuous process, and the ultimate target was self-refinement and self-realization.” With the Industrial Revolution came the need for occupation-driven education through apprenticeships, whereby youth learned trades and skills for work.

Throughout history families, employers, and communities have asked what skills and competencies children need to fit into the larger society and how to best cultivate those very skills. Our current world and the changes coming in the future require education to prepare children for a world of rapid change in technology, increasing interconnectedness, and new forms employment. No longer is the focus on mastering content knowledge sufficient in the age of Google.

skills for a changing world

Thriving in today’s fast changing world requires breadth of skills rooted in academic competencies such as literacy, numeracy and science, but also including such things as teamwork, critical thinking, communication, persistence, and creativity. These skills are in fact interconnected. As young people are better able to manage their emotions, for example, their ability to focus helps them learn to read and by working on science projects together they learn how to collaboratively solve problems. This interplay of skills is central to both the concept of breadth of skills as well as to the educational strategies needed to help young people cultivate them. Ultimately, young people today must be agile learners, able to adapt and learn new things quickly in a new fast-changing environment.

In short, the world is constantly changing. It always will be. But recognizing the nature of these changes is key to examining the current context in which we live, and the major changes to be expected in our future that should inform how we think of education today. Within this context, a key concept is respect for the breadth of skills. Many stakeholders have articulated the need for the breadth of skills approach. It is now central that we explore how to align those aspirations with delivery of education.

Living in a changing world

Throughout time, education has been the way human beings pass down knowledge, values, and culture to subsequent generations.  Yet, contextual factors define what kind of change each era faces, and what tools are needed to best deal with that change. Currently, there are changes in at least three notable domains with major implications for education: technology, work, and globalization. Within each of these domains there is promise for a better future where the world is more connected, efficient and equal. However each also has a flip side, perils that can come with rapid change leave large communities behind and fail to maximize every member of society’s potential. Today and in the future, we will need young people who are prepared to harness these promises and mitigate these challenges.

Technology from the wheel to the printing press to the mobile phone has shaped human history and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Today, computers and the digital revolution are spreading across the globe, creating connections we have never before imagined and possibilities and perils only before dreamed of in science fiction. Whether it is called the second machine age, the Digital Revolution, or the 4th Industrial Revolution, technologists, economists and academics are all concerned with recent rapid technological advances and what they imply for the future. While artificial intelligence, exponential increases in computing power, and expanding mobile networks hold promise to make our lives easier and safer, they also threaten to leave those at the bottom even farther behind if not evenly distributed.

In their account of technological evolution, MIT technology and business experts Eric Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee argue that the Digital Revolution is transforming people’s relationship to cognitive or mental work much in the same way the Industrial Revolution transformed people’s relationship with physical work. For example, even a decade ago the ability of a self-driving vehicle to navigate a car through traffic, identify other cars around it, and maneuver amidst other drivers seemed far too complex.Yet recent advances in artificial intelligence have put Google’s self-driving cars on the road. IBM’s Watson, a computer with multiple artificial intelligence applications, has managed not just to beat a human in chess, but also win Jeopardy!, “a game that requires not only encyclopedic recall, but also the ability to untangle convoluted and often opaque statements.”

It is not just that technology can do what we previously needed humans for but also that machines are increasingly working together without human interaction at all. The Internet of Things (IoT) does this by connecting objects, appliances and devices online: A car can automatically navigate to your next calendar appointment; an alarm clock can alert a coffee maker; and your refrigerator can order more milk when you run out. While these may seem like mundane examples, the potential to transform our world is tremendous. IoT enables our devices and objects to become active participants in our environment “capable of recognizing events and changes in their surroundings and are acting and reacting autonomously largely without human intervention in an appropriate way.” Six years ago the number of connected “things” surpassed the number of people in the world, and it is estimated by 2020 50 billion devices and objects will be on IoT.

Many of these technological advancements have followed and even outpaced Moore’s Law, the observation in 1965 by the co-founder of Intel Gordon Moore that computing power will double every two years. Since its original conception, the law has been found to be applicable to more technologies than the original estimation for transistors, including supercomputer efficiency and internet speeds. It has also been applicable much longer than initial predictions, and instead is expected to describe advancements well into the future. In the words of Brynjolfsson and McAfee, this is central for how digital technology will progress and shape our world in a different way than previous innovations: “While transistors and the other elements of computing are constrained by the laws of physics just like cars, airplanes, and swimmers, the constraints in the digital world are much looser.” They further describe that digitization—the process turning information and media like text, video, photos and sound into the code that is understood by computers—is moving much faster than Moore’s Law would even predict. This combined with the exponential increases in computing power place us at an inflection point in history where technology promises to bring momentous change to our world.

Importantly, these advances in technology are by no means reserved for industrialized countries. Thanks to mobile phones, experts estimate that this type of technology can reach every person in the world. One estimate finds that, by 2020, more people in the world will have smart phones than electricity. Already today, 70 percent of households in the bottom fifth of the population have mobile phones, providing their main source of internet access, in developing countries. The improvements in technology have helped increase access and decrease prices, and the average mobile subscriber cost decreased by 99 percent from 2005 to 2013. Developing countries have been able to “leapfrog,” or bypass hard-wired communications technology into much cheaper digital technology. A recent study by Afro Barometer found that in 35 African countries cell phone service coverage has spread much faster than other utilities. More citizens had access to cellphone service than electricity, piped water, paved roads, or sewerage. This has already spurred numerous innovations from solar-powered phone chargers to low energy consuming lights to mobile banking, where countries such as Kenya are the global leaders.

The increased connectivity has changed the pace at which knowledge and information are dispersed, opening up access to people around the globe of all socioeconomic levels. Google’s partnership with libraries around the world, for example, has digitized and made available online 20 million books previously confined to the walls of elite institutions. A movement for open educational resources has taken shape so course materials can be shared broadly at no cost, revolutionizing distance education and even heralded as a “social transformer.” These developments are especially promising for those who traditionally have not been able to access quality higher education. For example, recent research has shown a large share of Massive Open Online Courses’ user base in developing countries are from low- and middle-income groups, and have a higher percentage of female users than elsewhere. The promises of these new technologies are enormous, for example diagnosing diseases and prescribing treatment without human error or deploying systemically programmed devices that can make our cities “smarter” and safer. Yet there are potential downsides as well. Privacy and data security issues are deeply debated, as are questions of automation and job loss.

The way we work is being redefined for future generations.Harvard economists have shown that automation has “hollowed out” the U.S. labor market over the last 50 years. As Figure 1 shows, jobs that require mostly routine tasks are decreasing, including routine “cognitive” skills like accounting as well as routine manual skills like those on an assembly line. This means that many of the jobs that arose in the 20th century have been increasingly automated since 1960. Jobs requiring analytical and interpersonal skills, or “non-routine” skills, are on the rise and taking a larger share of the labor market.

non routine tasks on the rise

This is not a phenomenon unique to the U.S. economy. Research from the World Bank has demonstrated similar findings using data for 30 other countries, both low- and high-income, showing jobs requiring non-routine skills are globally on the rise. Interestingly, the cross-country comparison shows that in many middle-income countries routine cognitive skills are still of high importance, in contrast to trends in high-income countries where these have been automated. However, this may be only a matter of time as countries continue to increase their income levels, while analytical and interpersonal skills will likely become more important. For most countries manual skills are decreasing or staying stable and are expected to become less and less important over time.

Explore the full report »

is a project of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings and the LEGO Foundation that seeks to ensure all children have high-quality learning opportunities that build the breadth of skills needed to create a productive, healthy society in the face of changing social, technological, and economic demands.

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    Get original essay. One of the most prominent ways in which our world is changing is through technological advancements. From smartphones to artificial intelligence, technology has revolutionized the way we live, work, and communicate. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, around 81% of Americans own a smartphone, a ...

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    2. Be The Change The World Needs. This is the gist of the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi: "be the change you wish to see in the world.". Unfortunately, many of us get frustrated over people refusing to change but fail to see how this change should start with our perception and action.

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    changing the world and other kinds of academic papers in our essays database at Many Essays. 1-888-302-2840; 1-888-422-8036;