Thanks for your comments – my focus on this entry was that desire is where change begins assuming it is a positive type of desire for improvement and personal growth. We are all different and igniting desire for change may be different for different people.

When we are evaluating ourselves and want change, focusing on what we actually can affect can help us avoid depression. Sometimes, in their desire to change individuals spend to much time focusing on things outside of their immediate control.

The journey for positive change really begins inside of ourselves.

I think Mr Bracken, you are saying we (mere mortals?) need to do this in a conscious way. Certainly each of these great leaders were motivated by a bold vision for the future with its inherent and deep desire for fundamental change – not just to themselves, but an entire system.

Mr Murray, you are wise to point out that desire can indeed run amok. But I see the desire being spoken of here as something more core, less base, something quite visionary. It can be applied to entire societies. Or applied to the one. Either way, we can engineer our own change, even on a massive scale if the driving force is sufficiently motivating to lift us above our fear.

Having desire as a motivating source for change can be dangerous. Genuine desire for improvement can bring about positive change. On the other hand, it could lead to depression if the desire to change is outside one’s ability to affect that change. Another danger is that uncontrolled or unselfish desire can lead to greed, lust or jealousy.

While having a dissatisfaction with the status quo can invoke desire and bring about positive change, there is also value in suffering and perseverance through difficult situations. Sometimes external change promotes growth in people contrary to what they desire at the time. The right change for a person may be the opposite of their desires. For example, being content and consuming less instead of being unhappy with what one has, may have more intrinsic value for oneself and greater extrinsic values for society – think sustainability and interdependence instead of independence. Great leaders (Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela) often sacrifice their own desires to produce greater and more significant change.