“We” Are The “They”
How many times have you heard someone say something similar to "why won't they fix that?" Or, "how long until they come up with a solution to [insert problem here]? Another personal fave is "they say that's just the way it is."
Look, I've said these kinds of phrases many times myself--and I probably will again. However, I've become more aware of it when I do. Maybe it's because I'm getting a little older, but have you ever just reached the point where you're like--wait, who are THEY and why do THEY make all the rules?
Everything around us has been created by someone--or a group of someones. Actual human beings made or decided or agreed upon everything. I don't just mean tangible things. Yes, I'm also talking about physical things like cars and buildings and that new toy you bought for your dog the other day. But, also the structures of business, the philosophies about the way we must live our lives, the rules of fashion, and the like.
These are people just like you and me--not some enormous superhuman demigods who, giant-like, hover about us little people. Well, not physically--although I understand it can feel that way sometimes. But so much of the game-changing tech, medical advances, human equality and the like, have been started by a small group of committed individuals.
Now take a moment and think about how much those have changed over the years? If no one had ever challenged the status quo that "they" had set in place, we may very well still be driving a horse and carriage or working 60 hour work weeks. Oh, and there very well may have never been a United States of America. So did they challenge the status quo? Or was the status quo challenged by people just like you and me. For example, "we the people..." Hmm.
The late Steve Jobs once said "life can be so much broader, once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call 'life' was made up by people who were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use."
That would mean the people who we always think of who make the rules, invent the stuff, or change the world are "yous" and "mes" just like you and me. Really, there is no "they." We are they.
So if you see something in this world you want to challenge, an idea you want to bring to life...or whatever it may be. Go do it. Start small. But don't wait for "they." Maybe they are waiting for you.