i believe that's right, which is why the answer for me always comes back around to personal development, self improvement through self reflection.

not exactly my idea, there are many different well known people who've said the same. this has been validated in my own experience is all.

i'm of the opinion right now that... maybe the best way to express is is actually from a mary ann williamson poem, to paraphrase

people aren't afraid of their darkness, they're afraid being successful will alienate them from those they care about. this is actually against our inner nature, we were made to be prosperous, whatever that means evolution, creation, it doesn't matter. everything about us is emblematic of prosperity. somewhere along the way we got the wrong idea, reaching for our goals, pursuing our potential, it unconsciously inspires, motivates, and gives permission to others to do the same. this is what we were designed to do.

so hey look, do you. people notice the changes, it makes them happy. we can't directly influence those in power, but we can influence those who might assume the role tomorrow. not through coercion or emotional manipulation, but through resisting it, by being able to navigate the sea of life successfully and maintain a (more or less) healthy optimism. again, other people said this best so i'm just going to use their words:

"don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. don't wish for the wind to change, that's what they call naiive. wish for the wisdom to set a better sail, let the wind take you where you want to go in life"

- Jim Rohn

he would also say something like the world stays the same. we kinda cycle through the same conversations over and over again. somebody comes up with some idea they feel passionately about that doesn't know it was already tried so they go on a crusade to change the world for the better. i tend to suffer from the opposite, i look and see other people already did it, and i hate feeling like i'm copying other people so i tend not to do things, even though it's obvious there's plenty of room in the world to stake a claim to something, and i have enough competence to be successful in things and people like competence so i will be successful. example: my friend back in 2013 said the real money in crypto would be operating an exchange. there was already coinbase bittrex bitfinex, bitmex, etc and they seemed to be well enough established so i dismissed the idea. fuck me, that was a great idea, since then we've got bybit, ftx, deribit, circle, voyager, and a whole bunch of other shitty exchanges that are all making a lot of money. we probably would have failed, it's not like we know anything, but it was a great idea.

i remember some friend told me about some book he read, i don't remember, eastern philosophy stuff. actually i've heard alan watts say this too. at some point you have to realize you've got the juice inside you and just run with it. the teacher will poke fun of and mock the student until the student realizes the teacher is full of shit too, and just start running with it. i like this, the spiritual principles are really simple, sometimes the pursuit of knowledge becomes an escape from the responsibility of having it.