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My interpretation of Social Change

Social development is characterized by enhanced qualities in society, encompassing sociocultural transformations through direct human action as in social enterprise and activism or as a natural part of sociocultural evolution. This idea maintained by advances in technology, science, and social organization, inevitably produce an improvement in the human condition. That is, people can become happier in terms of quality of life (social progress) through economic development (modernization), and the application of science and technology (scientific progress). And they are all interrelated: a change in one area can lead to changes throughout. Social progress, has witnessed several generations contributing to the cultural reservoir of a society. This often involves institution-building and structural change. Examples of social evolution can be traced throughout the decades usually backed up by new social policies. It is certainly to a great extent that these social changes powered by enterprising factors have played a key role in changing the way people live-their culture.

A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being, rather than maximizing profits for external shareholders. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit, and may take the form of a co-operative, mutual organization, a social business, or a charity organization. Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferential businesses, rallies, street marches, strikes, sit-ins, and hunger-strikes. They base their arguments according to economic, scientific, technological and societal circumstances- the currents sociocultural situation. In other words, both refers to the notion of Social movements that are types of large informal group action, individuals or organizations which focus on specific political or social issues. In other words, they carry out, resist or undo a social change. It is without doubt that to entertain a cultural change, together with natural sociocultural evolution, Social enterprises and Social activism are essential igniters.

Has not the social status of women changed today? What about the extent to which women is viewed as equal to men today as compared to the early 1900’s until the social enterprising of The Suffragette Movement? And the rise of gay movement and anti-sexist ideas have not they changed the perception of some people to a particular scope? Do we not see the impact of  the American Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century where Martin Luther King gives his "I Have a Dream" speech aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against black Americans and restoring voting rights to them?

Thus in an attempt to changing the social order of society, several social movements are born. The Global citizens movement activists, a number of organized and overlapping citizens groups, seek to influence public policy often with the hope of establishing global solidarity on an issue that may not have existed previously. The Civil and political rights, protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression due to existing social divisions like ethnicity and race. 

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially Hare Krishnas, has as mission is to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. The men's rights movement (MRM), a subset of the larger men's movement, is focused on addressing discrimination against men in areas such as reproductive rights, divorce settlements, domestic violence laws, and sexual harassment laws. 

Yet another example is The India Against Corruption Jan Andolan (IAC) -a collective organised synergistic People's Movement formed to ensure a corruption free India. Other groups that seek to educate and influence society at large include Amnesty International, the United Nations, World Bank, UNESCO and UNICEF. These are well-establishes and widely recognized international catalyst for sharing ideas among nations and across many cultures.

Revolutionary movement is a specific type of social movement dedicated to carrying out a fundamental change in power or organizational structures. Recent examples of such cases are The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and The Libyan civil war that attempted quite successfully into overthrowing an oppressive government. With technology taking a huge toll, many discussions have been generated recently on the topic of social networking and the effect it may play on the formation and mobilization of social movement. The 2009–2010 Iranian election protests demonstrated how social networking sites are making the mobilization of large numbers of people quicker and easier. Iranians were able to organize and speak out against the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by using sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
True indeed it is that Homo sapiens history cannot present only the positive aspects of risk-taking that imperils the life of the minority and the whole population at large…

Indeed hence, social enterprises do play a key role in changing the lives of people, in the right or wrong way or not, but definitely into a huge common consensus, considered as desirable, somehow opposite to the current situation.

The foundation of all the social changes is due to a common perspective, or rather mentality, of a group of people different from the initial societal norm. A common consensus of that group of people goes to creating a sub-culture that gradually: either ceases to exist due to pressurizing factors, or starts to sculpt into the minds of the general population at large towards a larger common morality that becomes accepted. Everything hence comes down to a change in the mindset of people in search for what they commonly think as being desirable.

Why? This is, as mentioned several times, a natural part of sociocultural evolution. Culture, norms, values and goals vary from time to time and from society to society. Each generation is going to experience different situations, encounter diverse social pressures and become prey to unlike social mechanisms. It is in human nature to rebel against imprisonment, rules and laws. Man was conceived to be a free creature. Society on the contrary is a plethora of expectations, limitations, controls, regulations and inequalities, however much people can deny. And it was, is and will be in human nature to try to step away from what there is and ultimately create a change; create together that common consensus.

How? It is said that education is the key to everything. Indeed it is. It is also said that the young generations are being educated to fit in the roles of tomorrow. We are being kept up-to-date to the fast evolving technological world of today more specifically. But are not we being simply socialized to accept scientific and economic development only until we are in the labor or educational field? What about when we grow old and never be as resilient as we are now? What about us becoming the same constrained grand-parents of today, unwillingly to accept changes they had rather label as a taboo or sin, silencing the younger to talk about it?

If social enterprising could play a role that to a large extent it has not played till date, my belief is that the upcoming generations should be socialized and imbibed with values that accept change, progress, development and evolution THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES whilst respecting the opinion of others. I believe that they should be reminded that it was their parents that perhaps acted as barriers earlier and they would not wish to incarnate the same. When they reach a certain age, the ounce of love they want to give to their children blind them into believing that they are protecting them against all evil but forgetting that the other side reads it as a process of snatching away from their children opportunities to taste life.


Thus, this can be classified as an enterprise where the very act of canalizing people into accepting social development becomes that social development at core.
This whole mechanism would not only make it easier for social development to be agreed upon, but it had catalyze our endeavor into becoming the enlightened nation so many have already taken for granted that we already are so. It had speed up the voyage to the dream that every human being seeks and that is peace, justice and liberty, defining these terms in whichever way they want to even if it means peace is about having war. It had change the very perception of the generations and ultimately play a major role into changing the lives of people!


We are all living, not knowing if tomorrow exists. Nevertheless we make certain choice to create something better, in the hope that tomorrow does exist. Tell a person that the future does not exist and he sits idle; tell that to the people and the activities stops-creation stops, for who would waste his present when he knows death would be an inevitable outcome at the end of the journey. But still our society strives to create, to evolve, and to bring a change. Why? In the hope that we shall be tomorrow.

 Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that history has not witnessed social developments where enterprise has not played an important function in moulding the way of life of people. And since social progress is perpetual and unconditional, further enterprising could still be essential actors. The opportunity to choose an enterprise does worth a lot.



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