Among the hundreds of people were waiting to visit with Mahatma Gandhi were a mother and her young son. When it was their turn, the woman asked Gandhi to speak with her son about eating sugar.
Gandhi asked her to come back in two weeks and said he would talk to the boy then. She wondered why he didn’t just speak to her son when he was already there, but she complied with his request.
In two weeks they returned, and after waiting for a couple of hours, she was able to approach Gandhi once again.
Hearing her repeated request, Gandhi immediately spoke with the boy, who agreed to begin working to eliminate sweets. After thanking Gandhi for his wise and compassionate words, the mother asked him why he wanted them to return instead of offering his advice the first time.
Gandhi replied, “Upon your visit two weeks ago I too was eating sugar.” He explained that he could not speak of or teach her son to not eat sugar if he himself had not taken that journey.
Whatever changes you would like to effect in your life or our society has to begin with you. To "be the change you want to see in the world” means to notice what is happening around you and to take powerful, solid steps towards constructing the life you want and the world you want .
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