softman

“Reform is seldom brought about by people who are concerned with their own reputation and social standing. Those who are really in earnest about reforming a government, an educational system, or any other institution must be willing to be viewed with disdain by the rest of the world.” The statement supports that reform is usually brought about by people who are not concerned with their status. It has to be pointed out that the success of a reform depends on the solidarity of people who are willing to reform a government, an educational system or any other institution. When the solidarity is needed, people have to be unconcerned about their individual benefit but the whole interest in order to keep in a same pace. The statement mingles different attitudes in different situations, which I can’t agree with. First of all, the reason why a reform is needed should be clear. The lack of equity or efficiency always leads to a reform, and that’s the main reason of all reforms. Personally I consider the unequity as the most important catalyst in the reform. A gulf of social status usually reveals the lack of equity and justice, disaffecting people and finally evoking the desire of reforming. Thus, reform is exactly brought by people who are really concerned with their own reputation and social standing. For example, reforms of governments in China are always started by farmers, who were regarded as the lowest ones in a social hierarchy and often treated unequally. The black slaves who finally broke into a war in US also didn’t get the enough reputation and status as they deserved. As it is clear now that reform can’t be started without people who really care about the inequity, we shall not mess it with the process of reform and the new institution established. Success of reform not only means the establishment of a new government or a new institution, but also means the elimination of inequity in the new one. Inequity always is related to greed for wealth, reputation, and authority. As the desire for changes in these three, it’s not hard to imagine that some ones can’t get rid of their greedy mind, resulting in another establishment lack of inequity. As long as the inequity exists, people keep on reforming utopia with absolute or relative equity, however, never realize it because of their unwillingness to be viewed as disdain by the world. If it is true that they are willing to be viewed in this way, then their goals of changes in status are not achieved. A successful reform is so hard even impossible to be bought in that the contradiction between the situation before reform and after reform. Regardless of a successful reform, reforms are impossible to be brought about by the people who cares nothing about their status. Once people care nothing, they lose the desire for changes and are willing to live in their current circumstance. As people concerned with their reputation and social standings, they get motivations to bring about reforms.