# 14 We can change everything, but not everything
Our world is human-made. That means we can change everything, but not everything. We have to decide. Are we willing to be bold? Are we aiming for profound change?
We live in a human world, or more precisely, a human-made one. Although we are truly natural, almost everything, from birth to death and in between, is defined and shaped by ourselves.
The simple message is this: if we shape everything, we can change everything.
However, it might not be as easy as writing down this sentence. We need to consider that many of the things we take as natural and for granted were invented centuries, sometimes thousands of years ago. They are deeply inscribed in our bodies, consciousness, thinking, and actions. Therefore, it requires special effort to change: a true understanding of the dynamics at hand and the courage to walk on unfamiliar ground.
But the essential is that we can change our circumstances. We are masters of our destiny, not victims.
But we cannot change everything. We are limited, not in our vision and mind but in our lifetime capacities, abilities, and resources. So the question is not: Can we or can we not? The question is: What and how do we change?
Now here we arrive at our first crucial point: The answer to this question hinges on the capacity of our consciousness, the breadth of our thinking, and our courage. There is a profound connection between our consciousness, the impact of our work, and the world we inhabit. True transformation relies on a different way of perceiving, thinking, and understanding the world. It requires us to recognize how we shape the world and how the world shapes us. As Joseph Chilton Pearce wrote: "A change of world view can change the world viewed."
So, our first question is not: What and how do we change? It is: Are we willing to be bold? Are we aiming for profound change that goes far beyond the confines of our societies, questions our deepest beliefs and paradigms, and requires us to transform ourselves profoundly? If we want to change everything, we need to change ourselves first.