Not too long ago, I learned about Rennie Davis, one of the Chicago Seven. A prominent antiwar activist, Davis fought to change American society in the ’60s. You may have seen the film The Trial of the Chicago 7, which focuses on Davis’s political activism and trial.
Yet, in the early 1970s, he turned from political activism toward spirituality and personal transformation, and founded the Foundation for a New Humanity.
Davis gave a remarkable two-hour interview on October 10, 2009, where he reflected on how the political activism of the ’60s eventually gave way, for some members of his generation, to an interest in spirituality and personal growth. He explicitly discussed the idea that changing the world required changing oneself.
His story resonated with my own journey, specifically an epiphany I had many years ago following my father’s death. I was living in the Netherlands at the time, preparing a politically charged performance, questioning not only society and its structures, but also myself and my place in the world.
I don’t know how it happened, but I still remember vividly the moment I realized that changing the world starts from within. The world isn’t some abstract entity separate from us. We are its inhabitants, continuously shaping it through our thoughts, beliefs, fears, prejudices, and the ultimate choices we make.
Today, we have more tools than ever to help us make that shift. We’re surrounded by advice on becoming happier, healthier, more successful, and more enlightened. Think positively. Practice gratitude. Set boundaries. Love yourself.
Yet we can read countless books about personal growth, go to therapy, and follow various programs without ever questioning our behavior. Preach compassion while condemning those who disagree with us. Condemn prejudice while remaining blind to our own.
And perhaps most dangerously, confuse awareness with action. Awareness isn’t change. Knowing isn’t doing. Self-help can become self-deception dressed in more attractive clothing. Real growth requires confronting ourselves, questioning long-held beliefs, and acknowledging uncomfortable truths we’d rather avoid.
Personal transformation can’t replace political action or collective responsibility. We need people willing to challenge unjust systems and people willing to challenge themselves.
My epiphany in the Netherlands made me realize that change begins from within. It made me more curious to know myself, the good and the ugly. That curiosity and deliberate exploration has shaped my artistic work ever since.
Along the way, I’ve also learned that personal growth isn’t linear. It has its ups and downs, its breakthroughs and setbacks. It doesn’t care how smart, talented, or old we are. Nobody graduates from being human.
Those setbacks later in life set me on the path to studying psychology, wanting to go deeper and understand more about myself and those around me. Once again, questioning my place in the world.
That realization is also at the heart of Finding Your Happy Place, my four-week personal exploration program returning in January. Not a promise to fix my life, your life or the world, but an invitation to question our patterns, challenge assumptions, and discover what lies within our power to change.
Because self-growth isn’t selfish. How we see ourselves, how we treat ourselves, and how we treat others shape the world we live in. And perhaps that’s where the real revolution begins.
Just wondering… how much of the change you want to see in the world are you willing to make within yourself?
If you’re ready, join me in January for Finding Your Happy Place, an exploration of our true selves as a new year begins.