The above quotation comes from the Quran and makes the point that the change that we so desire to see in our own lives and in the society that we are a part of is our responsibility to bring into fruition. In other words, as much as we might wish that Allah or God would change the conditions that we are part of, which are unsatisfactory, that simply is not the way that the world works. Indeed, the very point of the civilization that we live in is to provide those who are part of it the opportunity to effect change so that society can be a better place for all, through our good participation in it. In other words, the construct within which we live serves as a proving ground, and whether that society improves or not is down to not only our individual responsibility but also collectively what we are able to positively accomplish as a people.
The mess that we are in is of our own making, for the finger can be decisively pointed at us that the issues and problems that we have are directly related to the fact that we consistently ignore the sage advice of avatars and prophets as to what we should or should not be doing. This signifies that because we are the cause of our own collective misery that it is our responsibility to do something constructive about it, or else the change that we need to see happen will not ever occur.
Indeed, this is the challenge of the age: whether we will continue to keep our heads in the sand, and hope that somehow Allah or God will change what needs to be changed for our benefit. That is to say, it is our responsibility to accomplish that change, for it is we who have failed to comprehend that we are the actuators of the change that we need to bring into being. This is the never-ending challenge of our time, and history tells us that we have done a poor job in effectuating the changes that we need to accomplish, but because we still exist, the opportunity to make positive progress is still in our domain.
There are lots and lots of people who won’t do their good part to save their own selves, and therefore won’t do their fair part to be part of the solution, thereby making them part and parcel of this seemingly intractable problem. Yet, reluctantly or not, this is the very thing that we were born to do. This signifies that whatever ails us, it is our responsibility to correct such to the best of our ability, and while we can call on Allah or God to help us, to guide us, and to fortify us, it is our duty to do what we ought to do, in order to become the change that will make us to be what we were always meant to be. This calling will not change, and the sooner that we recognize our responsibility and then do something meaningful to become that change, the sooner that we will get to the only destination worth getting to.