Be inspired to ‘make your move’ with these new Rappler Shop t-shirts

MANILA, Philippines – It’s easy to believe that the world is a dark and hopeless place. You see suffering on the streets, on your newsfeed, in your own life. But hear this: with the risk of sounding like a bumper sticker and offending anyone who’s adverse to cliches, there’s merit in seeking the good. You can find it everywhere and anyone, including yourself. 

We’ve told you all about this when we launched Rappler Shop. At that time, we wanted to spread the value of believing there is good in the world. After that comes action. Each one of us needs to be the good the world needs; only then can change happen.

This month, Rappler Shop launches its new set of t-shirt designs which aim to inspire you to move towards action.

Life doesn’t get better with chance

Life gets better with change. We’d like to share just how crucial it is to take a stand and not remain on the sidelines. If you don’t like something that’s happening in your community, don’t settle for the situation you’re in; make the most out of it by using your present resources to bring about the change you yearn for. 

You can start simple. Maybe you’re not satisfied with your school’s environmental policies, or you want to improve the traffic situation in your neighborhood. It will require changes in your daily routine but being a good example and never hesitating to approach those in charge (like the student council or officers in your barangay) are well worth doing. At worst, you’ll be educating others about your cause; at best, you could actually improve your community.

Make your move

This campaign is all about making the first move towards change. But this is easier said than done. Issues like traffic, corruption, and gender inequality are very intimidating and usually seem impossible to solve. Here’s a suggestion: instead of aiming to solve the problem, why not work towards solving its causes?

Think about what irks you the most, then look at the different things you see in your everyday life that could be causing it. Take the city traffic for instance. Start with yourself: have you been following traffic laws? Move on to your family, friends, and co-workers. Is there something they can improve on? More often than not, no matter what the issue is at hand, the answer is “yes.”

Shift your habits: Don’t bring a car on Fridays if you have a night out planned, wait ‘til the last second before the traffic light turns green even if there’s no one waiting  to cross, be honest even when no one is looking. Spot problems by being analytical, but solve them by being brave. What will your first move be?

Start a ripple, make a wave

Next, encourage others to do the same. Rappler has always been about creating ripples (Rappler = “rap” (to discuss) + “ripple”), and if each one of us is dedicated to creating our own, we’ll be able to make a wave. This won’t necessarily make things easier but it’s the way we can move forward.

This can be done much easier now with the help of social media. We’ve seen how influential Facebook has been in this year’s elections; it empowered people from different parts of the country (sometimes, the world), to campaign for a candidate they believe in.

Imagine what more we can do if we forget about our own presidential bets and focus instead on coming together for the causes we want to champion. The next time you tweet or post something on your timeline, keep in mind that those aren’t words directed to a void, they are the pebbles to start your ripple with. – Rappler.com

Visit Rappler Shop and browse through the new shirt designs and other best-selling items like the Be The Good Glass Tumbler, T-Shirt, and Organizer.