How Ordinary People Can Quickly Drive Change for a Better Country

In a social environment that lacks external oversight and concentrates power to a high degree, if ordinary people take radical or confrontational approaches in an attempt to change society “as quickly as possible,” they often not only fail to shake the system but also make themselves and their families bear enormous physical and financial costs, becoming pointless sacrifices.

Modern political science and historical experience show that truly lasting social change with the lowest cost never comes from an uprising accomplished overnight. It comes from countless ordinary people making small commitments to their own way of life in everyday living, thereby “delegitimizing” and “deconstructing from the bottom up” the old system.

For ordinary people, the most effective path, the one that best protects them and can genuinely help make the country better, is to practice the following five levels of “everyday noncooperation and self-enlightenment”:

I. Refuse to Become a “Compliant Subject” of Formalism and Privilege

The system's bloat and arrogance depend to a great extent on the deep compliance and flattery of every ordinary person at the bottom.

• Refuse meaningless praise: In daily work, online speech, and social interactions, do not take the initiative to sing the praises of absurd policies or inefficient bureaucracies. You can remain silent, but never become a cheerleader for formalism.
• Stop flattering the privileged class: When dealing with government departments, schools, or hospitals, protect yourself and follow the rules and procedures whenever possible. Do not take the initiative to use back doors, gifts, or personal connections to reinforce the unwritten social rule that “privilege stands above the law.”

II. Protect and Practice Your “Taxpayer Awareness”

As discussed at the beginning, ordinary people's lack of sensitivity toward taxation has led the government to abuse its power. Awakening taxpayer awareness is the first step in deconstructing authoritarianism.

• Actively ask for invoices: Whether eating at a restaurant, shopping, or buying a service, develop the habit of asking for an official invoice. This not only reduces tax evasion by businesses and increases their compliance costs within the system, but also reminds you and those around you through action: “I have paid taxes. I contributed to every cent this country has.”
• Examine public affairs from a taxpayer's perspective: When you see local governments building luxurious office buildings, repeatedly digging up and repaving roads, or launching vanity projects, establish a shared understanding in your own mind and social circles: This is not “money given by the state”; this is my tax money being spent. Once this change in thinking becomes a social consensus, reckless government spending will face enormous, invisible pressure from public opinion.

III. Begin “Physical or Economic Defense” (Vote with Your Feet)

When the social environment deteriorates and reform stalls, the greatest punishment ordinary people can impose on the system is to take away the wealth and vitality that keep it running.

• Protect your private property: Reduce blind, highly leveraged investments, such as buying overpriced property at high risk of being left unfinished, and increase allocations to quality assets that are liquid and not easily placed at the system's arbitrary disposal.
• Vote with your feet (reasonable and legal movement of wealth and talent): If conditions allow, you can choose to emigrate, send your children abroad for education, or allocate assets globally, what people colloquially call “run.” If a society cannot retain its best young people, middle class, and entrepreneurs, the incremental tax revenue and innovation dividends on which it relies will dry up. This will force the system to compromise on improving the business environment and strengthening the rule of law in order to retain talent.

IV. Insist on “Living in Truth” (Stop Lies from Spreading)

Former Czech president Václav Havel proposed the concept of “living in truth”: when faced with lies, if ordinary people simply refuse to perform along with them, the system will lose its foundation.

• Do not amplify lies: On social media, do not repost unverified official propaganda packages, and do not join online attacks against innocent vulnerable groups or nationalist frenzy.
• Protect common sense and memory: Through keeping a diary, making backups on an independent hard drive, or using indirect but truthful methods, record society's real experiences, such as food safety scandals, misconduct in local law enforcement, and the real pain of an economic downturn. Do not let public memory be easily erased by official “white text on a blue background” notices, and protect common sense from distortion.

V. Start by Building a “Micro Civil Society”

The greatest problem in Chinese society today is atomization: individuals lack trust in one another and cannot join forces.

• Build connections at the local level: You do not need to establish a political opposition party, but you can actively participate in your residential community's homeowners' committee, independent reading groups, mutual-aid funds, public-interest environmental organizations, or professional discussion groups within your industry.
• Cultivate modern civic literacy: In these small organizations, take the lead in practicing how to conduct rational public debate, resolve disputes through voting, audit accounts, and disclose finances.

💡 Conclusion

Do not expect a “savior” or a spectacular event to suddenly make the country better. The normalization of a country is a process in which every citizen first becomes normal.

When more and more ordinary people no longer sell their consciences for petty benefits, when more and more people realize they are taxpayers and begin to care about their own money, and when society's atomization is replaced by mutual trust and assistance, the “stability-maintenance consumables” and “compliance dividend” on which the old system relies will be completely drained. When that day comes, change will happen not because someone overthrows it, but because, amid the futile spinning and exhaustion it created itself, it will have no choice but to declare its submission to modern civilization.