In Joel Charon's 2013 book Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective, the author talks about social change, the individual versus society, social influence, social power, and so on. What is Charon's advice on changing society? If you are about to change one thing in society, what it would be?

Charon bases his advice on five key principles outlined in chapter 8:
1. The first principle is that every organization always and continuously changes. The rate of change may differ, and one change may lead to other changes, but change will continue to happen at some speed.
2. The second sociological principle is that change probably results more from social conflict than from the acts of any individual. When an organization says "no" and a collective group of people says "yes," a conflict is established, which propels social change. This is visible in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Old patterns are never completely lost, merely forming a thread to use in the next series of changes. And when those changes become "old," conflict will again emerge that will drive a newer set of social patterns. Social changes, therefore, imply social conflict as well.
3. A third principle is that individuals, groups, and social conflict are most likely to change an organization when the social situation favors it. Every social leader in history has emerged because the conditions were favorable to him at that time and in that society, from Hitler to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Their ideas are favored when people are dissatisfied with the current status of their society. Therefore,

It is vital to always see these individuals in a larger social context that (1) helped produce them and (2) made their influence significant.

4. A fourth principle to which most sociologists subscribe is that much of what we call social change results from impersonal social trends over which individual actors have little control. Few people have as their goal to change the society in which they live, but their actions over time do, after all, cause changes. As rational, problem-solving people, individuals become part of a society that seeks to achieve goals. In doing so, individuals become part of a collective force where individuals don't create much change, but their collective actions certainly do.
5. Our final principle is that dramatic change is difficult because there is a strong tendency for social patterns to hold on. Over time, the people of a society work together to form a basis of social values, rules, and shared truths. Sometimes people hold on to these patterns because to challenge them would create a fear of losing everything.
Taken together, these rules tell us that any change should be simplistic because of culture, a society's way of thinking about their fundamental truths. Change should center on the individual because it is important to see the individual as the driving force behind change instead of an abstract concept like "social control."

In order to determine changes that are needed in society, consider your own values and where those are in conflict with society's reality. I am passionate about education, children, and learners with special needs, so I can easily see various societal changes that I'd love to see in each of those areas. Try to keep the idea of the power of the individual in mind as you consider the change you'd like to make.