"I'll change the system from the inside."

"I'll change the system from the inside." I have always found this phrase to be a bag of hot air.

Why does this seemingly optimistic phrase often grace the lips of many the but often dod not come into fruition?

1) they tie your interests with theirs (fringe benefits, promotions and bonuses etc)
2) they make you conform with organisational identity (social pressure and rules that dictate the way you dress, walk and talk and before you know it, you are just one of the many)
3) you get tired (they hold you in positions when you have the most energy. And then they release the pressure on you when you have no more to offer and at this late stage when you are left with no more/little options, you stay like a domesticated animal which has lost its wild instincts and is now little adapted to the ways of the jungle)
4) the reality of organisations is that very few actually have the power to change anything. the rest claw at each other for shreds thrown down from the top, get bogged down by the day to day work and hardly get consulted in any genuine way to change anything.

So the next time you hear someone say that, shake your head, smile and pat them on their backs to send them on their crusade.