Making a Difference, One Small Act at a Time
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In these crazy times, it can sometimes feel like there is nothing we can do to really affect the changes we would like to see in the world. If you watch or read the news, it can seem that there is just too much going wrong, and it’s all snowballing at a rapid pace. Whether it’s the pandemic, social injustice or climate change, the current problems can seem so awesomely huge that it makes one want to curl up in a ball under the covers and wait for the world to end.
But we must remember that many, many people before us have survived great trials and tribulations. If you think about it, we are all the descendants of people who survived the last global pandemic, the first and second world wars and countless other natural and man-made disasters. We are also the inheritors of civil liberties won by the Black, female and LGBT activists of the 60s and 70s (and those that paved the way before them). Every triumph is a culmination of all the actions – great and small – that were taken by those who came before us.
Whenever we are faced with adversity, there is an invitation to contribute in some way. When we fall prey to thoughts of hopelessness and helplessness, we must always remember the famous Margaret Mead quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Make a Difference Day, celebrated on October 24 this year, was first started in 1992 to celebrate the coming together of individuals and organizations for community service. Although the founding organizations no longer sponsor it, many organizations still recognize it, and it is a time to be conscious about giving back to society. If you are wondering how you can make a difference in your community or country, you can start by looking online to see how organizations of interest might be participating this year. It could be a good time to make a new commitment to a cause you believe in.
Beyond collective action, I think it is important to remember that every day, each one of us has the opportunity to make a difference in the world through small, deliberate actions and random acts of kindness. There is a ripple effect to our actions and attitudes. Take the example of the man who wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, yells at his wife, kicks his dog, honks at his fellow drivers and walks into the office with a cloud of anger over his head. That one person has contributed a ripple of negativity throughout his life. If you consider that his wife, then in a bad mood, was short with the kids, yelled at the customer service agent, etc., and consider how every other person this man encountered might have also contributed to the spread of negativity, you end up with a world full of people in a low mood, who are acting from that state of mind.
On the other hand, what if this man had instead woken up and decided he wasn’t going to take out his low mood on those around him. Instead he thanked his wife for listening to his troubles, turned on some music in the car so he wouldn’t remain caught up in his frustrations, and entered the office with the intention of being kind and compassionate to his co-workers and especially to himself. The fact is we always have the choice to spread negativity or positivity in the world, and if more people were acting from a positive, compassionate place, the world would be very different.
There’s never a bad time for a random act of kindness. They help not only the receiver of the kind act, but the giver. Research has shown that when we get outside of ourselves and put our focus on helping others, our own sense of wellbeing improves. It’s a true win-win situation. So keep this in mind, not just on October 24, but every day. It really is the small actions and attitude shifts that make the greatest difference in the world. In this way, we can all be agents of change.