How you can improve the world… right now.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” — Anne Frank
When you were in high school or college, maybe you dreamed of going off with the Peace Corps and digging wells in Africa, or bringing technology to people in remote jungle villages. Those are worthy dreams. Did you follow them? If not, there’s still plenty you can do to make a difference. Right now, starting right where you are.
Start by thinking about ecology. I mean your inner ecology. Your thoughts — are they positive? If not, they could be harming your health, and you could be polluting the atmosphere around you with negativity. Whatever your mental attitude, it’s catching. Make sure you’re infecting people around you with a spirit of helpfulness, optimism and kindness. Everyone around you will benefit and feel uplifted.
But “improving the world” means something much bigger, doesn’t it? you ask. Sure, if you’re in a position to do that. Bill Gates, with billions at his disposal, can make enormous humanitarian projects happen by signing a check. I assume you don’t have BG’s economic resources. But you have plenty of human resources to draw on. Creativity, empathy, and energy, just to name a few. And those are all you need to start improving the world.
You don’t have to take on the whole world at once. Focus on the things you can control. Most of them reside within yourself. Your attitude, your appearance, your way of relating to others, your viewpoint on life.
Ask yourself what you think the purpose of life is. Is it to gain the admiration of rich people? To make a bundle and retire to Costa Rica? To have a mini-mansion with an Olympic-sized pool in the backyard? Or maybe to scramble up the career ladder as fast as possible?
I’m not going to say those ideas are wrong. But they’re all “gimme” things geared to puffing up your own ego. I will suggest that most of them won’t (a) make you happy; or (b) improve anyone else’s life to any great degree.
It appears that the thing that makes human beings happiest is helping and interacting meaningfully with other people. Like spending time playing with your child or grandchild. Checking in with elderly neighbors to see if they need anything at the grocery store. Volunteering to teach one person to read. Or even something simple, like picking up a discarded hamburger wrapper or soda can and throwing it in the trash. Seeing a clean city makes everybody feel more like keeping it that way.
Smiling at people. Really taking in what they have to say. Understanding the viewpoint of someone you disagree with. These are little things, but still, they can begin to make your world a better place to live.
So don’t wait a moment. Start thinking about small or big things you can do to help other people and your community. And start improving your world right now.
