A lot of people give up, thinking that their actions don’t matter in the face of such big challenges. But what if true liberation can begin not by becoming someone else, but rather by understanding that you are enough, and your actions do make a difference?
A better world starts with you — change really can come from a single flower.
If you throw a pebble into a pond, its ripple goes far beyond the impact point. Imagine you throw a pebble in the water. The ripple moves out from the point of impact, but if you keep doing it, it’ll change the whole pond. You can start with one person, doing the best they can for themselves and others, and then imagine other people also doing the same thing. It creates this ripple effect — communities, nations. If you keep doing that, you’ll figure out a way to save the world.
One of the most simple but powerful things you can do is show kindness. Smiling at a stranger on the street, opening a door for someone, word of encouragement — these little acts can lift someone’s mood and remind them that people are not so bad after all. Doing things for others in this way creates a sense of community and connection that ensures a better world for all, but it also helps to usher in the sentiment through which more comprehensive change can be effected: being kind helps to cultivate a more empathetic and compassionate culture.
Small disasters such as saving energy by turning off lights can make a difference, especially at a time when climate change and environmental degradation pose a significant threat to the planet and its inhabitants. It is important to consider the consequences of your actions as they can have an effect not only on the present but also on the future generations to come.
Another powerful way to make an impact is to become involved in your local community. Whether by volunteering your time and talents to the benefit of others or by participating in group efforts that respond to local needs, you can strengthen social networks and foster a sense of shared purpose, in ways that complement those offered by government and the market. For example, efforts to tutor children, clean up a neighborhood park, or help neighbors in need of food can all contribute to making your community a better place to live.
The second is raising consciousness — spreading awareness about social, political, and environmental problems. Educating yourself and others may not inspire immediate action in the mind of the person you’re talking to, but by broadening ‘consciousness’, you add to the pool of informed discourse that eventually influences decisions and behavior. Posting on social media, marching in a protest, or, even better, volunteering with an organization working on an issue about which you care are all ways to raise your voice.
You can’t always change the whole world by the choices you make. But you can always change a little bit of it. Maybe you choose to shop with ethical businesses. Maybe you consume less. Maybe you put a bit more time into staying mentally or physically healthy. You are still making choices that reflect broader values, and ones that, if enough people make them, can lead to larger systemic changes in how people live.
Taking positive action, such as maintaining a positive attitude, can be a powerful way to effect positive change even if things don’t go too well in the short term. Positivity is infectious and can create hopeful emotional momentum in those around you. An emphasis on solutions, not problems, and on things and people to celebrate drowns out doom and builds up vibrant energies for what’s next.
The way to a better world begins with you.
A world that’s made from countless everyday behaviors combined to create powerful waves of change. Don’t ever think your personal choices and behaviors are too small to make a difference. You’re the pebble in the pond that creates ripples across the universe.