How Can We Change the World?
One Person at a Time
Today my heart is Sad. Sad for the senseless deaths in the Middle East. Sad for the fear running rampant across humanity. Sad for the anger that has no outlet but violence. Sad for the division, isolation, and inequality in our own nation. Sad for the violence in homes, on streets, in schools. We watch in terror as families are destroyed, torn apart, devastated.
Oh, we do jump in and offer help when hurricanes and tornadoes hit. We stand united, for a moment. And then we move on with our lives... until the next time.
I don’t pretend to have the answers to the world’s pain. But I sense that somewhere within all of it, Divine Guidance is present, even if we don’t yet understand it. I pray. I hold space in my heart for those who’ve lost loved ones. And I send healing prayers to those whose anger is so misplaced, so inflamed, that they choose actions which darken their souls.
And yet… something else niggles at me.
In times of great tragedy, we come together. We pray. We feel. We grieve. But what about the little tragedies?
The man on the corner begging for food.
The child slapped in the store for asking too many times for cookies.
The elderly woman, alone and afraid, but too proud…or too conditioned…to ask for help.
The woman beaten for not having dinner on the table.
The college student whose only bike…his lifeline…was stolen.
The wife left in financial ruin after betrayal.
The child in the back seat, neglected while his mother gets her fix.
These are the quiet, daily tragedies we walk past. We feel sad, but helpless. We judge. We distract ourselves. We tell ourselves, “It’s not my business.” The problems feel too big.
But change doesn't begin with the big things. It begins with these small moments.
We may be outraged by horrific, global acts of terror, as we should be. But how can we hope to solve those if we close our eyes to what’s happening on our own streets?
What if we stood up, not just for the victims, but for the ones doing harm? What if we said:
"I know you're hurting. I know this isn’t who you really are. And I can’t stand by and let this happen, to them, or to you. This isn’t who you are. How can I help you?”
What if we reminded each other of our humanity?
Yesterday, I passed a woman in an ice cream shop, sitting alone near the bathrooms. She looked upset. I stopped and asked, “Are you okay?” She said, “Yes. No. Yes, I’m okay.” But I didn’t believe her. I gently said, “I don’t think you are. Is there anything I can do?”
She looked at me, really looked at me. And smiled. “I’m really okay,” she said. I rubbed her back. Then walked away.
Later, I realized she was homeless. Likely struggling with mental illness. But for a moment, she was seen. Touched. Acknowledged. And something shifted in her. I didn’t fix her problems. But I didn’t pretend she was invisible either. And that… mattered.
So this is what I choose to do whenever I can. I hope I’ve inspired some part of you to perhaps be willing to try to be present to the needs of people in your world. I really do believe this is how we change the world. You and me…one person at a time.
Until next time… may you live easy. Be kind to yourself. And others.