Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Making a Difference

In the 4th Perek of Kohelet, the Amal, the toiler, has a chance to speak his mind. He starts off by objecting to the philosophy of the Neheneh (YOLO, so enjoy life while you can!) because it implies that man has no power to help the oppressed or impact the world for the better. The Amal's entire life is focused on helping those in need. He firmly states that the goal of man is to create, build, and make an impact.

This is all fine and dandy, but what if I spend my whole life trying to make an impact on the world and I don't leave a lasting impression?  I've definitely thought about the idea of impacting the world and doing something meaningful with my life. I think it's a very real fear- that we will go through the motions of life, not feeling inspired, or not feeling like we have the ability to do anything to improve the world in some way. What if I grow up and become the CEO of a major company with an incredible amount of wealth to spend on luxuries and materialistic things, doing absolutely nothing to change the world?

Well I'm here to tell you that you don't need to save the world to do good in your life. You don't need to become the President of the United States, be the one to find a cure for cancer or world hunger, or be the cause of peace in the Middle East. You can make a difference no matter what you dedicate your life to. Even if you're the person who salts the french fries at McDonald's, you can always do something. Whether it be smiling at every person you encounter throughout the day or asking a stranger how their day is going, every little action means everything. You may not have the power to impact the entire planet, but you absolutely have the power to make someone's day a little better.

This is a reason I love putting our Post-it notes on the wall about how we improved the world. Usually it's something small, like helping someone open their locker, but that doesn't mean it isn't meaningful. The whole point is to spread positivity, and that is exactly what it does.

2 comments:

  1. I completely agree Lily! It's so important to always do things, that may be very small, to help brighten someone else's day.

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  2. I completely agree Lily! It's so important to always do things, that may be very small, to help brighten someone else's day.

    ReplyDelete