Among so many different philosophies, I think somewhere in the middle of these blurred and uncertain ideals, the meaning of our lives is centred around making a difference. We speak of having fun and seizing the day, no doubt admirable and essential values... but in the bigger picture, what is the point of ever having been if you will not be remembered? If you had no impact? If your existence made no difference?
What difference will I make? We look at the world around us and it is hard not to be overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, when we feel the world is so destined to tragedy, unfairness and cruelty - with undeniable evidence of global warming, warfare and social injustices - to a point where it feels like there is no tangible solution. In a world of 6.6 million people, who am to think I can make any significant difference? A single fish in the sea... a needle in a haystack... as I stop, stand back and observe, the world continues on around me, unaffected...
Maybe it is too much to expect we can change the world: but does it matter if we make a difference in many lives or just one life? Maybe it doesn't. To change the life of one person - that is significant. Think about someone who has changed your life and how much that means to you. One or many lives... it all counts and it is all important.
So how do we make a difference in someone else's life? Someone once told me that the key is to be yourself. Let people be inspired by who you are. Everyone is different, everyone views the world differently and everyone has unique needs. Someone needs you just the way you are, so let yourself shine: perhaps it is possible to inspire others by simply being you. I think my biggest fear is that perhaps, it is not.
You made a world of difference to my life, so why couldn't I affect yours?
Yet even if I did make a difference in just one life, it would never be enough. I would want more - to affect two, three, four lives. To affect one hundred lives. To change the world. And again, just as she nears achievement, the perfectionist pushes her goals further out of reach. But for now, this is enough, because it must be... bigger and better things lie ahead...
We're talking normal human society here: "No good deed goes unpunished."
ReplyDeleteBefore I get involved in changing other people's lives (hopefully for the better), I'd want to be sure I could help myself live a better life. The problem is this: we don't live on a large enough scale to know if we are actually "helping" someone or are we just throwing another wrench into the machinery in the name of "doing good works"... I think it's pretty arrogant to think you can "help" someone else if you can't demonstrate your ability to think and act in a manner that consistently improves the quality of your own life. Or is your idea of "making a difference" similar to the intent of one Dr. Jack Kevorkian?
"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
"Propaganda, to be most effective, must appeal to the lowest emotions among the least intelligent in the target population." Are you sure you haven't bought into some aspect of this wondrous quote from Uncle Dolphy?
Or anonymous, are you thinking in the exact same ways that this writer is portraying?
ReplyDeleteNot living on a large enough scale to know whether you're making a difference or not?! Making someone smile, or making someone's day, or showing a thoughtful emotion to someone that the rest of the world doesn't usually show (thus influencing the influenced to do better deeds themselves) is helping someone and can ultimately help many others. So you're saying that doing the right thing and what we all know and feel to be 'right,' is really wrong? So i guess ultimately you're saying that snatching an old woman's purse has no determined morality because we simply 'don't know' if it's wrong?! Are you kidding?!
"The road to Hell is paved with good intention." Yes, 99% of the time (theoretically) you end up in Hell for being a bad person, because you are ultimately a bad person. Just because i borrow $200 from someone, and can't pay it back in the time that i originally stated, does not mean that i'm going to Hell or that i'm a bad person. Yes, the good intention went bad, but it's then my responsibility to make the now bad intention, right. Such as my example: I borrowed $200 from a friend not long ago, and financially things went horribly bad for me. I couldn't repay it in the time that i originally stated, so once i finally could, i repaid $400 in hopes that it would make up for the wrong that i did. It made him happy. Would you like to beg to differ? Am i still a bad person or on a road to Hell? I don't need your answer or response to know that i am not. Perhaps your ideas are a bit too biblically inspired in the punishment sense. I haven't even began to touch on the arguments and flaws which i find littered in your comment.
This writer isn't arrogant. This writer has portrayed themselves to be almost the complete opposite. Are you really THAT blind to their words here? Good emotion thrives off of good emotion, and bad off of bad. This post is incredibly inspiring and i applaud you for this.
To me (and yes i understand that it's only me), an action such as this would improve my hopes towards humanity significantly. This post changed my life, which is why i felt so apt to comment on your comment. Yes, each person and their life that you change, does count.
Thank you
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