The big stuff – our quality of life, relationships with others, the amount of misery and crime, are all made up of small decisions that we make every day: dump that person, follow that leader, buy this, sell that, don’t make the phone call, forget about the donation, ignore the hungry guy on the corner or the kid devastated by an earthquake. It’s the small things that make up what we vaguely refer to as the ‘world we live in’ as if ‘the world’ happens by chance.
There is enough of the chance stuff without any of us missing an opportunity to do something that makes a difference – and maybe all the difference in the world. I’m taking no chances with that karma-thing because I have a strong desire to live in a better place.
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Right again, Betty. I sometimes get the idea that in order to make a difference in the world I must shine brighter or do something more magnificent than the next person, but this is wrong thinking. While I cannot give to every charity that calls for donations, I can put my neighbour's garbage cans away when they've blown on the road, and I can look directly in the eyes of a grocery-store cashier and thank her/him with sincerity. Furthermore, as you so eloquently pointed out, I can forgive and let go of perceived wrongs. Multiplied, these small things can certainly make a difference. Thanks for the wakeup.
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