This week it became official: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, will become canonized as a Catholic Saint in September 2016. One cannot think of Mother Teresa without the thought that she dedicated her life to making the world a better place.
As we pass through the season of goodwill, spiritual birth, & growth, and head into the new year, we embark on a time of reflection and hope. But when we look around, all we have to do is turn on the news to see that the world is messy. This is not “news” per se, because it has always been this way in some form or another, but the global messes simply morph into new forms with all the same underlying themes. I’m also not a doomsayer predicting mass destruction and stockpiling canned goods, but if I think about it too long, I feel my internal anxiety climb. It begs the question, “What can I (translated: “little ol’ me”) do about the world?” How can I make the world a better place?
At best, this is a daunting aspiration. At worst, we can become completely paralyzed into believing that there is nothing we can do but save our own self. Sadly, this only perpetuates a greater mess as we become engaged in navel-gazing, self-service.
“How can I make the world a better place?” At best, this is a daunting aspiration. At worst, we can become completely paralyzed into believing that there is nothing we can do but save our own self.
So are we worse off today than 15 years ago? Actually, no, according to Michael Green, an economist, journalist, co-author of Philanthrocapitalism and creator of the Social Progress Index—a measure of countries’ social change. Also the Executive Director of The Social Progress Imperative (SPI), Green promotes changing the way we solve the world’s most pressing challenges by redefining how the world measures success and putting the things that matter to people’s lives at the top of the agenda. Green’s 2015 Global Ted Talk from London uses one example from the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of 2001 which demonstrates that we are, in fact, making a difference when we measure countries’ success, not by economic development, but by social goals such as reducing poverty. He notes that the goal to reduce global poverty from 36% to 18% was exceeded by reducing the level of poverty to 12%.
In September, the UN updated the 8 MDGs to 17 new Global Goals for development to be achieved by 2030. The Global Goals include things such as ending poverty and hunger and promoting health and well-being, gender quality, and education. The SPI then empowers governments, businesses, organizations, and local leaders to work together on these Global Goals to create the tangible programs and changes that improve peoples’ lives on a greater social scale.
I find it reassuring that these incredibly intelligent people in positions of substantial influence and power are working to make the world a better place. But I come back to my question, “What can I do to make the world a better place?” After all, I’m no Mother Teresa. I’m just one small person in one little corner of the world. It feels uncomfortably messy and helpless at times. But I believe that we can make the world a better place in tiny little ways every day.
Two things pop into my mind here: The first is one of my fondest memories of my oldest daughter, at about 3, robustly singing, “This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine” with her chubby little index finger pointing skyward. The second is my Grinchy attitude about those bumper stickers (or anything) that flaunt Mahatmah Ghandi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” To me (with apologies in advance for offending any dear readers), it has become a trivialized slogan which has lost the depth of its intended meaning. I’d like to offer a new one: “Be a light that shines to make the world a better place.” As the song goes on to say, “I’m gonna take this light around the world and I’m gonna let it shine….” And later, “I won’t let anyone blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine.”
I have a sweet psychologist friend who is teaching her young children to be kind, compassionate and generous. They live in Phoenix, AZ, which has the 22nd highest homeless population in the US. Stephanie and her husband work side-by-side with their 5K and 2nd grade children to make packets which they keep in their car to hand to folks who are living on the street and need assistance. The bags contain protein snacks, water bottles, personal care items, and grocery gift cards. The children are not only learning to be attentive to those in need in their community but also that they have a role in making their world a better place. On any given day, she might be changing a life of someone in need. She is certainly changing the lives of her own privileged children.
Be a light that shines to make the world a better place.
So what do we do? Give more long, warm hugs. Practice humility. Plant some flowers. Be a friendly face. Pay for someone’s coffee. Find out what someone really needs. Recycle. Reduce. Reuse. Show up for someone who is lonely. Give care packets to people in need. Make a meal for the grieving on the anniversary of a great loss. Volunteer. Listen to someone’s pain. Practice regular generosity (Skill #25). Remind your people that you love them. Ask someone to tell you their story. Notice the light in a child without privilege. Step out of your comfort zone.
We are all living in a messy world of uncomfortable circumstances, unfortunate events, and pain. But we CAN make a tiny difference in one person’s life every day—we just need to look for those marvelous opportunities.
We can all shine a light in the world: “Every day, every day, I’m going to let my little light shine.”
So Make the World a Better Place because Life is Messy and Life is Marvelous.