By Kurt Waterstradt
There’s absolutely no easy or gentle way to say this. We got problems. The whole world, no matter where you call home, has big, big problems.
It’s not like the problems in the east don’t affect the west or vice versa. In the always connected, global human existence, our problems seem to grow in breadth and complexity threatening to wear us down and shatter our existence.
That’s the bad news.
Now, take a deep breath and let it all go, because there’s good news.
You have the power to change it! Yup, that’s right, you! You can stoke the fires of hope and have a real impact.
This solution to the anxiety-inducing cascade of problems feels myopic, I know, but it’s true. Does it help knowing we’ve always struggled with this knowledge?
Robert F. Kennedy spoke about it in 1966, “First, is the danger of futility: the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills, against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence.”
That was 58 years ago. Wisdom is knowledge’s ability to transcend time and boundaries. It’s easy to read those words and think nothing has changed, but Kennedy goes on to say, “Yet many of the world’s greatest movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man.”
You’re in pole position to help everyone simply through consistent small acts over time. This isn’t glamorous, but it’s effective.
Too often the word “revolution” is thrown around, but this doesn’t really solve problems and, more often than not, it leads to tougher, more virulent times. History is littered with ugly, tragic echoes of what revolution really looks like and we shouldn’t add to that.
The true challenge of your efforts is potentially never experiencing the results. I believe this is the needed addition to Kennedy’s address. When effort doesn’t seem to yield immediate tangible change, it feels easier to shrug your shoulders and move on, which only guarantees nothing will change for the better.
American author D. Elton Trueblood provides the key to unlocking your power and embracing your agency. He said, “It takes a noble man to plant a seed for a tree that will someday give shade to people he may never meet.”
You have this nobility, as do I, as does everyone else. Make this the seed of your intention. Allow this to guide your actions, no matter how seemingly small.
The act is also the result. Let go of any inherent expectation. An action that’s tethered to an expectation diminishes the purity and goodness of the action. Let the action be enough.
Find a cause you care about and take action. Every action is a seed, whether it’s a conversation, writing a letter, attending an event, or volunteering your time, each act is you exercising your power.
If we each embrace our power, the forest we produce will shade generations.