Making The World A Better Place - My Thoughts


“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” 


I’ve been working a lot on trying to be a better person lately. Not a more productive person, not better looking, not better at particular skills, just better. I want to be someone that is always working towards building a better world, I want to be an advocate for those whose voices need amplified. I want to be someone that I would be proud to be friends with.
I’ve always felt passionately that my purpose on this earth was to try and make it a better place in any way that I can. The thing is though, when there are so many ways in which our world and society is broken, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and to resign in defeat. It’s hard to feel like you can have any impact on the world when you’re just one out of billions, and it’s hard not to get discouraged when thinking about how many exploitative regimes are so deeply embedded into our society.

You can only donate so much money to charity, and we don’t always have the time or energy to volunteer for charities either. There’s always online activism, but with that follows the debate about its value and whether or not it counts for anything. My personal opinion is that online activism is just as valuable as any other kind, but this leads me on to the main point of this post: what exactly CAN we do to help make the world a better place? 


I believe that the one fundamental thing that needs to change in order for the world to change is for more people to start caring about things that don’t affect them directly. I remember once reading something along the lines of ‘just because it’s not happening to you, doesn’t mean it’s not happening’ and I think that is a mindset that could transform our society if more people, particularly people in positions of power, were to adopt it. 


I think that our society needs a massive overhaul in order to be one that values the wellbeing, time, and energy of anyone who isn’t wealthy - but not everyone agrees that other people’s wellbeing should be their concern. Which leads us right back to the concept of caring about things that don’t directly affect you. I think that, fundamentally, the best thing we can do to impact change in our society is to simply strive to live as compassionately as possible. 

When I say this, I don’t mean that I think everyone ought to go vegan, start donating a set percentage of their earnings to charity, or any huge drastic commitment. I am a firm believer in trusting people’s judgements of their limits and what is and isn’t possible for them. I think we simply need to keep ourselves on the lookout for any way in which we can help make sure that everyone’s existence on this earth is as pleasant as possible. Whether that be buying non-essential clothes secondhand so you’re not supporting sweatshops, cutting out meat products one day a week, sharing something on social media to raise awareness of an issue that’s being ignored, going along to a demonstration, or stopping to talk to homeless people on the street. Some of us can’t do any more for the greater good than we’re already doing, and that’s totally okay too. 

I’m not trying to target anyone or make them feel like their contribution to society is insignificant, in fact that’s the total opposite of my intentions with this post. I’m here to tell you that the things you do and say have an impact and a ripple effect on those around you, and you have more power than you think. 

Before I wrap this up I just want to say that I’m sorry for such a long gap between posts. Truth be told, I’m not good at maintaining a steady creative workflow, so this is probably a pattern you can expect from this blog. Since this is just something I’m doing for fun, I’m not going to force myself to work through creative blocks for the sake of posting something. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and, as always, comments are very much welcomed!  

Hugs,
Isabel x 

Comments

  1. Hello dear Isabel! How lovely to see and read a post from you. I know your mama (knitting) and I've been wondering about you guys.
    What a great post, so thoughtful and sensitive.
    We are deeply loved by the God of all and our response to that LOVE should produce fruit that blesses other people. It's easy to forget how cherished we are, I think.
    I hope you are reading wonderful things, listening to encouraging words, and feeling hope.
    I look forward to your next post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, and for your kind words!

      Delete
  2. Hey Isabel! I wish I had found your blog sooner! You have such an insightful and compassionate way of writing and I really appreciate how you're able to put across your ideas so graciously. It's also inspired me to start writing on my blog again so thank you 🙃

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts