Making the World Better

What will you do today to make the world a better place?

A Facebook friend recently asked this question, which I found thought-provoking. I was encouraged by the answers. Two people picked up trash in their neighborhoods. Another mowed a neighbor's lawn. I donated to a non-profit group that rescues dogs that have been abused or neglected, provides all necessary veterinary care, and finds new homes for them. I was, however, disappointed to see only a handful of responses to the question.

This doesn't mean that people don't do good things, but perhaps that many of us have to make a conscious decision to do good. Or perhaps some simply don't want to reveal their good deeds.  

Nothing I do will change the world. That is true of most people. Only a few among us have the power and the influence to change the world for good or for evil. Think Hitler and Stalin. Think Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Lincoln. Think Jonas Salk, developer of the first polio vaccine. Think Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought to advance equal rights for women. Think Rosa Parks and Jane Goodall. Think Florence Nightingale, Malala Yousafzai and Billie Jean King. Think Greta Thunberg.

Each of us has special talents we can put to use to improve our world. Check on an elderly neighbor. Shovel snow from a neighbor's sidewalk and driveway. Tell a child what a good job she did on something. Adopt a homeless animal. Donate food or money to a charity. Think about the things you use (water, electricity, gasoline) and commit to using less of them. Be friendly to strangers. I had a brief chat at the grocery store recently with the man stocking produce. It lifted my spirits. Donate blood. Live mindfully. 

Something that hit home with me was the amount of plastic I use. I take my own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store and to the department store, something I have done since long before it became trendy. If the purchase is small, I ask that no bag be used. But what really opened my eyes was learning that the southeast African country of Tanzania has, as of 2019, banned the use of all plastic bags by citizens and visitors. Violators are subject to fines and possible time in jail. 

When I travel, I put my bottles of shampoo and conditioner in a gallon-size zipper bag. I have used the same bag for years. I also put my tea bags (I take my own tea with me when I travel) in a small zipper bag. Other things also go into plastic bags for ease of organizing everything. But I have had to find alternatives to plastic in my suitcase and carry-on bag prior to going to Tanzania. My first thought was to pull out the brown paper lunch bags (left over from when my daughter used to take lunch to school) and some waxed paper bags. Not ideal, but they might work.

Then I dug through a drawer and found a small nylon bag with a zipper -- perfect for holding the small toiletries I take on the plane with me, such as allergy medicine, eye drops, a small tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, etc. Then I bought two nylon makeup bags to hold other items for the suitcase.

Several months ago I started using laundry detergent sheets rather than in large plastic bottles, which if we’re lucky, get recycled. If not, they end up in the landfill. I now use shampoo and hair conditioner bars rather than plastic bottles.

The point of all this is to remind us that we can all do something -- if not every day, then frequently -- to make the world a better place. Kindness and smiles cost us nothing. And with just a bit of effort, we can find ways to lessen our impact on this planet.

And just maybe, if we practice often enough, doing things to make the world better will become a habit, something about which we no longer have to think.