“One person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.” – Paul Shane Spear.
This story of Sandra Dee has inspired me, she said “I have always wanted to change the world.” I remember being four years old, sitting glued to the television on Sunday mornings, not watching cartoons, but utterly captivated by World Vision. I cried about the injustices in the world, and begged my mother to let me sponsor Maria, the girl with the large, sad eyes who was around my age. My mom patiently tried to explain to me that we couldn’t afford to send her money. I couldn’t understand, since we seemed to live in luxury compared to Maria.
Having been raised in a middle-class community of about 800 people in rural Newfoundland, I had never seen a stark divide between the rich and the poor. We all seemed to be the same to my four-year-old eyes.
My heart broke for Maria and all of the other children on the show. I vowed to myself that someday, I was going to help people like her. Throughout my childhood, I told everyone that I wanted to change the world.
Many didn’t take me seriously. They’d say, “One person can’t change anything.” Still, I knew I wanted to make a positive difference by helping people, animals, and the environment. I started volunteering in elementary school, and became a vegetarian at the age of 13.
People asked, “Why bother? You know, that cow isn’t going to come back to life because you aren’t going to eat it.” And they very often said, “It won’t make a difference.”
I tried to explain that every action counted, and that we all had to make small efforts or nothing would ever change.
As time went on, people around me began to criticise less, and many friends and family members decided to try some of the things I was advocating. Each time I did something to make a positive impact, it left me wanting to do more. There is no lack of such good people in our world. You may think that you need to be a world leader or a billionaire in order to make a difference.
I always believed that being a good person is about the small things. It’s about how you treat other people, not how many people you have power over. If you’d like to make the world a better place, but aren’t sure how to fit it into your busy life, these ideas may help:
Donate blood. This can be one of the most satisfying ways to make a difference. You can literally save a life with just an hour of your time.
Donate used clothing. Donate them to a homeless shelter, or an organisation that sells them to raise funds. Spread some kindness. Small acts of kindness can go a long in making the world a better place.
These are just a handful of the thousands of ways you can make the world a better place! Just remember that every single thing you do makes a difference. Don’t ever let anyone — yourself included — discourage you from trying to be a better person and help others. It’s a journey! To becoming a good human being.
