Making A DifferenceAre you Making a Difference? Two things have inspired me recently: the movie The Blind Side, and the new TV show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. What I find inspiring is how one person can make such a difference in life. Examples of encouragement come from the big ones like Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa, but also from less well-known but extraordinary people, like the Tuohy family portrayed in the movie The Blind Side. What if we all took it upon ourselves to make a difference? What if, like the Tuohy’s, we took responsibility for one other person? There are almost 7 billion people on our planet. According to the statistics, somewhere between 0.874 billion and 1.7517 billion people live in extreme poverty on our planet. What does living in poverty mean? It means that these people struggle to meet their most basic needs of survival: Food, Water, and Shelter. So . . . back to the question. What if we all take responsibility for one other person outside of our immediate responsibilities, like our children or other family members? How could you change someone’s life? Look at Sean Penn, an Oscar award winning actor living in the largest tent camp in post-quake Haiti. He is living among and helping the 40,000 plus who live there. If each of us took it upon ourselves to help just one person, can you imagine what a difference this would make? Just one person! Surely we can all do that. Have you passed by someone on the street to whom you could’ve reached out? Who in your community needs a helping hand? Jamie Oliver, a bloke from England has taken it upon himself to expand his community to include all of the school children of America. His grassroots effort is gaining momentum and is improving the way the school children of America eat! I do believe there is a revolution taking place in the world. Look at how the Haiti earthquake was covered on the news, versus how tragedy has been covered in the past. For the most part, it wasn’t sensationalism; it wasn’t too exploitive. The purpose of the coverage was more helpful, journalists trying to make a difference, broadcasters reaching out to the public, pulling at our heartstrings, getting us emotionally attached through their commentaries and emotionally-laden images. Even the response of the world shows that humanity as a whole is changing. We are empathizing, we are reaching out. We want to help, but many of us don’t know how. Well, it doesn’t need to take something as big as the Haiti Earthquake. If you open your eyes, I’m confident you will see countless opportunities for you to begin making a difference!
How to Make a Difference by Improving your own Life
We are all in this together!
|
