A few weeks ago, I was watching TV with my youngest daughter. A commercial came on for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. At the end, they asked for a recommended donation of $20 a month to support a child struggling with cancer. My daughter matter-of-factly asked me if we already support one of their patients. I told her we don’t but that we sponsor four other children through different organizations and have been sponsoring kids since before she was born.
She was unimpressed, saying: “That’s great but can’t we support this one too?” I shrugged it off at that moment but realizing she was right, signed up the next day.
A few days later during Climate Week, the same daughter scolded me when she asked in an accusatory tone, “Well what are you doing to help the planet?” My response was unsatisfactory to her.
There are no shortage of ways in which we can help address the various causes or issues around us. It is in fact the abundance of issues and choices that sometimes leads to paralysis.
Where do you start? How do you choose? Will it even make a difference? All reasonable questions.
During that same week, I stumbled upon an interesting phrase someone used to describe the impact they hope to make in the world – “Meaningful not massive.”
Twenty dollars a month from one person isn’t going to cure cancer but according to St. Jude it could have a meaningful impact for a single family.
It reminded me of another quote from the humanitarian Arthur Ashe when responding to a question of how we can begin to make a dent in all the world’s issues. He said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
It is an odd conundrum knowing that our individual efforts are by themselves insufficient. Yet that is a poor reason for doing nothing and is in fact a self-fulfilling prophecy
Meaningful impact does not require scale. Just action.
Recommendation of the Week: Kate Marvel’s new book, Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet is wonderful. It is sad, frustrating, hopeful and many other emotions at the same time. So worth the read to better understand what is happening to our planet and what is possible.
Consider sharing this with a friend; encouraging them to take a single meaningful action.