Thoughts and actions are like stones dropped in a pond, creating ripples that travel outward in ever-larger circles.
We like to think that our negative choices only affect ourselves, but we do not live in a vacuum. Our actions create ripples for good or ill, whether we realize it or not. Everything we do affects the people in our lives and their reactions, in turn, affect others. In this way, the choices we make have consequences far beyond what we can see.
With each thing I write or create, I want to change the world. Several people have told me that this is a ridiculous notion. But even though others may laugh at the idea that a single person or a single play, video or blog post can change the world, I believe it can.
A single positive act might not suddenly change the outlook of the entire world. It might not even make a noticeable difference in my community or anywhere else. Perhaps only one person is affected at first and feels uplifted or inspired, but the positivity it has brought to their life will, in turn, influence their actions, which will in their turn affect others, as the ripple grows and spreads.
It can be easy to see the effects of our actions on those who are nearest to us, but we rarely get to know the effect our actions have had on the world at large. Albert Schweitzer said:
“No ray of sunshine is ever lost, but the green that it awakens takes time to sprout and it is not always given the sower to see the harvest.”
When we drop our small pebble into the vast ocean, we may not be able to see the ripples as they continue to grow. We may even feel foolish, thinking that such a small contribution will make any kind of a difference at all. But it is important that we keep dropping those pebbles into the ocean anyway. They may not change the whole world at once, but they will affect someone, who will affect someone else, and someone else until one small contribution has made quite a large impact indeed.
Remember, each of us carries within us the capacity to change the world–one pebble, one smile, one act of kindness or service at a time.
So go out there today and make some waves!
