The world is full of problems, as you most undoubtedly know already. When you turn on the news nowadays you will see everything from murder and starvation, to war and government corruption. It all moves on with exceedingly great pace to the point that one problem is simply replaced by another rather than resolved and as you move on from awful headline to awful headline that horrible question starts to poke at your brain: “Can I really do anything about this?”. This is the question that can drive a person to insanity, asking it over and over again all while watching terrible things happen and feeling extraordinarily helpless. Luckily there is a simple, though sometimes difficult, way of solving this, and that is by focusing on the things you can control. 

The key word is focus. The big hot topics of the day are often where we want to put our attention and effort, but if you do this you will only become more discouraged. These problems are usually too broad and complex for the average individual to solve. It is a sad but real truth. Therefore it is more expedient to instead turn our focus toward the small things in life. There are so many problems in front of our eyes that so many of us miss. 

While it is of course important to be involved politically, what is more important is being a friend, a peacemaker, and a kind person throughout our lives. These are the titles people need to strive for if they want to make a change to this vast rundown world. People need to use their love and humanity, which indeed everyone is capable of, to help their community. The world is made from communities so change must always start there. It doesn’t have to be hours of volunteer work, it can simply be helping a friend through a hard time or just communicating with others your thoughts and opinions. This is what makes the world truly a better place. 

Empires will rise and fall but the small things that we contribute in our lives will make a real impact.  History shows that small and average people doing small but extraordinary things are what make life better. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa are great examples.

 So the next time you feel discouraged or frustrated just look around you for the little ways you can help, and the things that you can control. For I truly believe that it is by small things that great things come to pass. As the famous quote attributed to Mother Teresa states: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, just feed one.”