You, Yes You, Make a Difference

I didn’t attend any of the rallies on April 5^th because I panic in crowds. And while I know it’s important to take care of myself – and I would have been a liability rather than an asset in that situation – it’s bringing up a lot of feelings. Because I care so much about society, I feel like a bad person. What am I doing to fight fascism?!? Do I make a difference in this world even if I can’t participate in the way I’d like?

The answer is yes. A recent Psychology Today article states when we do an act of kindness, we inspire positive change far beyond the person we’re helping – not just by one degree but three, according to social scientists James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis. For instance, if you help a stranger with their suitcase at the airport, that person may feel uplifted and, in turn, pass on the positive energy to someone else. The same applies to the onlookers, who, in turn, may pay it forward to their social circles. In other words, kindness is contagious and can spread in ways you’ll never know about.  

Also, our social networks are much more interconnected than we realize. As the Psychology Today author Emma Seppälä writes, “You may not directly know someone’s friends, but your kindness can impact them just the same, thanks to the invisible threads of connection that link us all. It’s as if we are all part of a giant, complex web of goodwill, where every action – good or bad – reaches farther than we expect.”

For people interested in spreading kindness, Seppälä recommends doing things like complimenting someone, leaving a positive note for a coworker, listening with empathy, and supporting local causes. Those are things I do regularly so from that perspective, I do make a difference, and I’m sure you do too. I can’t necessarily quantify the difference I’m making – I haven’t saved anyone from a burning building or written a bill to support my community, but I’m trusting the small actions I take ripple and spread.

I’m reminded of a quote I use a lot from my spiritual teacher who says, “If one ant meets a premature death, it will disturb the balance of the entire cosmos. Therefore, nothing here is unimportant, not even an ant.” Later on, he affirms that “nobody is unimportant, nobody is insignificant. Each and every existence is valuable.”

I’m not a famous person. I’m not in a position of political power, but my existence is still valuable. My actions are still important even if they aren’t things like going to rallies or marching on Washington. Every day, I say an oath to help others according to my capacity and oftentimes, that means something small. Will I help topple fascism? Unclear. But as I’m learning from research, my influence is much greater than I think it is. Up to three times more, in fact.

I dream of a world where we realize we all have a role to play in this life. A world where we understand we all have different ways of showing up to help others. A world where we remember we aren’t unimportant, we aren’t insignificant. A world where we understand our sphere of influence is three times greater than we think it is, and keeping that in mind, we act with kindness.

Another world is not only possible, it’s probable.