Changing the World
Originally published on March 16th, 2017
Yesterday I was told that I can’t change the world. As an idealist, this stung a little bit. When I was a kid I had a picture in my room that said “Someday I will change the world,” and a part of me always figured that it was true. Last year, my world history teacher told our class that any of us could be President, any of us could be doctors or lawyers or teachers or whatever we wanted to be, and any of us could change the world. My mom and grandparents always tell me that I can do anything if I put my mind to and want it badly enough. Put simply, I’ve always been surrounded by people who are encouraging and positive. Being told that I couldn't change the world didn't feel great.
Last night after I was told this, I was sitting cross-legged on my bed with my chin in my hands. I found it strange that being told I couldn't change something was affecting me so much, but it was. I've always thought that I was put on this earth to make people happier and to help them. I'm still not sure how to do that yet, but I'm trying.
I'm trying.
After a few minutes of sitting, I realized why I had been affected by this so much. Not only had I been told that I couldn't change the world, but I had been told that because I can't, I shouldn't even try. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Why should I stop trying to make the world a better place just because I can't change everything? I might be able to change something, but if I go through life thinking that I shouldn't even try, that one thing may never change. I am such an advocate for random acts of kindness because I believe that they cause a domino effect. If one person smiles at someone one morning, that person may hold a door open for someone else. That person may ask how someone is doing, and that person may finally be able to say what they've been thinking for weeks. That person may then feel better, and that person's day could be changed.
Being told that I can't change the world just made me want to change it even more. I guess I'm stubborn, but in this case, I think that's a good thing. There are always going to be people who are negative and who try to make you feel like you can't do something. Changing the world is a big job, and one person can't do it by themselves. But if we all were to realize that by joining together and doing something nice for other people could change something, we could change the world.
So do something nice for someone else. Smile, hold a door open, ask how someone is doing, just do something. We can't stop trying just because we can't change everything, because by trying to change everything we may still change something. We can change the world, we just have to believe that we can.