I saw this quote from a book I've never read earlier today and it really struck me.

There is so much that can be said on the subject of what the world needs. The world always needs so much, and as Fascism, economic deprivation, violence, environmental destruction and so much more ill advances across so much of the world these days, most notably to me in my own country, it can be easy to feel like the world's needs so greatly exceed our capacity to give.

To me this quote is perfect instruction on how to face this.

We must not abdicate our responsibility to stand for something, but neither can we demand of ourselves that we solve anything. We can be a part of solutions that are important to us, but if one person could solve any of this alone, it would have been done long ago.

And so then there is this difficult task, of allowing ourselves to stay in touch with that part of ourselves that genuinely does care about the well-being of others, and yet knows it has limitations in how much it can help them. And allowing ourselves to act to help, knowing it won't solve anything, being satisfied with just moving things however slightly in the right direction.

Or maybe all we can do is slow down the speed at which we're moving in the wrong direction! However little or much it is, we are challenged to learn how to stay engaged even when facing such meager results from our heartfelt efforts.

And yet, we endure. And eventually, time and again, the good does prevail. We as a species survive. The planet is still here. So many species have gone extinct, which is tragic and must be improved upon, but some also come off the endangered species list sometimes. Things get polluted and then cleaned up. Children are kidnapped, and then found and returned to their parents. And so on. Things get worse, but because of the actions of ordinary people like you and me, they also get better.

This is worth caring about. This is worth standing up for. This is worth your love put into action.

And maybe it was designed in such a way that there would always be such huge problems that only together could we possibly solve them. Only by having faith in ourselves and in our fellow man could we do what we know must get done from the very core of our being. Perhaps this is yet another way life/the Divine gives us to see ourselves reflected back to ourselves within the mirror of our lives, and thereby become more of who we have the capacity to be.

Woe to the person who in their entire life never dares to care enough about anything to be willing to feel that power of moral conviction. Such lives get smaller and smaller, meaner and meaner, more and more hollow.

You have a creative power within you, even if you consider yourself an ordinary person. If you have the courage to feel all of who you are, you will be a healing force through your very being. May you feel like the blessing you are to this world.

(photo source: Mary Doria Russell)

Resteems always appreciated!