One of my favorite all time quites has been Mahatma Gandhi's 'You must be the change you wish to see in the world.'
Note that he said YOU. He didn't say the guy next to you, the person down the street, the lady in the car next to you. He pointed the finger at YOU.
Whare does this change begin? He made it clear - the change you wish to see in the world begins with YOU.
Why us? As the One that created us shows love and mercy, so must we show loving-kindness and mercy to all who come across us - even the ones we would just as soon send on a long walk down a very short pier. Remember that they too are the creation of the Divine.
Where and how do we start? We start here and now by doing little things. I like to make a short list of two or three things to do each day, a couple of things for myself and a couple of things for others. Here, as an example, is my list of things for today:
FOR MYSELF: I will add 15 minutes extra walking to my morning walk to work.
FOR MYSELF: I will stay away from caffeine after 2pm so I can sleep better tonight.
FOR OTHERS: I will smile and say 'good morning' to everybody I meet enroute to work.
FOR OTHERS: I will mean it when I ask a customer how I can be of service while I'm at work.
Even the smallest things we do make a huge difference. We each know this; most belief systems teach this. We simply don't remember sometimes or we 'forget' it and from time to time we need to be reminded. Think of each thing you do as a pebble in the water and note the ripple that the pebble makes when you toss it in.
What do you plan to do today to be the change you wish to see in this world? Start small and watch with amazement as the world unfolds before you.
Peace be with you,
Rev. K Hyler DD