Making a better place

The time has come around again to make New Year's resolutions so that we can break bad habits and form good ones. One should consider this: What can you personally do to make the world a better place? We all do some things toward that end. Therefore, to redirect our time and energy toward something productive and achievable, we should do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people in the new year.

Ex-U.S. President Barack Obama believed in change and wrote in his book, "A Promised Land," "On every issue, it seems, we kept bumping up against somebody — a politician, a bureaucrat, some distant CEO — who had the power to make things better but didn't." You have the power to inspire others and do good on a small scale. Something like picking up litter might not sound like much, but it is one of the simplest and most actionable ways that may create a snowball or butterfly effect.

Most adults agree that they can make the world a better place through their actions by thinking globally and acting locally according to a survey at Walden University by Harris Interactive. Most respondents did see the internet as a driving force and the easiest fastest way to create interest for a cause to impact social change today. Awareness of how distant events can impact their local communities is also high: 77 percent agree that what happens to communities in far regions of the world can affect their community.

Adults of all ages take part in activities that promote social change. Some 99 percent of baby boomers say they have participated in activities that engage in social change, notwithstanding most are retired and have plenty of free time on their hands. The other somewhat overlapping demographic social cohorts were also very active, with Generation X at 89 percent, and Generation Y (Millennials) at 90 percent. Among the issues needing attention, the respondents mentioned education (40 percent) and poverty (33 percent) most often.

Perhaps you haven't a penny or time to give and you are at a loss for an idea of how you can make a realistic commitment and participate in making the world a better place. One Janine Defontaine has collectively compiled "50 Small Ways to Help Make the World a Better Place." So, if you are wondering where to start, you can choose from her list what you can do to make a significant impact that will create a ripple effect. Some of her examples are, reuse, recycle and donate; step through life with honesty and integrity; decrease your environmental footprint; forgive; say thank you; learn about other cultures, faiths, ideas, languages, people and history.

It seems that some of the above fall under self-improvement, and if you are passionate about that and level up your tangible skills as well as your practical social skills, you will inspire others and certainly they will want to meet you and know you. What will you start doing today?

As an aside, when I feel that I'm not effective or doing enough to repair the world, with faith as a priority, I pray. What is your global wish for 2024?

The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) published the novella "Beyond Harvard" and presently teaches English as a second language.