Small Victories

This weekend I was fortunate enough to be visited by my sister who is now living on her own in another state. I began to discuss with her, as I do with anyone willing to do the same, my ideas about moving toward peace and a general improvement on the quality of life world wide. The discussion became a debate as it usually does, with her stressing views she had developed from three extra years of experience in this world, and me countering with my idealistic, and philosophical understandings. Her most valid and powerful argument was my lack of perspective based on being so well off in life. This did frazzle me a bit, because how could I argue against that, I am fortunate to have a loving stable family who cares for me deeply. To that point I had to submit, because who could argue that, however I was able to produce an interesting counter point. “The biggest problem,” she said, “was that people in cultures or social structures where drugs, crime, poor education, or other oppressive conditions exist, are not able to change their minds, [learning to value all human life] until their needs are met and they are delivered from their oppression.” I could also not deny this statement, there are great injustices occurring in this world which perpetuate violence. However, these injustices are result of human actions, and human action arguably is always governed by the mind, since to create a policy or make a command that action must be described in language, and the mind must at least organize that language. Therefore a change which could stop the injustices could be made by a change of the mind. This is where I was able to make my most valid argument, I, even though I am fortunate, have no means to meet the needs of the people who suffer under injustices, however I do have the potential to change the minds of those who are committing the injustices. I argued that such an idealistic view was beneficial, because I was doing what I could to work for change. I could change some people’s minds, or rally other people together to get the ball rolling, so even though I am not able to share the same point of view of those who are oppressed I can still help to work toward stopping the injustice resulting in their oppression.
This concept of doing what one can I think may be the biggest step in moving toward peace and unity between all people. Everyone has the potential to do good, and trying to realize that potential and use it may seem like a small step, since everyone has a different ability or potential, and so this is an individual based process, but the small victories, whatever they may be, that lead us toward abandoning our hateful and brutal actions toward our fellow people, are momentous accomplishments.
A final parting thought to leave you with, just think of the role you may play in the whole goings on in the universe. You may think that your whole existence really may not account for anything, but if you think about it, one day you may have said something, maybe expressed an idea of yours, and another person heard it and took it to heart, then maybe added their own ideas to that thought, then shared it with someone else. Someday that message may reach the ears of someone who can actually make the change, but because you were a part of that chain, you mattered. So in seeking purpose and meaning in life, maybe just trying to do what you can, and take part in something that will improve existence for even a small number of people, can give you more meaning or more purpose than any of the most influential people who are remembered throughout the ages.