Be the Whisper That Turns Into a Roar

The flight of a butterfly is sufficient to change the destiny of the world

Add a splash of color to the world — Image by Walter Rhein (drawing by his daughter)

A woman came to me despondent. She told me she felt hopeless. She expressed that the task before us is enormous, and she didn’t know where to begin.

She lamented all the suffering in the world. She felt physical pain over the incoming wave of torment she perceived on the horizon.

“What can I do?” she asked. “What impact can I make that will have a positive effect on the world? It seems like everything I think is inconsequential or futile. I’m so overwhelmed and filled with despair that there doesn’t seem to be any point in making any effort at all.”

I looked at her and I said, “You must be the whisper that turns into a roar.”

I see so many people who want to help their fellow human beings. They want to be a force of good in their communities. They want to be a source of generosity and kindness. They want to participate in our mutual prosperity.

But they don’t know how.

Part of the problem is that they become so occupied with step 99 that they forget to take step 1. People convince themselves that an action is useless, so they don’t even bother to try. This is a defeatist mindset, and overcoming that is the…