DISCLAIMER: Reasons known only to itself, this post has done all sorts of strange things, namely changed my justify to central(just for the first paragraph) and added white background when it should be all green and even changed something that I didn't touch. Don't ask me why and until I actually publish, I don't know if it will go back to how it is on the draft copy. Please forgive my shortcomings; if I only knew how to do it properly, I would be half way to being happy!
For some time now I have been thinking about all sorts of things that wouldn't normally cross my mind, or if they did, they would be speedily pushed aside in my search for something better.
I don't know why I read some of the social media platforms that are out there. I use Facebook and Twitter and have done so for over a decade. I rarely respond to peoples postings, other than using the Emojis, because it can get me into a lot of trouble (I've been there once or twice and it isn't pleasant).
I don't like politics. Most of my family and friends know I never talk about the subject. Honestly, it bores me to death. People will be dismissive and say that I need to be more aware and involved in it. I do vote and I vote for who I think will do the better job in local elections, which is not always the party that I would vote for in a General one. Some may disapprove but each to their own, I say.
What I find disappointing is that people will vilify someone just because they don't agree with their views. As Thumper said in Bambi, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all". We should be able to disagree and debate without having to be nasty.
I have opinions about what has been happening in the USA recently, but I choose not to voice my opinions on social media. I have many American friends and my heart breaks for them as they deal with difficult situations, but I would never tell anyone that I hated someone/something or thought they should do this, that or the other, unless it personally had something to do with me, by posting on social media sites; that is not my place. I do talk about it and offer my opinion if asked (okay, sometimes I proffer it anyway), but it is between me and the person I'm having the conversation with. It is my private view and not up for general debate or ridicule.
This of course, brings up another issue, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (attributed to Edmund Burke). That is so true. But how do good men/women accomplish this? I have no desire to be the focus of attention, good or bad. I don't want to go on a protest march. So am I simply a good woman (well, I like to think that) who does nothing? Should I be doing something in the background? Should I be doing the small things that will never get me noticed by the famous, the wealthy or the majority of people but will help others to fulfil their lives? And if I do those small and good things, will it make a difference to my town, my country or the world? I'm not entirely sure that it is a question that I can answer, but a poem (attributed to British/Irish Comedian Spike Milligan, but apparently he found it and liked it so put it in one of his books) about smiling being spread around the world, is not so absurd as it might sound. Here's the poem:
Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner,
and someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!
(The choice of words at the end are a little unfortunate in this present COVID-19 climate but the idea is sound, so please, no unkind comments or opinions about the pandemic.)
As Mother Teresa once said, "Peace begins with a smile". I believe that it will always be the small things that are done that make the biggest difference. Funnily enough, I asked a question in my Facebook group, "If someone gave you a million pounds, what would you do with it?". Predictably, most said they would help their families (which is admirable), but only a few said they would help others too. For some reason I found that sad because I'm sure those same people would put a jar into a food bank or knit for a hospital or even clap for carers. So do we start small and see where the momentum takes us or do nothing at all because we are too insignificant to make a difference?
Some people will know the starfish on the beach story, but here it is anyway:
A man was walking along a deserted beach at sunset. As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance, as he drew nearer he noticed that the boy kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things into the ocean. As the man approached even closer, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time he was throwing them back into the water. The man asked the boy what he was doing, the boy replied," I am throwing these washed up starfish back into the ocean, or else they will die through lack of oxygen. "But", said the man, "You can't possibly save them all, there are thousands on this beach, and this must be happening on hundreds of beaches along the coast. You can't possibly make a difference." The boy smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "Made a difference to that one".
Do we really make a difference, or are we pretending that what we do makes changes? Should we carry on doing the small things or give up because in the big scheme of things, it won't make much difference?
I know what I will do. What about you?
Until next time.
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