Political activists frame their efforts as wanting to make a
difference.
Artists wonder if their art will ever make a difference.
Writers question if their writing can make a difference.
House cleaners doubt
the same; is there a point if tomorrow the house will need cleaning all over
again?
On the face of it,
very little difference from efforts of few actually make it into the history
books.
But here’s the
kicker—
From my not humble
enough perch, it seems the notion of making a difference is like a picture
placed in the wrong frame.
“What do you mean?
Is this another one of those artsy sayings meant to sound thoughtful, but is
really a trite consolation?”
I can visualize a
reader’s eye-roll.
It seems to me that most efforts we make in our time in this world do make a
difference. Our actions make a difference to
us.
And therein lies
the meaning; small acts, continuous efforts, meaningful in real time. Making a
difference every day.
Now go get ’em.
6 comments:
Hmmm...not sure I totally agree with you on this one. No, I don't feel my actions have to make a difference to the world or to a huge number of people in order to be meaningful. And, yes, my actions will make a difference to me regardless. And, yes, some actions that make a difference only to me can be meaningful (for example, spending time with God). But, in general, for my actions to be meaningful for me they need to be meaningful in a positive way to at least one other person. One is enough. (Like the story of the kid throwing the stranded starfish back in the ocean.)
Ah so true, every moment matters, and how we choose to love in those moments is what matters most. I think of my private letter-writing of greater value than the many books I've written.
In the end, we rarely know whether what we do, say, or create makes a difference, though it sure feels good to know that it might. Unless someone tells us or we can visibly see the difference, how can we know what impact we have, except on ourselves?
I think of all the artists (and writers, composers, etc.) whose work has made a difference in the lives of countless people, though they never got recognition, acceptance, praise, or remuneration for what they had created. Some died penniless, sick, alone, despondent.
When I used to write books, I did so because I wanted them to help others in some way--something I could not determine, of course, because I did not know who was reading them. In pre-digital days, I actually received some handwritten letters thanking me, a gift a writer cherishes. One such person actually told me that my book had saved her life. Wow! is what I remember. Suddenly, all the work and time that had gone into that particular book made me feel that, indeed, the great effort had been worthwhile beyond my own experience. Something I had done had made a difference in that person's life and that certainly was gratifying.
“Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” This is from the Talmud, though many think of this quotation as coming from Schindler's List, where it is quoted again. I imagine the reader's letter to you, MirkaK, fits here.
Very true. Much of what we do affects us. I think of how mission trips I took to build houses or teach impacted me more than them.
And ultimately, it's the little things, what we do day to day, that "makes a difference" for the people in our sphere.
This makes me think about Kwame Alexander's description of being a "26-year overnight success." Each step on the way to the next success is part of the journey, even if the results aren't visible day-by-day.
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