The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Opinions

There are several things wrong with the world today, ranging from the flippant acceptance that we're destroying the environment to genocide abroad. People today simply grow tired of hearing about sad things, and the media looks after our conscience for us. For example, when did Anna Nicole Smith's death, although tragic, become more newsworthy than fallen United States soldiers? No one complained about reading the names of fallen soldiers when the war was still fresh because it gave the readers a reason to feel mad and patriotic, two emotions which are inextricably tied.

Now, however, we have all discounted foreign politics as a lost cause that is no longer relevant to our busy lives. Have we lost touch with humanity? Have we forgotten what it means to be human? Do we eat our meals without appreciating how lucky we are to be at the world's greatest small liberal arts college enjoying a sandwich with delightful company? According to some, things are really good! Of course, that depends on whom you ask.

I'm going to manipulate a proverb from Margaret Meade to suit my purpose. "Never doubt that a small task can make a difference. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever does." It is my belief that a small gesture of kindness everyday, compounded 6.5 billion times, can make a very positive and very real difference. Imagine what can be accomplished if we would all set aside some time everyday to do something nice for someone else. Think of the impact! It's a known fact that the most diminutive event can all at once become extraordinary as it causes a cascading effect on others' behavior. I'm sure I am not the only one whose mood has been soured for even a few hours because of a rude motorist. It works in the opposite way as well though. I'll employ the example of carolers here, people who take time out of the busy holiday season to spread some cheer to friends and neighbors.

But what, specifically, can be done? The possibilities are myriad. Send a card to a friend just to say that you were thinking of him. Call your grandmother just to say hello. Tell a fellow student that you really liked a remark that she made in class. Get a group of friends together and send a care package to Iraq. Who has the time though? Everyone has time for it because it should be society's top priority to engage other people in community building. It happens exponentially because one person's good deed inspires another to be civically active as well, and the original do-gooder feels even more energized once he or she realizes how good it feels to make someone else happy, and the cycle repeats.

Here's how I hope to contribute. I'm going to micromanage my life (it needs it) and isolate an hour a day that I use to waste time, or, as I call it, "fumble". If we all find this hour, or half hour, of even fifteen minutes, and donate it to society, we can save humanity. In doing so, we effectively create a 25 hour day. I plan on finding my hour by reducing how much time I spend fumbling in the dining hall, watching Scrubs, and organizing everything on my desk into right angles (I'm mildly OCD).

I hope that some of you will join me.

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