I was browsing through some forums earlier which I found as they link our Live Life Then Give Life webpage. One thread was talking about a post we issued about a little girl called Angel, who’s in desperate need of a liver transplant. Several comments surprised me greatly. The general gist of them was “yes that is all very sad but what is the point of this post? What can we do about it?”

This surprised me because it goes against my natural way of thinking. Now I am not boasting, I wish this was a grand self taught ability due to my profound knowledge that this is the right way to be, but actually it is just because it comes as an instinct to me and I can’t help it. When I come up against an impediment, my first thought is what can be done to tackle it. It just never seems to occur to me that there can’t be anything done. I suppose this is a weakness as much as a strength, as it does unfortunately mean I throw myself at sometimes the most insurmountable of obstacles.

I know I am not the only one who thinks like this, there must be hundreds and thousands of people out there of a similar mindset. Is it natural, or have we taught ourselves to try and think like that? That is another discussion entirely. Yes my way of thinking can be tiring. It requires energy and proactiveness both of which take up a lot of time. It also does not always end in success. But the way I see it, if we all sat there and went “well I can’t do anything about it” then the world would just crumble. Medicines would never be discovered, new places never conquered, technology never advanced, the list goes on.

I cannot change the world. No one can, but the tiniest of gestures can make a difference. A smile and a cup of tea with a friend, a card to someone who is ill letting them know you are thinking about them, all these change things for people. And surely it is the minutes in someone’s day that make up someone’s life? Therefore surely you are changing their life in your own tiny way?

I don’t believe in fate. Well actually, I do a bit, but I believe that we are all responsible for our own lives. I had to read a philosopher called Satre as part of my French degree, I think his essay “l’existentialisme est un humanisme” made quite a lot of sense. If you want to do something, you need to get up and do it. Or at least try to do it, not just sit there contemplating whether it is actually all worth it and what if I don’t do it maybe someone else will.

My friend Emmie, who often comes out with more intelligent things than me, gave me a quote from Ghandi which seems to sum up what I am trying to say; “be the change that you want to see in the world”.

Anyway I figure even if I am wrong…at least I tried.