Thinking Thursday: Begin With Me

As we move towards New Year and the ubiquitous resolutions, let me offer these thoughts:

I’m talking to the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
My message couldn’t get any clearer:
If you want to make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself and make the change.

So sang Michael Jackson, and he had a point. So much is wrong in our world. Crime, natural disasters, injustice. We say, “Somebody ought to do something” or blame it on the nebulous ‘they’. Campaigning for truth and justice is a noble thing. Not many of us can go off to Africa or Haiti or some inner city jungle and get personally involved. But what about closer to home? What could you do to change things, even something small?

Recently I watched the film of the Dr Seuss book 'Horton Hears a Who.' The world of Whoville is saved because one man believed and stood firm before the people, and one elephant believed and refused to let the animals destroy it, and one boy shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. What could you do or say that would change things for the better?

If enough people just started being kind to others, what would our country look like? If just you started being kind to others, or honest, or helpful, what difference would it make to your life and the life of those around you? In the words of another song:

Let there be peace on earth
But let it begin with me.