Ripples

There is no need to be a drum-beating missionary to change the world. Gently lapping ripples on a lake against a stone ledge at the shore will eventually make a deep impression. Learning to accept time and the incremental nature of change is vital to having peace of mind as an ethical person. 

There are those among us who are talented at making their voices heard over mass media, for good or bad. They have their part to play in human evolution. But I am convinced that the everyday behaviors of people in the world determine the actual quality of human life. The good person, driven by mindful compassion in all things, makes ripples in his/her own environment which have inevitable effect. 

My hope is to support the humanist practice of other individuals. While community groups and community meetings are valuable, they can only be as valuable ultimately as the practice of the individuals within them. Their net value is often somewhat compromised by the lack of daily practice of the many despite the vigorous daily practice of the few. The tokenism of religion, in which the truly good are seen as a clergy or an ordained few, is ineffectual at promoting universal peace and justice. The history of religions and wars is evidence in support of this assumption.

When I become overwhelmed by my own inability to change myself or my environment, I try to think of the ripple effect of small change. This encourages me to do something, however minimal or seemingly unimportant, to change my life or my environment for the better. Expecting immediate results is futile in most enterprises in the real world, despite our virtual tablet world where apps light up screens at a tap.