Photo by mohsen ameri on Unsplash
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale… When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Thank you for sharing this moving and encouraging message. It makes me think of the talk Tobin Anderson gave to us who were students at Vermont College in 2001 after 9/11. We can all create wonderful ripples of goodness in our world. Tobin was emphasizing the importance of using our words to create ripples of hope in the world of young people during times of fear and uncertainty. I believe that will always be true.
I so agree with you, Sally. Our words must set of ripples of hope. Why else would we be writing?
Beautifully said, Marion. And what we as writers NEED to do it to create stories that inspire and reflect the love within us all, modeling for children peaceful ways to make a difference.
I agree, Sandra. I hold onto the idea that my work is my gift to the world . . . and to myself. I buoy up my own heart with it.