426. Saving The World

If you suddenly started telling everyone that your goal was to save the world, they might look at you strangely. Saving the world is not something one ordinarily does. It is reserved in our history for heroes and in our mythology for gods, for those who act in extraordinary circumstances or with extraordinary power. You, on the other hand, do not seem extraordinary at all. So your sudden announcement will be met with concern. Even so, it is exactly this kind of incredible goal that is most worthy of being adopted.

As your awareness of self and world expands, you begin to see your own life and the choices you make very differently. You once felt responsible only for yourself and the people closest to you, but you now see that your responsibility extends to all living beings. You see this because you understand that there is no binding distinction between yourself and others, between your suffering and their suffering, or between your needs and their needs.

Seeing these things clearly, you feel compelled to respond. Ignoring the problem is no longer an option, because you now understand that the task of meeting needs is just as necessary for you as eating and breathing. You know you must rise each and every day with the aspiration to see what the world needs and how to respond to that need. This doesn’t mean you neglect yourself, for you know these needs are also your needs. In working to save the world, you also work to save yourself.

At the same time, your goal verges on the impossible. You likely cannot save the world all by yourself. But it is the audacity to act for the good of all despite this reality that demonstrates your compassion. This does not mean your every act will always be compassionate. Awareness is never complete, which means you will still fall short of perfect compassion. But it does mean you have made compassion your priority and you will aspire to meet needs in everything you do.