Nella Vita di Small Steps for the Greater Good

Sometimes I wonder about humanity. Why is it that we are the way we are? I truly believe to my core that there is (or at least was at some point) good in everyone and that we each have a personal responsibility to not only be the best person we can be, but to do our part to ensure that the larger groups (family, community, world, ecosystem, universe, etc) to which we belong are the best they can be. I think that overall, we have become too selfish and self absorbed. “I’m too busy to help” or “there are other people who can do this.” At what point did we go from being a group of beings with an intense social structure to one that can’t be bothered? Was there a point in our evolutionary history where one of our ancestors decided to horde the banana it found instead of sharing? That a mother only fed her children while the young of another went without?

I think it was a series of small steps and changes that took us from being “for the good of all” to “for the good of me…and maybe for the good of all if I can squeeze it in.” But I think that deep down inside each of us it is an innate desire and need to not just belong to groups, but better them. It may be stronger in some than others, but it is all there. I think that each of us should strive to begin to take small steps toward building healthier and more prosperous communities and groups that benefit and protect all of its members. I’m going to try and bring some ideas of things you can do to affect positive change in your communities on a weekly basis as part of an on-going “Small Steps” series.