Are my actions meaningless?

In this crazy world, where bad things happen at scales we struggle to get our head around, feeling that any small thing we do is meaningless, in the grand scheme of things, is more than understandable and sadly very common. Such feelings can stop us taking any action, they can leave us living with despair and depression. In a world in very dire need of change, that’s a terribly sad thing. But are our actions meaningless?

My sense is that they are not.

I’m reminded of this everyday here in Ghana when I go for my morning walk. Lots of wee children smile at me and say, “Good morning” and when I smile back and reply, they generally burst into a massive grin. Nothing meaningless about that.

Beyond that, there are the bigger efforts we put in to make the world a better place. Pushing poo uphill can be a frustrating journey, but along the way, we don’t know the intangible, unseen impacts we’re creating. I’ve had people come to me in very remote parts of the world to tell me a blog I wrote years ago inspired them to bring change to their community. That feels meaningful. Just because we don’t know about it, doesn’t make it meaningless.

It’s a question many people ask themselves and in my latest small video, see below, I attempt to address this question. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work in many contexts where change was very much needed and we managed, through collective efforts, to bring it about, at scale. Not everyone can point to such things but by only focusing on the big and grand, we can lose the perception that little things matter too, like putting the smile on the face of a small child.

I hope you enjoy the video. Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the world and grapple with a sense that nothing you do is meaningful?