Making the world a better place

If you were to change the world for the better, in a significant way, and a limited budget, how would you do that?

I know someone who did just that, and the benefits of her action reach all the people in the village: the old, the young, and everyone in between. Others now follow, and more people will reap benefits from this idea. And you, too, can change the world, maybe not in that exact way, but all you need is a brainstorming session with a few other people, a list of all your skills (yes, you do have skills, no need to be humble here), and put two and two together, and you can come up with a great idea that will wow people all around. And you'll be proud for leaving an amazing legacy of doing good - and that counts for more than anything else. After all w we are here on this Earth not to live the most hedonistic life possible (although some do just that!), but to impact others' lives in a positive way. This could be your chance, ''if you're willing to accept the mission''. Remember, a brainstorming session and a list of your ''know how'' is all that stands between you now, and a lasting legacy. I hope you'll go for it.

But first, grab your coffee, and read on what this person described below did, to change the lives of her fellow villagers.

''Transforming a telephone box into a library.''

I have an acquaintance in Great Britain. This lady - let’s call her Ms. D. - is very civic-minded, and greatly influences her village with her various, creative projects.

When cellphones saturated the world, the iconically British red phone booths (or telephone boxes as they’re called in England), became obsolete. There are about 20,000 of those beautiful structures in the UK now, and they’re being repurposed through various community programs.

Ms. D. and a team of volunteers repurposed one of those Phone boxes into a ‘’Book Exchange’’ place, where people can donate their gently used books, as well as take any book they’d enjoy reading, without any charge.

I find this creative idea very beneficial to people near and far, and it also has a great positive impact on environment:

- books are being recycled in the best possible way, by allowing each book to be read by many people again and again

- books are not being discarded

- books are not ending up in a landfill

- books are not being mechanically recycled into other objects. This process, although ment to be serving and reduce the impact on the environment per se, requires such large amounts of water and electricity, which in the final analysis, may be less of a benefit to the environment than was intended

- the books offer knowledge to the younger generations, and lessen feelings of boredom for the older generations

- the books bring joy to all readers, those who donate them derive joy from giving to a good cause, and those who read them derive joy from the reading, and that is a great way to make a community thrive without the involvement of any official civic organizations

Ms. D. is improving the life of many people, many of them she may not even meet in person, but as the saying goes:

"You never really know the true impact you have on the world and those around you... So be kind when the opportunity arises."

Ms. D.’s ripple effects of goodness continue to spread into her community and beyond.