“That’s Why I Pray” is a popular country song by Big and Rich, with a message about “praying for better days.” The song describes the many parts of our world on both a large and small scale that have changed for the worse in the recent decades. Whether it means turning on the TV to watch the evening news, only to see headlines displaying breaking news about another mass shooting that took multiple lives, or even much smaller, seemingly insignificant occurrences such as ruthless Facebook comments pointing fingers at parents who tragically lost their young son in a freak accident, it seems like there’s more hate to go around than there is anything. In a world so negative, on both an international and personal level, the thought that one single person could make a positive change in the world seems entirely unrealistic. In some ways, this is true. One single person doesn’t possess the power to abolish terrorism. One single person can’t dissemble the human trafficking industry, and one single person can’t rid thousands of hearts of hatred. However, one single person has the power to bring positivity to the heart of another single person, and that small amount of positivity may not change the whole world, but it is certainly a start.
In elementary school, we are taught the golden rule -- treat others how you want to be treated. It seems simple, and in elementary school it seems like everyone (other than maybe the class bully), takes such advice to heart. However, as we grow up, most of us outgrow this kindhearted mindset. In middle school we are teasing the girl for wearing clothes that aren’t considered “in style,” and in high school we are starting hurtful rumors about the people we consider our friends. Not to mention, the adults in our lives more often than not don’t serve as role models for kindness but instead spread the negativity we start our childhoods learning is unnecessary and uncalled for. As cynical as it may be, in today’s society, finding someone who is truly goodhearted is a treasure. It’s a vicious cycle -- we are raised to be kind, then somewhere along the way, whether it’s due to being hurt ourselves, watching others benefit from inflicting pain on others or other ways, we learn that being hurtful is often easier. However, breaking this cycle could be easy, and it only takes one person to do so, and by doing so, that person is creating a positive change in the world. All it takes is choosing to be nice.
Choosing to be nice sounds simple, and it sounds cliché, but for many, it’s a true struggle. Whether they don’t realize the effect of their actions, or just find it easier to speak whatever thought comes into their mind without considering the feelings of others, being nice is truly a hassle for many people. People don’t realize the effect their petty Facebook comment has on someone’s life, and they don’t realize the negative impact a dirty look or a snide remark has on someone’s day, week or even an extended part of their life. Yeah, in the grand scheme of things, an ignorant, inconsiderate tweet seems like nothing but an immature expression of someone's thoughts when people are murdered like hunted deer, but if one person chose to keep their negative thoughts to themselves, and if one person chose to compliment someone instead of ridiculing them, the world would already be rid of a little more hatred than before.
Being nice won’t stop mass murdering, and being nice won’t save the countless children sold into sex slavery each year. Being nice won’t save the world. But being nice can change the world because it’s the one affirmative thing every single person has the ability to do. Smiling at someone that you pass on the street can change the world because if they notice, they may smile back, and even smile at someone else. Giving back to someone, whether it means buying the person’s coffee that’s in line behind you at Starbucks or even helping someone carry their many bags of groceries to their car could be the positive part of someone’s day that sets the tone for their whole day, week or longer. That positivity could inspire them to be the positive part of someone else’s day, triggering a domino effect of kindness.
We are all raised to be the best we can be at something so we are remembered for it. In high school, it’s all about being the best athlete or the smartest student, and in adult life it’s all about having the best job and the nicest material items, but when it’s all said and done nobody will remember any of those characteristics about someone. For example, I was the “smart kid” in high school. I had straight As in AP classes and I graduated ranked in the top 10 of my class of 450+ kids, but as soon as I walked that stage, not a single person cared that I was smart. It was a great quality to have, but it wasn’t a legacy. The fact that I was smart didn’t make a lasting impact on someone’s life and it wasn’t a reason for my classmates to remember my name. And as for the other kids I graduated with that were smart or athletic or artsy -- sure I would remember those qualities when they crossed my mind, but those abilities don’t matter to me as a person anymore. However, the people I do readily remember were the people who were nice. I remember my classmates that always took the time out to ask about my day or lift someone up who was struggling. I even remember my classmates who simply walked around with a smile on their face, because their smiles radiated, spreading good vibes to everyone they came into contact with. They were the classmates that made a lasting impact on my life because they cared about bettering everyone's days, even just through a smile or a random act of kindness. Those students are the students who changed even the small world of a high school campus because they left behind a legacy that was dedicated to improving someone else’s life.
If more people dedicated time to leaving behind a legacy that revolved around being the kindest, instead of being the smartest, or most talented or the wealthiest, and if more people focused on spreading love instead of hate, the world would automatically become a better place. Although it wouldn’t put an end to the horrific events that occur in our society, it would at least rid society of a small fraction of negativity, and even just one less hateful person is better than one more. To wish to change the world sounds too unrealistic and too widespread, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, meaning that every single person has the ability to make a small change in their own life, that contributes to changing all life as a whole. As the Big and Rich song says, I do "believe in better days,” because I believe that every single person, no matter their past, skin color, profession, religion, political beliefs or any other unique quality, has some amount of good in their heart. If that good can be used to spread positivity and not negativity, then that’s one small step in the direction of better days. Smiling at someone on the street may not prevent acts of terrorism, but it certainly can make someone’s day better, and inspire them improve someone else’s. Small steps like these may not change the whole world, but they do change part of it, and every part of the world that is changed is just one step closer to changing it as a whole.
