Orlando was terrible, but what can I do?

Many times in our lives, we are faced with tragedies. Some close to home and some not. Especially in the cases of tragedies not close to home, we wonder what could we have done? After all, we are so far away to have any affect. We remain appalled, but do little to nothing about it confused by what we could have done anyways. But, we can do something.

What can we do? I can be the best me. You can be the best you. When we better ourselves, we better everything around us. And this ripples to everyone. Sure, it sounds a bit far-fetched, but think of it. Our society is more connected than it has ever been. Not only do we travel all over the world, but we have Facebook, Skype, and many other instant communication tools.

And yes, being the best you really does change things. A short, little lady from India changed the world. She was not focusing on changing the world for everyone at the same time, but she focused on changing the world for one person at a time. She was being the best Theresa of Calcutta that should could be. And she changed the world!

Ever since the song ‘Man in the Mirror’ came out, it always made me think. Michael Jackson, an internal pop-star, was explaining how the way for him to make the world a better place was to be a better man. I remember thinking, “Wouldn’t he be able to make the world a better place with his fame or money?” It hit me that even for Michael Jackson, being a better person was the best way to make the world a better place.

Changing who we are is hard, though. We become comfortable with ourselves. We think that we are better than someone else, so then we are good enough. We think, “I am a good person.” Jesus did not ask for good, though. He asked us for perfection. “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48] He said this when talking about loving our enemies. Perfection is hard, but in the words of daily Mass goer and legendary coach Vince Lombardi, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

I leave you with these words from ‘Man in the Mirror’, “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”