“Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

– Howard Thurman

Whose job is it to save the world?  So many of us walk around acting as though the job rests with us and we don’t know where to begin.  It is good to have a conscience that extends beyond our own needs to the global needs of humanity.  There are so many needs, so many opportunities for action, so many places that could use some love, so many that cry out for peace.  Where do we begin?  The truth is that none of us, acting alone, can restore harmony to the Earth.  Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it will take a global village to usher in an era of unity and peace.

It is easy to get bogged down in trying to identify the scope of the job.  It is easy to become discouraged and to think that our efforts are futile and the goal will always remain out of our reach.  How do we take action and know that it is the first step toward a kinder, gentler, more peaceful and more compassionate world?  Suppose the task were not so complicated after all.  Suppose the first step is an easy one.  Suppose that all we need to do is open our eyes and wake up.  Suppose that all we need to do is to come alive and be the unique individuals we were created to be.

Look around you today.  Do you see another person who brings the same talents, the same ideas, the same approach to life that you bring?  We are as variable as the 5,000 pieces in a complicated jigsaw puzzle that come together and interlock to create a beautiful picture.  If one piece is fashioned to fill a spot in the center, it has no need to shave off its edges and attempt to become a corner.  People are the same way.  If each of us would just open our eyes, wake up, come alive — if each of us would embrace the gift that we bring to the global community and exercise our full potential to contribute — perhaps the pieces would begin to fall into place.

Come alive!  Acknowledge your existence and the gifts that are yours to bring.  Link arms with the rest of humanity — find your spot in the big picture and contribute the tiny dot of color that is essential to everyone else who is part of the picture.  Our world does not need miracle workers to solve all its problems, but it does need people who are willing to acknowledge the value of their small contributions and feel the passion for delivering them to the greater good.  Come alive — heal the world.