Helping the World

What Can You Do?

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:49:19 GMT

When we're talking about helping the world, it sounds like a tall order. It's a big world out there, and the problems can make ordinary people look small. But there's a lot that you can do.

Since most people think of this subject in terms of charitable giving, let's start by talking about that. What can you do?

For starters, you can get choose a cause, and donate. Choosing is actually the important part. Unless you choose a charity, you'll just be overwhelmed by the variety of them out there. The best way to make this choice is to find some cause that means something to you personally, and give to that. For my part, I like the MS Society, and the University of Michigan, so these are the two organizations that benefit the most from my giving.

You don't have to give money, though. A lot of non-profits have work done by volunteers. Agian, to use a personal example, I pack food at a food bank about every two months. I got involved with them about 2 years ago, after I met the food bank's secretary at my work (I'm in advertising; she was delivering some material to a coworker of mine at the ad company). When I saw what she did, I thought it'd be nice to help, and she told me to just come on down. They put me to work packing up grocery boxes for their clients, and I've been going back about every 7 or 8 weeks ever since.

Finally, you can take a look around yourself. Look at your neighborhood, or at the park bench where you're eating lunch, or at the bus stop outside your work, or even just at the sidewalk in front of your house. What's there? Are there bits of trash around? Is the grass unkempt? Are people tossing cigarette butts in the gutter? These are all easy things to "fix," if only someone simply would....

So why not be that someone?

What's so wrong with Idealism?

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:05:32 GMT

As a child, people would ask me what I wanted to do when I grow up. My answer was always the same, "I'm going to save the world". The response was also always the same idea, "Good for you", "How mature of you", "Such a noble cause", "I'm so proud of you".

Then, around the age of 17, the responses began to change. They went from being proud to giving me the "You'll grow out of it", "You can't make a difference in the world" and they're faces would give off the 'she's delusional' attitude.

I didn't care what they thought; I knew that I was going to save the world. Then one day in college, I read a quote, which I couldn't tell you if my life depended on it but generally stated that it wasn't the grand ambitions of saving the whole world that made a difference, but the small actions of helping the world around you (i.e. ripple makes a wave). I took that statement to heart.

My goal never changed. I want to make this world a better place, and I am willing to dedicate my life to this cause. What did change was my way of achieving my goal. I know that I can't get rid of nukes, stop global warming, end starvation, terrorism, hate, etc, single handedly. What I do know is that I can help to make the world around me, my little world, a better place. I also know that my actions, in effect, will make a difference in ways that I will probably never know, nor do I really care to.

I have spent my entire life trying to help in any way possible, whether with a single person, school, city state, or country. To some of my actions I have seen the fruit, to others, I haven't (not to say there wasn't, I just didn't see it). If I had listened to the overt and underlying messages of just about every person I spoke with, if I had taken them seriously, I don't know what the world I live in would be like today. What I do know is that I would be a lot less happy?and a lot more like the way that society attempted to mold me.

I'm not saying fight the power, I'm saying believe in yourself, not what others tell you that you are and should be. If not, you will never be satisfied and the world would have a very hard time being a better place (It can't do it alone, you know?).

Helping the World

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:39:50 GMT

I've decided to blog with a theme, and the theme is, 'Helping the world.'

What does that mean, exactly? There are a lot of different interpretations. You can look at it the way that Greenpeace does, and try to protect every endangered species, or the way the Sierra Club does, and try to protect the environment, or you can take the classical Jewish approach, and simply try to leave the world as a better place than you found it.

Actually, that last doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. If everyone did that, worked to make the world a little bit better, imagine how many issues could be solved. But what would it entail? Are there projects we can work on, to improve what we find around us? And what parts of the world need helping, and how do we recognize them?

Some of these questions are easy, some are not, and some may have no answer at all, but they all need to be asked. We can ask them of ourselves, or our friends, or even our enemies, and hopefully, we'll find some answers. Answers, however, are not always required in order to "help the world."

In this blog, I want to explore ways to do that. I want to look at ways to answer the questions, and ways to help the world around us, and ways that even one person can make a difference. I'll invite you to comment, and share your thoughts as I am sharing mine. It's my hope that the discussion will generate ideas.

A Proud Idealist

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:19:55 GMT

I am an idealist. No question about it. I am realistic enough to live in this world, but I cannot accept it for what it is. The world can be a much better place, if we just put in the tiniest of efforts. I was called out on being an idealist with the blog I wrote about the Sudanese refugees.

I wear that badge proudly. I may not have all of the answers, or most of them for that matter. I may not be in the position to help everything all of the time, and I may be looked upon as living behind a set of rose colored glasses. Nonetheless, I believe. Strongly. I believe that there are other people like me out there. I know I can make a change, and I know that I can impact every single person I meet, I know I control my life and the good and the bad that I make of it.

I know that I have the power to make a difference. And I take full advantage of that knowledge. Because of the fact that I know that I, and only I control my world then I can certainly make it as good or as bad as I want. It's my choice.

I may not have all of the answers about where to put the refugees or how they should be absorbed into other countries in the world, but I do know that we have the power as a country and citizens to help those refugees, if we only chose to. I am not saying the answer is simple, but there is always and answer. It just needs to be found.

I believe, and like the great Dr. King said so famously, "I have a dream"!

In the Footsteps of Moses?

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:53:08 GMT

We spend way too much time measuring ourselves up to others. Whether it is style, fashion, successes or failures, we are always checking against the measure of others to see where we stand.

Thank goodness that God doesn't judge the way that we do. If so, we would've all been struck down thousands of years ago - probably way before the notion of monotheistic religion came into the picture. Phew!

We are always looking to others to see where we stand, where the only measure we can truly count ourselves up against is ourselves. We can strive to be as good, beautiful, rich, happy as others; but we never will. There will always be someone else that one-ups us.

When pondering whether or not I am ever going to be a truly "good" person, I was told that it doesn't matter who I am, when I arrive at the gates of heaven. If I did the best I could do with what I had, that is what counts and it doesn't matter if I was like Abraham or Moses. We are each our own form of unique, and that is great.

I may not believe in heaven per say, but I certainly know that I am the best me that I can be. And nobody can take that away from me with their skewed measurement system.

Try to keep an eye on your thoughts and actions. Be proud of who you are and work with what you have - you don't need to prove yourself to anyone but yourself.

I feel the need to continue on what I wrote last week, but more as an offshoot of a topic that came up rather than the issue of the refugees themselves.

Send them Back to Sudan!

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:37:21 GMT

I have a subject that I want to discuss today which goes opposite the direction I normally go in this blog?who knows, maybe it's my new direction?I need to complain about the country in which I live, which I rarely do publicly.

I live in Israel. For the past few months, the subject of the Sudanese refugees coming into Israel in search of refuge from the violence and genocide in their country has been more or less in the spotlight. They would come in, and the government would basically do nothing with them, dropping them off in an industrial area, for example, and tell them to wait. Then simply leaving them and not coming back for them.

Our government has been deliberating what to do with these refugees for a while now. In the meanwhile, the private sector and humanitarian organizations have taken over where the government has fallen short. The refugees have been given homes and work and food and clothing - until last week.

Last week the folly government of the State of Israel decided to not allow the refugees to enter Israel through the Egyptian border, as well as to kick out the refugees who have been staying in this country. I can almost understand the political reasons for this - we don't have the money to take care of them, it may cause a wave of refugees and there is nowhere to put them in this tiny country, the usual terrorism that we are used to; but I will never accept them. We are all humans, and the Darfur issue has been going on for years with little help from the outside world. As Jews, not so many years ago, one third of our people were massacred at the hands of the Nazis with the aide of publics and governments which looked the other way. Where in the hell do we get the right to do the same thing to these refugees, when we still haven't forgiven Europe and the US for doing to us?

I have no answer. I am shamed and humbled as a person and as a Jew. I pray for the lives of those refugees. I have no faith in my government. And I wish I had done more to help my world.

Own Yourself and Jump for Joy!

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:00:45 GMT

Allow yourself to experience euphoria.

I love that feeling when all of a sudden, everything is not only ok, it's great! It is a feeling that is as if a light really is shining down on you from heaven, happiness overwhelms every pore in the body. This feeling makes you want to sing, yell, laugh and cry from true joy. It is my favorite feeling in the world.

At that moment when the understanding possesses me, that I am in complete control of my life, and I look at all of my problems, own them, then show myself how to get over them; that is when this feeling often hits me.

Many people reading this have probably never experienced this feeling before, or at least not in their adult lives. You are probably thinking that I am crazy to, out of the blue, experience absolute joy and happiness. Well, maybe I am a little bit crazy. Along with my bit of craziness, though, is my knowledge that I create my own reality, and therefore take full responsibility for issues both good and bad in my life. When I own up to the fact that I am in charge of me, life becomes fun, not just something that we are trying to wade through until we die.

Too many times I have heard people using the excuse, "I can't do this", but that's not what they really mean, what stands behind that sentence is, "I won't do this". It's too bad. When one realizes that they create their own reality, the word can't completely disappears from their vocabulary?that word, can't, no longer makes any sense whatsoever.

I recommend to everyone that you get yourself this natural euphoric feeling, and take control of your destiny?It's a lot more fun than the difficult lives that most people lead?

Experience!

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:45:53 GMT

Why drag your feet through life when you can dance the whole way through?

One of the biggest mistakes that I believe we make in life is that we forget to experience it. For some reason people think that living life means simply going to school followed by work until retirement. I think that's a load of crap.

I'm not saying that if one follows their heart and finds a career that perfectly complements them they aren't experiencing - I'm talking about those who basically try to make it to the weekend, those who go to work for the paycheck, not the experience. Oftentimes people get so caught up in their unbelievably stressful schedules that they forget themselves and often their families. Before they know it, they are old and grey and life has passed them by. That is just too bad!

Our mistake, most of the time is that we base our lives on our careers, even if we don't like them. People put so much importance on something that is so unimportant in the span of time and space and I just don't understand why.

Often, when I travel, people tell me how much they want to go, but they just don't have the time (and the money) to do it. I remind them that I am probably the busiest person they know, and somehow I still manage to take the time to experience the world (and I do it in a way that it costs me equal or less than what it costs me to live at home in a typical month). The thing is, it's not really somehow, it is that I prioritize, and I put the things that I believe are truly important first, then I the do things that I believe are important. I know that money is crucial in this day and age, so I found ways to do what I love and believe in through my work. We can all do it, we just get lazy or stuck in a rut, or we get too comfortable or we don't believe in ourselves, there are a lot of excuses.

I think that there is nothing sadder than letting life pass you by, too many of us choose to do it, but I hope we will begin to wake up, and realize that we only have one life to live?so live it!

Superstitious for a Cause

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:41:49 GMT

Belief and action combined is the formula for making this world a better place.

I suppose that one could say that I am a pretty superstitious person. It isn't necessarily that I believe that something specific is going to happen if I don't do something (like knocking on wood three times to make something spoken not come true), it is more that I don't know if something will happen or not and I don't want to take the chance of making it happen?I guess that may or not make sense, but whatever?

One of my "superstitions" is that of making a wish on the first star I see in the sky. I know I started this habit when I was in my pre-teens, and I remember that this was also a phase in which I prayed every evening, so wishing on a star just became a part of my prayers. I used to wish for all good things to happen in the world, and I truly believed that the power of my belief would help the world to become a better place.

Now, many years later, I still wish on the first star I see at night. I still believe that the power of my beliefs will make the world a better place. I don't have to know if for a fact in order to believe it. I don't know for sure how much of a difference my wishes have made over the years. Honestly, I don't care too much of what I'll never know, because I know that even though I have not personally seen those wishes come true, those wishes have turned me into a person who cannot just let things happen. That belief on a star has flowed into my reality?it has made me believe that I must take action to help, not just wish it so, and every day, when I wish upon a star, I remember that wishes can always be made into a reality through right action!

Why did the cyclist die?

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:15:37 GMT

A motorcyclist hits a truck and nobody stops to help...what's going on?

Sometimes I wonder what it is about people that make them so uninterested in helping, even in the smallest way. I remember watching the news a few months ago, where there was a story about a motorcyclist who ran into the back of a semi truck at a stop light. I don't know exactly what happened, but from the looks on the news, the truck stopped then immediately started moving again at a stoplight, the motorcyclist hit him and fell off his bike (if I remember correctly, he died on impact in the middle of the road). Cars didn't even slow down for the motorcyclist, they just went around him. Nobody stopped to see if he was alright, which he wasn't cuz he was dead. I was horrified to watch this happen. As one who always stops at an accident scene if the paramedics or police haven't yet arrived, I just cannot understand how so many people can simply drive by an accident where it is likely that there have been injuries.

What ever happened to compassion? Which goes back to my question, what is it about people that make them so uninterested in helping?

Is it something scary? Will the boogeyman get those who help in the middle of the night? Or maybe it simply takes way too much time out of our way too busy schedules. That would make sense seeing as it seems to me that it is so much easier to keep oneself busy that to actually live and enjoy life?but still, it never hurts to help?and it does hurt to be too busy.

Concerts for Global Warming

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:08:19 GMT

By M.L.

Last month the whole world was witness to a jungle of open air concerts by some of the most famous and most popular singers, musicians and performers to be found today.

The purpose, evidently, was to bring the problem of global warming to the forefront as the world's greatest dilemma today. But what did all these concerts actually attain?

They offered delightful entertainment for an awful lot of people. They were heavily attended and much appreciated by crowds and crowds of people. But did the governments of the supposedly "enlightened" countries pay any attention? As a result of these concerts did anyone decide not to buy a Hummer, or, perhaps to trade in a Hummer for a more economical fueled car? Did any of the governments of the industrial countries decide that they would expend more money on research and production of alternate fuels? Did any of them pass laws and enforce them to lower greenhouse gas production?

I watched some of these concerts on television. I thought about the huge amounts of money put out by all these performers for global entertainment. And, despite all the hype and publicity, despite Al Gore's passionate address to the world, I came away with the feeling that it was a futile and extremely wasteful attempt to help the world.

In my opinion, a free showing, world-wide, on huge, giant screens of Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" would have been far more effective.

A Chip off My Shoulder!

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:53:20 GMT

The other day I did something totally crazy. I told my secret. The one I had been carrying around like baggage for 12 years. It was the hardest thing I think I have ever done.

How did this come about? Two days pervious, my husband, during a casual conversation, asked me if I had any lies that he would be surprised to find out about. He asked it in a very joking fashion, and when I shut up and contemplated, I think he was very surprised. Finally I told him that I have one secret, but I will take it to my grave. He didn't prod?he trusts me.

The Pandora's box of memories of my life opened, but all I could remember were bad memories. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that something that I had buried so many years ago was back. I felt that I just needed to tell him. I needed to get it off of my chest after so many years.

I was scared out of my mind, finally letting my secret out, and it took me two days to get up the nerve. For the hour before he came home, I was trying every tool I had to calm myself and my heart down. As soon as he walked in the door, so as not to lose the courage that I didn't feel I had, I told him, before hello, that I needed to tell him my secret.

We sat down, and I mustered everything I had to be able to tell him. After a few minutes, I forced myself to blurt it out. He wasn't angry, he wasn't even upset. He didn't actually think it was such a big deal (except, of course, that it had been sitting on me for years), this being what I considered the worst thing I had ever, ever done.

About an hour later, I realized that my entire body (legs, bum, back, arms, neck - everything) was sore. Twelve years of pressure had just been taken off me, and my body could finally relax. I was starting a clean slate, no more secrets.

Sometimes we think our actions have been so terrible that they are unforgivable. Maybe there are unforgivable actions, but maybe, just maybe, what we feel to be so bad, so repulsive, in mostly in our own minds, and maybe it will upset the person you tell. But once you escape those shackles...you are completely free - and freedom is the best feeling in the world, just ask any person who is not free.

Signs

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:46:58 GMT

This is an experience that can happen to anyone, anywhere...

I am a strong believer in signs, and the following story is one that makes the point that I continually try to make. A small gesture can make a world of difference.

This is a story that I have taken from Paulo Coelho's book, Maktub.

'A woman friend had gone out with the exact amount of money she needed to take her son to the movies. The boy was excited, and every minute asked his mother how long it would take to get there. When she stopped at a traffic light, she saw a beggar seated on the sidewalk. "Give all of the money you have to him," She heard a voice say.

The woman argued with the voice. She had promised to take her son to the movies. "I can give him half and my son can go in alone while I wait outside," she said. But the voice didn't want to discuss it. "Give it all!" She had no time explain it all to the boy. She stopped the car and held out all the money she had to the beggar. "God exists, and you have proved it to me," the beggar said. "Today is my birthday. I was sad and ashamed to be begging. So, I decided not to beg: if God exists, he will give me a present."'

Maybe this is a true story from Paulo's own experiences, maybe not; but the fact of the matter is that this kind of thing happens every day, in every country, in every corner of the world. One small gesture from one to another can literally "rock their world"!

Try on a smile

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:12:17 GMT

It doesn't hurt to smile a little...

You know, smiling is only good for us. But do you know how good it really is?

Every time we smile, endorphins are released into our system, which raises our moods. It is our body's form of giving us a natural upper.

Something that I do if I get upset or angry, is to make myself smile. Even if it is fake. When I do this I notice that my mood gets just a little bit better. If I add positive thoughts or memories into the mix, there is a noticeable difference. This certainly doesn't take away my problem, but it helps me look at it more rationally.

Not only is smiling great for ourselves, but it is also good for those around you. Above everything else, smiling is contagious. You can put people in good moods just by being happy and smiling. Then, you just helped release endorphins in their systems, making their day just a little bit better!

Smiling creates a positive atmosphere around you and can influence any one who comes into your presence. Talk about powerful, and in the most positive of ways!

Everybody appreciates a smile.

A great easy goal to have is to make 5 or 10 people smile every day (obviously adjustable to the amount of time you are not alone). This is a wonderful way to brighten lot of people's days.

It makes the world around you just a little bit brighter, and as I have said over and over, a ripple makes a wave?

Slow the pace

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:08:08 GMT

Slow down! You're moving too fast!

As a general rule, I believe that it is safe to say that those of us living in the Global North are in one hell of a rush.

We are always on our way to somewhere or trying to achieve something. From taking care of families to work to school to random activities - point made. We are in so much movement, that we often forget to slow down and experience.

It is unbelievable how much we miss when we speed through life. It makes me wonder how many awesome experiences I have missed because I forgot to slow down. I think that we forget that the important thing in life is to live it! What is the point of being alive if you aren't even "being", just always "doing"?

Last year I walked the Northern Camino in Spain. If there is anything in the world that would make a person slow down, it would be walking 800 kilometers across a country?and watching the rest of the world speed by. There were so many wonderful experiences that I had which the speeding world never even saw coming, before they were already gone.

After the Camino, I made it a point to slow down. That doesn't mean I am not just as active as I was before - I just do it differently. I walk places instead of driving, I actually do stop, and smell the flowers; and they smell really good.

Slowing down your pace doesn't mean slowing down your life, it just means experiencing it. That is something we all deserve!

Animals have feelings too, you know!

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:06:54 GMT

Why take in an animal if you can't take in the responsibility?

If there is one thing that never ceases to amaze me about people, it is the ability to simply throw away a pet.

We are their protectors, their parents, their friends; and in taking up that position in the beginning of the owner-pet relationship- we are dedicating ourselves for the duration of their life.

And yet, on a very regular basis, I see people simply throw away their pets. I say this with first hand knowledge. Our two dogs, cat, and my mother-in-law's cat, our closest friends dog and cats, were all rescued from (no, not the SPCA) the "junk yard" that I call home.

I live in a beautiful community on the outskirts of town. Far enough away to be able to drop off a no longer loved pet which is then not able to find its way home. A fair amount of pets where I live are these poor animals.

Back to my point. Animals have feelings too, and people don't seem to take that into consideration when abandoning them to fate. Along with the fact that the animal may or may not find a home, or even survive, we cannot forget the issue of overpopulation. There are already millions and millions of stray animals, and many more on the way. We do not need more strays!

It is unfair to take in a pet for any reason, if one is not responsible enough and loving enough to take care of it. Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule and sometimes a pet must change families, but no responsible person would just throw them away.

I think it is something that anybody taking in a new pet needs to be aware of: Their responsibilities.

The Story of a Life

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:21:46 GMT

A chance meeting made a world of change for this young man.

I have heard this story probably a million times, but each time, it makes me think?Though I know that the story is true, I do not know which version is the correct one, so I will share with you my favorite.

One day, a young man was walking home from school. On the way, he tripped and dropped the books that he was carrying. A boy his age came and helped him to pick his books up. The boys ended up walking home together and in short time, became the best of friends. Over the years, their relationship continued to blossom.

The boys went to school together up through to their graduation. At the graduation ceremony, the boy who had tripped so many years earlier was asked to give a speech. The young man walked up to the stage and began his speech.

He told his class how all of those years ago, on that fateful day that he dropped his books, he had been on his way home, not like every other day, but with a plan. His plan was to commit suicide. He felt lonely and had no friends, and felt that he had no reason to live.

When he had dropped his books, and a kind new face came to help him pick them back up and walked home with him, the boy realized that there was good in the world. By making that new friend, by that simple gesture of kindness, the young man decided not to kill himself. Thanks to the small action of one young man, entirely, without his knowledge, he had saved a life; the life of his future best friend.

At that graduation ceremony, the young man was finally able to thank his best friend for saving his life all those years ago...

Lessons from a Garlic Field

Sun, 27 May 2007 11:11:14 GMT

Who would've thought that a field of garlic could help us learn a thing or two about ourselves?

We have a very difficult time understanding that each and every one of us makes a difference. Sometimes we make it in a small way, sometime in a big way. Sometimes we make a positive impact, sometimes negative, but we all make a difference. The issue is, what kind of an impact are we making, not can we make an impact.

A few days ago I was having a discussion with my husband and a friend about the garlic fields that had become ripe for picking by our house. My husband had said that he went out and picked some garlic for us and his family. Our friend, who used to work in those fields, told us that he always sees cars parked outside the fields with people picking garlic.

My husband told him that it is not like it really matters if one person here or there picks garlic; it's not as if it makes any difference. The response of our friend was that it makes a huge difference. He explained that it doesn't matter if one person picks some garlic for personal use, but that a lot of people pick a little garlic, which leaves the fields half naked, which in turn, makes it difficult for those who planted the garlic and worked the soil in the first place to make a profit.

This is exactly the same on the macro level. Each action that we make creates a reaction. We may not necessarily see, or understand, the reaction, but it is always there. By living our lives conscious of our actions, we can create positive, even profitable reactions. When we do not live consciously, we can very often do more harm that we could even imagine. By taking our lives into our own hands and paying attention, who knows how much good can come of it!

The Power of Knowledge - The potential we possess!

Wed, 09 May 2007 09:21:51 GMT

Knowledge and understanding are necessary requirements for any fighter of the just cause. The more we know, the better we are able to solve problems on the micro and macro levels. The better we understand helps us to connect more strongly with the parties involved.

If there is one bolting lesson that I have learned in my life, it is that being able to understand my counterparts, strangers, friends and all those around me has diffused every situation, led to exciting adventures, led me to meet new people, and make sense of the kaleidoscope we call life - one small step at a time!

Through our knowledge comes power. With power comes responsibility. Once we know, it would be in bad conscious to ignore. There is much truth to the saying, "ignorance is bliss". Life would be great out on a beach spending my days drinking Margaritas and sunbathing, but we live in a globalized world, and we are forced to know things whether we want to or not.

We have a responsibility to take action in some form to help make a difference in the world of which we are a part. Whether it is taking on a cause, recycling, or donating to a charity - different things work better for different people, we must not be armchair revolutionaries!

We live in a precious world, chock full of interesting people, beautiful wildlife, and anything our hearts desire. Let us take up some of the responsibility to help keep the world special.

Some people are born knowing that they are destined to do great things; others have no clue until they stumble upon it, but each person has it within themselves to make a huge impact.

I challenge each of you to go, and find out your true potential!

One Girl's Impact

Thu, 03 May 2007 09:52:28 GMT

The end created a beginning. How a ripple can create a wave.

I want to tell you all about one specific act, one of the few which I do believe was completely selfless, which was quickly forgotten in the midst of the larger story. I can not give exact facts, as the news only broadcast the story for a very short period of time, and I was not able to find the story in later searches.

The event occurred during the Chechen takeover of the Russian opera house a few years ago. In the middle of the crisis, a young Russian woman decided to take it upon herself to attempt to remedy the situation. She was not involved with security officials, and had no family or friends being held hostage in the opera house. The girl simply wanted to help and believed that she could work with the involved parties.

She managed to walk right into the opera house, unarmed, with her hands raised. She attempted to tell the Chechens that she was there to help, however the hostage takers believed that she was working for the Russians, and killed her. That's the story.

What this girl did, may not have made a difference in the crisis situation at the opera house, but what it did do, was make a difference in my life. I truly believe that if I saw that story, and it made that strong of an impact on me, then it must have done the same thing for others. Kinda like the butterfly effect.

What that girl did made me think about what I do in my life to make a difference. It made me more conscious of my every day actions.

This girl's story may not have been "important" enough to be better covered by the media, but it was so important to me (and I believe others), that I have told the story over and over, in the belief that it will make an impact on more people. The girl probably had no idea that her death caused an awaking in a girl in the other side of the world (and who knows where else), which has been passed on to others over time.

I do not believe that her death was in vain, and I do believe that her act was selfless. She made a difference in the lives of so many others, simply by walking into an opera house.

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Thu, 15 May 2008 12:47:21 GMT

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