I remember having a discussion with a friend some years ago. Well… it was an argument.

He claimed that in order to do real good in the world and bring about true change, you had to be in major centers… cities… and be actively involved in social issues. He believed it was irresponsible if you were spiritually aware to stay hidden away in some scrawny village somewhere unconnected fro the world.

I disagreed. Perhaps it is my mystical leanings.

For example, I think of the monks and hermits who hid themselves away in monasteries or deserts and just prayed, talked with just a few people, maybe wrote something or their disciples wrote something they said, who didn’t intend anything grand at all, but inadvertently changed history.

I also said to him, “What about that little old Mexican woman in a remote Mexican village who gives food to the hungry… who does kind deeds to the village children… who provides wisdom to the young men and women around her?”

He wouldn’t budge.

This is a core value of mine: that the smallest act of kindness, generosity, grace, love, and compassion, can radically change a person’s life and upset the trajectory the world is going in.

We’ve heard countless stories of our heroes who confess they wouldn’t be where they are today without Mrs. Maxwell, their third grade school teacher… or someone like that.

Fruitfulness takes more than just being fruit. It takes seeds, saplings, roots, branches, fertilizer, sun, and time, too. And so much more!

Whether we like it or not, we are always a part of a team. We cannot and should not compare ourselves to others. We can neither diminish our importance nor elevate it.

Whoever you are wherever you are… whether in a bustling city or the remotest countryside… just be kind. Do good.

I’m convinced this is all that’s necessary.

Much love my good friends!

David