[dso]

is it possible?

can you make a living

while having a REAL

REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLLY

REAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLy real

positive impact

my instincts say no

but want to say yes

but keep saying no

unless you're special

[Tuffcore]

A "better place" is a subjective matter.

You've got,
- prostitutes providing a basic human need to their clients.
- Drug dealers selling entertainment to people bored out of their mind.
- Islam extremists ridding the world of infidels.
- Walmart greeter saying "Hi".

It's all perspectives man. It doesn't matter if you work at McDonald's, in the oil and gas industry, seal hunting, janitor, politics, biotech sector. etc. Heck, even as a poet. It's how you see the world.

[dso]

i was thinking more along

traditional lines

like feeding the ones that die

of starvation and stupid illness

but ok

i guess i can go say hello at walmart

and make someones day

and relieve myself of my

guilt

[Pogichinoy]

If you feel very passionate and want to make a difference, volunteer. I did that and it was very rewarding.

[juyoon]

Just by doing your job or role the right way, whatever status in life, may already make the world a better place for others even without you knowing it.
One does not need to start a worldwide crusade to make a difference.

...unless you want to run for public office!

[cavil.]

A "better place" is a subjective matter.

You've got,
- prostitutes providing a basic human need to their clients.
- Drug dealers selling entertainment to people bored out of their mind.
- Islam extremists ridding the world of infidels.
- Walmart greeter saying "Hi".

It's all perspectives man. It doesn't matter if you work at McDonald's, in the oil and gas industry, seal hunting, janitor, politics, biotech sector. etc. Heck, even as a poet. It's how you see the world.

That is just silly.

[jsp]

are you trying

to make your posts

in the form of

haiku's


?

[Meenuh]

This reminds me of that movie Pay It Forward.

[hayabusa01]

That is just silly.

How is that silly? Back in the day, in certain cultures prostitution was a legitimate and respectable profession. To the Islamic radicals, they were no different from the Crusaders of old... they believed in what they were doing, albeit to someone else's corrupted aims.

Anyways the whole "making the world a better place" idea made me think of this quote:

"Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows."
David T. Wolf

Quite frankly, it really is naive to think you can try to make the world a better place. Because your idea of what is "better" suits your personal ideals and beliefs... it will definitely conflict with someone else's ideals and beliefs. Many will agree with you, but many will also disagree. "Different strokes for different folks", "What's one man's trash is another man's treasure", "What's one man's paradise is another man's hell", et al. And I believe that trying to press your ideals onto those that disagree with you is a form of oppression.

BUT.... I will say that doesn't stop me from the random act of kindness. There's been many days were some random stranger's act of kindness, whether it be a gesture or the spoken word, made a bad day into a good one. Which in turn puts me into a better mood, and would be more likely to do the same for someone else... by that logic, it's kind of contagious and maybe a chain of kindness develops and spreads, making life just a little bit better for everyone involved. Just beware that many times good intentions mixed with ignorance can often be no different than intentional malevolence.

[BAZINGA!]

i was thinking more along

traditional lines

like feeding the ones that die

of starvation and stupid illness

but ok

i guess i can go say hello at walmart

and make someones day

and relieve myself of my

guilt

Perhaps

you can start

by

not writing

like this?

That would totally

make MY world

a better place.

Just volunteer. There's so many ways to try and make somewhere a better place. You can start locally... like donating, homeless shelters, join programs, or organizations. .... STOP LITTERING and RECYCLE. You just have to look for the opportunity.

[papabear]

i was thinking more along

traditional lines

like feeding the ones that die

of starvation and stupid illness

but ok

i guess i can go say hello at walmart

and make someones day

and relieve myself of my

guilt

Are you talking about life in the United States? You can only do what you can -- the system is generally set up so that you cannot make much of a difference. All you can do is to fulfill you obligations and duties to people, build up friendships, and care for others as you can. Don't give yourself an exaggerated guilt complex, though if you do find this to be a bother, that is what religion is for.

[dso]

luckily i only think like this

when i'm sober

which is not so often

let the world burn muhahahah

[papabear]

luckily i only think like this

when i'm sober

which is not so often

let the world burn muhahahah

Alcohol isn't a good place for hiding... The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

[dalmatian]

hello...

This question reminds me of M.J songs titled 'Man in the Mirror':
"if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself then make a change."

I think, let's start from our common daily life: have a good attitude toward anything near you, eg: greet people, respect the senior, love the junior, care your family, do your role at work properly.. with smile perhaps.. if we really really do it properly, it will create great domino effects to your surrounding... and it keeps going on and on....

think global, act local.

[HERMIT]

Whatever place I go in this world, I try to leave it in a much better state than when I first arrived.

That's why I carry a can of Lysol with me all the time.

[TrishellePhan]

You can start by recycling and work your way up.