“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
This quote by Mother Teresa helps me to remember that each action I do with heartfelt intentions matters. I assume when Mother Teresa said or wrote those words she was referring to the work that she and the nuns of her order were doing to assist people who were suffering from serious illnesses, often providing care to people who were critically ill. It mattered that they were able to help each person that they did.
When I find myself thinking about how my efforts to help others seem so limited, especially because there is so much need in our world, I remind myself of Mother Teresa’s words and how each effort I make adds to the ocean of caring. And the many other drops that make up that ocean are symbolic of all the individual actions of a great many other people. Every one of those sincere actions matters.
In addition to helping people we know, such as family members, other relatives, and friends, it’s important to keep in mind ways we can help in broader contexts as well. One way we can help others, including future generations, is by making efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. We can do this by recycling, by not running the car engine unnecessarily, and by composting instead of putting compostable items in the garbage. It surprises me how often I see items that should be put into a clearly marked mixed recyclables container that instead have been put in a trash container that is right beside it. It is also concerning that many people warm up their cars for several minutes unnecessarily, adding exhaust to the air for no good reason. I’ve read that as much as 40% of food in America is discarded. There are many waste haulers who pick up compostable food and other compostable items that are turned into organic matter used as fertilizer and to enrich soil. If many more of us did these and other actions to decrease global warming, what a difference it would make.
Finally, one of the most vital things we can do both for others and for ourselves is to grow in consciousness. We do this by noticing when we might be projecting qualities onto others that are actually reflections of aspects of ourselves—both negative and positive; by trying to discern the possible meanings of synchronicities; by paying attention to intuitive promptings; by recording our dreams and pondering the possible messages of the symbolism of our dreams; and by trying to discern the significance of unexpected occurrences. According to Jungian psychological theory, whenever a person becomes more conscious, it has a positive effect on our world—another important drop added to the ocean of caring. Similarly, many religious traditions emphasize that each loving action positively affects not only the receiver and giver of that action but that loving kindness radiates to others as well.
It is my hope that Mother Teresa’s words will encourage each of us to make changes and do actions that benefit others and to remember that each of those changes and actions does make a difference.
