or at least try not to degrade or undermine it?

Do you actually try to improve the world however you can?

Or do you feel it doesn't matter?

Do you know people who do whatever they think they can get away withour caring if they hurt others or degrade the culture and society?

Example: As a teacher, one very strict rule for me was not to allow kids to spit. I didn't have to make the rule until the last few years before retirement. Up to that point, it had never been much of a problem except with one or two unsocialized kindergarten kiddies.

This is a small example of the culture becoming more crude and many individuals focusing only on what they wanted to do and not caring about the sensibilities and health of others.

Not to make this a discussion of spitting but I'm hoping there are posters who actively try to make the world a better place than it would have been without their efforts.

Small efforts count as much to me as kicking off monumental trends.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2013 03:09PM by Cheryl.

There is a team of us that share the load, making sure that each client has a morning call and an evening call.

I teach yoga and got certified in it because when I started doing yoga years ago it brought me so much healing from the world's stress and nonsense, and now I can share that healing with others too.

Now in massage therapy school to spread some more healing through therapeutic touch.

At stores and when out & about if I see something untidy or out of place that I can easily make right, I do it.

When I'm in a chipper mood I can't hold back from voicing sincere compliments to people.

I suck at making the world a better place, but I try not to do too much damage :(

Right now my main contribution is to a small exmo family that is suffering traumatic stress. Two parents, two children. I visit about 3x a week. The mother has been so traumatized that suicide ideation is a daily struggle but she courageously gets up everyday. I'm trying to support, listen, and give a sense of hope. I tend the younger child often and try to coax the older one out of his shell.
Thanks for asking the question, Cheryl. I feel validated for what I'm trying so hard to contribute. Hadn't seen it that way before. They are family.

Good for you that is wonderful. I bet they all will be better off in the future because of you.

I make an effort to--as much as I am able--leave every place I am in, or go to, at least a little bit better than it was when I came in or arrived.

So...if I'm in a public restroom, I will (with a clean paper towel) pick up discarded paper towels and put them in the receptacle...or I will flush an unflushed toilet...or I will take the paper towel I am drying my hands with and use it to wipe down the sink counter.

If I'm in a public park, I pick up trash and deposit it where it is supposed to be deposited. (I carry disposable latex gloves, which I buy by the box at Costco, in my car so I always have fresh ones to use when I deal with trash.)

If there is debris in the street (especially if it is a hazard: broken glass, metal pieces, etc.) I will stop and pick it up (and I have old paper or plastic bags, already reused and ready to be discarded, in the car for interim use if needed).

One of the best things any one of us can do is smile and say "Hi" and wave happily to babies and toddlers. Make funny faces (not frightening ones, needless to say), if this is something you don't mind doing. ENGAGE with those kids, because every time you do this, you are causing extra brain connections to be established in their brains and throughout their bodies. Every time you purposefully interact with a baby, toddler, or little child, you are changing the world for the better forever, because that child will be made better by your interaction, and that will echo down the generations, long past your demise or theirs. If you're standing in line and a baby or toddler or little child is looking at you, interact with them as seems right for the moment, and over time you will have made this world a better place forever.

This is a good outlook on life. I hope to incorporate some of these ideas.

I love hiking and want others to have that joy. Whenever I go I carry two small disposable water bottles to give to anyone who forgot water for themselves or their dog.

When I am in a store and the line is long I try to defuse the situation if other customers start to get angry.

If I see a mentally retarded person is being mistreated or ignored in a store I step in and help them.

Did not meant to post this here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2013 05:06PM by sizterh.

I teach. In my years as a public school teacher, when I wasn't focusing on my main subject, I was focusing on how to critically and ethically think. I worked hard to teach my students how to treat people and how to critically approach life's issues and I think they appreciated it.

Now I train teachers, and while I don't ever really get into teaching critical thinking anymore, hopefully I'm making their transition into teacherhood a bit smoother than it otherwise would have been.

I tailgate idiots who hog the fast lane. If they don't move I flash my lights, then honk.

Someone needs to teach these people to be more respectful of other road users, and I fulfill this need.

LOL!

I am unemployed but I use lots of time to write online about alternative ideas on how we would be able to solve some of the economic problems the World face today.

Every day I post ideas on financial news sites.

Personally I feel that debt is a complex concept in these Days when states and people have debt up to their eyeballs.

I do not want to hand over gigantic debts to the future generations. So I tell the World that I am against it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2013 05:05PM by volrammos.

I hold the door for people. Especially for women with children and strollers. And for the elderly or anyone with an injury.

On the Washington DC metro, I offer my seat to pregnant women, women with children, and the elderly. I regularly used the metro to commute for three months, and I never saw another person offer up their seat. Most people turned me down, I don't think they wanted to cause a scene because of the logistics of getting to the seat in a crowded train.

I try to get a laugh out of customer service reps on the phone, as that must be mind numbingly boring. I don't get annoyed by all the info a CS person must request to verify an account.

I teach children who have horrendous behavior, and I do a decent job of it. It's like walking into a battle zone every day. We get no thanks for doing it. If there's a judgment after I die, I'm going to give whoever judges me the stink eye. Teach a year where I teach and then judge.

I recycle. This gives me a lot of pleasure. I like taking a load off of Mother Earth.

I smile at unattractive children. I find something about them to compliment. I want them to feel like the most beautiful child on the planet.

I am kind to dogs and cats. I try to treat others with dignity and decency.

In my last year of posting here's what I did. In the front of my plan book, I taped a beautiful huge peaceful picture postcard of a garden I'd toured on a recent vacation. Several times a day I took deep breaths and remembered how the flowers and air smelled and how wonderful it was wandering the garden paths.

It was like taking mini-vacations everyday when I was waist deep in a sea of mire and muck.

My retirement must be pleasing to my many frustrated bosses and managers. I am kind to all I meet.

I try to do things for animals, mostly cats, by adopting those without homes. It helps the rescuers rescue more. I know my part is small but every little bit helps. My cats will not be contributing to pet overpopulation and they have a home for life.

I now make donations to more worthy causes. All that tithing money I used to give to TSCC probably didn't help anyone and the only help it was to me was as a tax deduction.

I buy dolls at a local outlet throughout the year and send them to a charity so that kids have Christmas gifts. One year a friend came up with the idea to get toys for victims being bussed in after Hurricane Katrina. I gathered up some dolls and clothes and packaged them up and she took them to the bus that was coming in. She said the children were so grateful to have something because they had absolutely nothing. I give her all the credit for coming up with the idea and doing most of the leg work.

I keep thinking I would like to get into Big Brothers/Big Sisters but I don't have a lot of energy and I procrastinate.

Props to anon22405 for leaving restrooms in better condition. For the life of me, I can't figure out why so many people leave such a mess, don't flush toilets, etc. It grosses me out. Do they get some sick thrill out of leaving a mess and or vandalizing the facilities?

Make kitties, not war.

I give blood every 8 weeks. I've got a particularly rare blood type & pathogen absence that means my blood is usually used in neonatal ICU transfusions.

I foster rescue dogs (northern breeds).

I do free work a few hours a month in my area of expertise for non-profit organizations.

I don't think it's my job to make the world 'a better place' via compulsion, taxation, or anything else. I'm politically involved to the extent that I feel I need to be to get my opinions across, but I don't think political opinions in any way correlate to the decency of the person holding them.

I quilt for this group: lutheran world relief fabric kits

Great post. I love reading how others are making the world a better place. Here's a few things that I do:

I spend several hours a week volunteering at my local elementary school.

I offer to let parents shopping with fussy children go ahead of me at checkout lines.

I always, always return my shopping cart to the cart corral.

Buying most of my produce from local farmers.

Volunteering for local community outreach, soup kitchen, meal delivery, home improvement projects, community center.

Choosing not to engage in road rage mentality in every area of my life possible (used to be a real issue for me). Not making aggressive/escalating responses to others who upset, annoy or even endanger me in ways that turn out to not be directly life-threatening. My motto: be alert, and get out of the way if I can...if at all possible: Do Not Engage.

Not insisting in all social interactions, in most public situations, that I come first, or that I'm the exception to all "rules". I try very hard not to get into the "entitlement" mentality.

Complimenting and showing genuine appreciation toward those I encounter during each day, in whatever way I can, large or small. Remembering that all of us are hurting, all of us suffer. Doing this without being a doormat continues to prove somewhat of a challenge, but I'm getting better at it.

Practicing the art of gentle firmness.

Starting to learn meditation daily - not to empty my mind but to learn to begin living more fully in the present with less regret/obsession spent in the past, and less worry/anxiety over the future.

Recycling everything in sight, including empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls.

Rescuing all of the dogs I've owned, volunteering in breed rescue, fostering, etc.

Buying as few processed food products as possible, eating fresh whole foods as much as possible from local sources.

Not buying bottled water. Drinking tap water or carrying my own water in a metal reusable container.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2013 09:33PM by frogdogs.

I knew these efforts were happening but I'm so happy for the future that good people care.

All who have posted: You've made my day!

And the same goes for those who keep RfM working and helping.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2013 05:59AM by Cheryl.

You'd hate my kindergardener. He cusses. Knows 'em all. Of course, he got them from me.

I didn't bother trying to discuss swear words with him until I thought he could understand. So, around 4 I told him that people react differently to different sounds/words. I explained some grownups won't let their kids play with other kids who make certain sounds.

I explained that some people's face turns red, their eyes expand, they begin to huff and puff, and their ears wiggle when the hear swear words. He laughed.

So, he figured it out. He knows when he can or shouldn't and what the price will be.

I suppose the same applies to cartwheels, spitting, respecting religious beliefs, etc.

I'm shooting for showing him he can be the chess player rather than a piece on the chess board. Observe the game but don't be caught up in the game.

That's how I'm trying to make society a little better.

I teach my kids that we do not discriminate against gay people.

I smile and talk to many of the residents and caregivers at my old dad's care center. Course they always smile and greet me by name. Wonderful place, that.

I also volunteer a couple of hours a week at the local Children's Justice Center for kids who are sexually or physically abused. Nasty stories, but it gives me good feelings trying to help these families. Beats Young Women's

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2013 01:38AM by spaghetti oh.

Yesterday, an exmo intimated that we should take or do whatever feels good, no matter if it hurts others. Thinking otherwise was said to be mean and mormon-like.

I'm so glad to know this isn't how most of us feel.

I volunteer at a soup kitchen and bring food to a food pantry.

My neighborhood has a mild-to-moderate litter problem. I pick up trash because if people get the idea that it's OK to throw trash into the alley, they'll continue to do so and they'll keep dumping, and it will become a major trash problem.

Someday I plan to organize it into a community-wide effort, but for now I just pick up the fast food wrappers while I walk my dog.

I am a chiropractor, so everyday I help people plus I volunteer my services at some amateur sporting events. I am on the board of a local charity, which I find more fulfilling then anything I ever did in the church and people say thank you for what you do. I am on a county advisory board. Last, but not least, I am the 11 year old scout leader, which I find funny because I am not listed in the stake directory and the scout committee guy said I was not listed on the ward's organization chart.