3 Ways We Can All Help Each Other Be Better

We all share the same planet, have broadly the same concerns and, despite our differences, we humans aren’t all that dissimilar. But, take 5 minutes to look at the news or any media and you might be disabused of that peaceful notion.

Our modern world is fraught with complication and as much as we would like to get along, rubbing along with a world population of around 7.6 billion isn’t exactly easy. However, if you stop thinking about the bigger picture for a moment and focus more on what is going on at home, you will begin to see that big change always happens on a small scale before it can really take off.

So what small actions can you take to help us all be better?

Be Generous With Others

Being generous can mean many things and you don’t have to be wealthy to help. Have a look at the homeless shelters directory to see where you might be able to volunteer your time or you could try raising money to help causes close to your heart.

If you want to make the world a brighter place, the best place to start is by being more generous with others. For all that other people can be intensely frustrating, the more you try to understand them, the more you will find you have more in common than you thought. While the media perpetuates sexism and apologizes for racism or vilifies the poor, you still have a chance to do the right thing.

Understand that Societal Norms are Changing

On a more personal level, we should also think more carefully about the way we treat others. The world is changing quickly and social norms are struggling to catch up. As well as reading about campaigns to raise awareness on feminist and racist issues, we should also be looking at ourselves to check our own behavior.

For example, what you might think of as gentlemanly behavior might be seen as patronizing to someone else. As this article points out, even the language we use can be problematic because our definitions are changing and what was appropriate 6 months ago might be considered offensive now.

Break Your Bubble

Living in a social media filter bubble is really common but if you want to get anywhere with the first two points, you will have to break yours. Talking to people from different backgrounds with different opinions is the best way to start to understand how other people think. The more you can empathize and be generous enough to listen, the more you might find your own views changing - or at least become a little more nuanced.

Tolerance is a word that is bandied about a lot and while it is a good theory, the practice is more difficult than you might think. While you might believe that the world would be a better place if only people agreed with you, the reality is that you won’t find out how much people agree until you talk to them.