Friday, June 27, 2008

Lovliness

Just in case you live in the dark reaches of a cave in outer Mongolia and haven't seen this, take a peek.




I've watched this about 400 times in the last few days and it never fails to make me tear up through a huge smile. I just love this kid. I love what he's done here and I love that he's sharing it with the world. Gawd bless Youtube, too.

There is a time, unfortunately, every damn day when I just hate people. The asshole tailgating me on the freeway, the check writer in line at the grocery store (I think we can all get behind the ire for that one), the puppy mill operator trying to defend their hell-worthy depravity. But when you see something like this it gives you a break from the negative turd that always seems to be floating in our pools.

It makes me want to do something special like that, too. Sometimes I dream of making some huge impact, imprint, impression that will touch people like Matt has. I really don't believe altruism exists and I struggle with the fact that doing something nice for someone else also makes me feel good so did I do the something to make them or me feel better? But in the end, does it really matter?

I say no.

Bringing joy to 3 million people on the internet or one little kid on the corner is equal. It makes a difference. One tiny drop in the ocean and how far it goes might not be visible to the naked eye but we can be rest assured it's there. The impact is felt, big or small.

And that's all that matters.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw it the other day and it made me feel A- Jealous about his amazing opportunity to see the world
B-Filled with emotion at his ability to remind me that we're all in it together.

Anonymous said...

This was posted on http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ today.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/SGbm7QxJKPI/AAAAAAAAFU4/Cba5m1J_wAA/s1600-h/checks.jpg

ghartstein said...

You make a great point - that's more or less what I tell people who complain that their actions make no difference. You can't change the whole world yourself, but you can change a little part of it one person at a time.

And my favorite was the shot of him dancing in Papua New Guinea!

Tracy said...

I'm sure you'll make your impact, I think everyone that truly wants to make a difference does, whether they ever know it or not.

Nan said...

Just popping by to say hi.

Mindie said...

Oh my goodness. I hadn't seen that video, but I was mesmerized. That was awesome. And you are right...anyone can make an impact on someone's life. It happens every day, and sometimes, you might not even realize you made that impact.

Delice said...

I haven't seen that before but sure am glad that I have! It reminded me of the 'free hugs' one. I can NOT sit through that one without blubbering like a baby!