The Greatness of Little Things

Have you noticed how big and wide the ripples would grow when you throw a tiny pebble into the water? 

How about that big tree in your backyard under whose shade you often find yourself cooling off during summer, did you pause a moment to ponder how it grew so large from the tiny seed that it once was just like the one you extracted from its fruit moments ago? 

Little things becoming big in the course of time is so common a knowledge, perhaps only a little kid just out of his/her diapers would wonder how such a thing could have happened, that we regard it not worth spending time to think about. 

Insignificant as it may seem though, this phenomenon, if you like, affects every aspect of our physical existence regardless of whether or not we take cognizance of it. 

Take for instance the hurt that 4-letter F word you blurted out in anger caused the person who unintentionally offended you or inadvertently made some mistake which you found unacceptable. Or how much gladness the stranger you met one morning and simply said "hi" to, felt inside.

Yes, little things, even the seemingly insignificant ones, do mean a lot. One word of encouragement to a grieving widow is enough to assure her that everything will be alright despite the loss of her beloved. Even that faint smile on a child's face is enough to make the day a little brighter in spite of the bad weather.

The movie, Pay It Forward, made a profound impact on my thinking with its easy-to-understand illustration of how a simple act of kindness extended to just three people could spread far and wide if each of those three did the same; three people each onwards, thus making this world a better place in the process. As it was said in the movie, "we cannot change the world but we can make a difference."

Good begets good so start doing good today. Pass it on.