“whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.”
-Quote from the Talmud
How is humanity redeemed?
This year has brought war, genocide, disease, and conflict- religious, ethnic, between genders and sexual orientations. So grave are these social problems, it would seem that they would drag all of humankind down. Present actions and past injustice merge together and tar the seven billion people living today.
Despite the power of moral failing, there is a countering force. Our time here is justified by those that step beyond self-interest and reach out. They blow apart social barriers, help those that society would rather erase from memory.
It is typical to help a friend who is struggling with homelessness. It is transformative to do the same for a complete stranger.
It is expected that we counsel a relative in their times of crisis. It is transformative to listen to those who no relatives to hear them.
The moral universe is large, but it is sustained by tiny actions done in a concerted way. No individual can feed all the hunger, heal all the sick, bring back fathers and children from the dead. We are born into a broken world, and lacking perfection we must choose progress instead.
One life. We can all try to save one life, at some point. In doing so, all the suffering and strife is put into a new, more bearable perspective.
Unspoken Politics 