The Power Of One

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it's up to YOU!!!
- Anonymous

OFTEN during our lowest moments, we ponder at how insignificant we are in the huge scheme of creation, at how worthless and helpless we feel against the raging tide of hardship and misfortune. Can one so-called life make a difference?


We tell ourselves in periods of philosophical rumination – what am I but a solitary soul, a tiny fragment in a colossal hole, inconsequential and immaterial, passing and fleeting like shadows in the dark?


Indeed, we are, somehow or other. Set amid the vastness of space, we are smaller than a grain of sand. We are lesser than a mote in an eagle’s eye. We come into this world alone, and we go away alone.


But then again, small and alone isn’t really such a lonely place to be. Small and alone, we can do many things. Meaningful things. Priceless things. Momentous things. Things that matter in the greater realm, without which the pieces won’t fit, the picture won’t be complete, the engine won’t move, the music won’t groove.


Because every single being in the universe counts – every single creature has a part to play, every single organism serves a purpose; every single crumb stands for something – a cause, a role, a tag, some value, some meaning. Every single deed happens for a reason; chance or design notwithstanding, instinct or grit aside.


One word can make or break a promise. One promise can fetch a smile. One smile can wipe away a teardrop. One teardrop can soothe a broken heart.


One thing can lead to another. One rainbow can light up a gloomy sky. One love can last forever. One ray of sunshine can do wonders for a slumbering soul.


Not a single bit is useless, rubbish, crap. More so us humans, living and breathing in the likeness and fullness of God.


Every so often, the hackneyed question ‘why am I here’ pummels our consciousness into near dejection and the more confounding conundrum ‘what am I worth’ drives us almost close to the edge. Does anyone care about how I feel, what I’m going through, if I exist at all? The self-putdown can sometimes get to that extreme, admittedly or not, it’s sad.


Yet, one person has the power to do anything and everything that he was meant for, if he believes it and toils at it.


One heroic act can spawn a hero and one hero can make a whole nation proud. One proud nation can spur positive change, if only each person will say to himself that change should start with me.


For in truth, there are no limits to what one pair of hands can do; no boundaries to what one mind can summon; no walls, ceilings and floors to what one burst of inspiration can lead to.


Fairy tales can come true, dreams can get real – soon! Or maybe later – if we treat each morning as the fresh, new day that it is, one day at a time. If we love ourselves, treat us right, remain true to the passion of the moment, yield to the whispers of our soul, and not look at ourselves like the old, worn cliché that we think we have become.