"He who saves the life of one man, saves the entire world."
I still remember the first time I heard this old Hebrew proverb. It was two years ago and all of my roommates and friends had gone home for winter break and I, having one final left, was stuck in the deserted college-town studying and having to entertain myself for a few more days until I got to go home too. I found myself in Blockbuster one night on a study break (I wouldn't recommend this sort of place for a study break), and the next thing I knew I had rented four movies (and that's why I don't recommend them), one of them being Schindler's List. I had always heard good things about it, but nobody had ever told me that this was one of those movies that you don't watch alone simply because it is so heart-wrenching and powerful. I arrived home and eagerly popped the movie into the DVD player expecting to be greatly-moved and profoundly impacted. What I wasn't expecting was the amount of tissues I would need. Within the first minutes of the movie, the waterworks began and didn't desist until an hour after the movie had ended. There were many poignant and powerfully moving scenes and dialogue throughout the film, but when the movie's protagonist proclaimed this Hebrew proverb at the end of the movie, it stuck. I barely heard it through my own crying. And I remember the moment perfectly: I heard it, paused the movie, replayed the scene twice, and realized that in that instance my persepctive of the world had changed forever because of those 12 words.
It's difficult for me to describe in words the impact that this statement of proverbial wisdom has made on me and my outlook on the world. It has come to shape how I perceive and treat others. What I love about it is that it proclaims and elucidates the importance of the individual. Every single person that exists, has existed, or will exist, matters because God created them. Their personality, character, thoughts, actions, achievements, relationships, choices, values, beliefs, desires, and passions (and whatever else makes a person) make an impact on the world in some way or another. Each person is important and beautiful and deserves to be noticed and appreciated. So, in a way, each life is the world. And what I really love about this proverb is what it suggests about our actions toward the world (the literal and implied meaning of the world). By saving one person, you are saving the world. But here's the cool part. You don't have to literally save somebody to save the world (although that would be incredible). With the right mindset, saving the world can be easy. And the secret for saving the world is...drum roll please...LOVE!!! By SHOWING love to another person, you can save the world. It's that simple, my friends. SHOWING love to somebody else is showing that other person how important they are as an individual and giving them a completely different view on life. (Showing love is the key here because actions speak louder than words.)
I can give a brief example of this idea in action. My dad, who would never ever admit this to anyone because he is one of the most humble people I know, saved somebody's life one time (well he's saved MANY lives, but he saved one life in this example). When he was in college, he was a razorback football player. He started his collegiate football career as a walk-on, but as the seasons went on, his coach took notice of his importance to the team and wanted to show him that by offering him a scholarship to play (at that time my dad was paying for his own college). But, my dad did not accept the scholarship. He told his coach to give the scholarship that was meant for him to somebody else on the team who really needed it. By
giving away his scholarship to somebody else, my dad gave an opportunity to somebody who otherwise may not have had it. That scholarship allowed that person to get an education and that education not only helped that person grow, but gave them a job, and a way of life, and everything else. He helped someone else reach their goals. He showed love to somebody else and valued that individual's life more than his own. Now that is saving the world.
There are many, many opportunities to show love to others. Offer a compliment to your waitress. Lend an ear to a friend in need. If you see somebody walking alone at night, give them a ride. Sit next to the person sitting by themselves in class and be their friend. Donate clothes that you don't need to the Good Will. Mow your neighbor's lawn for free. Call people you love and let them know. Do the dishes for your roommate. Find an organization to be involved in that serves the community. If you have the opportunity, go on a long term mission trip/volunteer trip. There are SO many opportunities to show love. You just have to be aware of the world around you because there are many opportunities right in your own backyard, or maybe sitting in the chair across from you. The moral of the story here kids is to put others before yourself because you have no idea how much of a difference you will make in somebody elses' life. In fact, you can save the world.
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