Principle 21: Make the World Better By Being In It

The Impossible Dream

You never know where you will find inspiration in this world. Sometimes the simplest or silliest or least important settings provide you with clarity of thought. Such was the case the first time I heard the Broadway song The Impossible Dream from the musical Man of La Mancha. This is, of course, the story of Don Quixote, that delusional man tilting at windmills while thinking they are giants.

Part of the lyrics hit me hard, particularly the line bolded below:

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable
The unreachable
The unreachable star

As I heard that I thought, yes, this is one thing I can do in my life. I was despairing at seeing how no matter who protested something (such as their government’s involvement in a war), the actions continued. Looking at the big picture of history, individual actions only rarely inspired change, or if it did it was usually after the person doing the inspiration was killed (hi, Joan of Arc!)

So while it is important to stand for what one believes, what tangible improvement can be made in the world during your lifetime?

The bolded line above. If I could live a life that benefited the people around me, they would be better off for me being in the world.

What might this look like in daily life?

• Someone needs a hand, you show yourself willing and happy to help.

• Someone is feeling down, you sit with her and let her talk it out.

• Someone is feeling insecure, you show yourself to be a rock of loyalty.

These are not earth-shattering events, or even that difficult for you to perform.

But they make the world just that much better for your actions. Because you acted in a principled way, the world will be better for this. And that’s not nothing for those whose lives you improved.

If nothing else, I’m glad Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are out there tilting at windmills. Some of them need tilting at!