One of man's most costly mistakes is doubting that he has immediate impact on the web of people surrounding him and, by consequence, the web of people extending beyond his immediate circle.
If humanity realized that each decision taken permanently alters the social fabric, there might be more thought put into those choices. Their significance might increase in the decider's eyes and the incentive to do the right thing might rise a notch, although I suspect that a substantial bit of society wouldn't want to surrender their romantic notion of "just-this-once" that frees them to make whimsical, reckless decisions.
But take George Bailey's life, for instance. Here is a big dreamer who fantasized about shaping his world in a large-scale, visible way (skyscrapers, airports, etc.) and to experience the exotic. He never got the latter nor did he leave a footprint in the ways he intended, but he did undoubtedly shape his world in a tangible way.
Just by doing his best to make the right choices each day, by settling to work in "ordinary" circumstances, he did extraordinary things. By living each day with integrity, he empowered others to live with dignity.
December 24, 2009
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