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Ten Things I Do to Make Life Easier for Others

You never know how far your positive vibes will travel

6 min readAug 3, 2025
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Photo by Travis Leery on Unsplash

When I finished reading the news this morning, I wasn’t sure if I should laugh, cry, roll my eyes, or throw up. These days, the world seems so broken, and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to make it any better. I cannot feed the starving children in Gaza. I cannot stop Russian drones from bombing Ukraine. I can’t undo the political and economic vandalism Donald Trump has committed against the United States. I am, in a word, powerless.

Or at least that is how it feels.

They do say, however, that all politics is local. I am reminded of that often-quoted statement from Gandalf of The Lord of the Rings when he says, “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” It is that kind of thinking that makes me reassess what power I do have to make the world a little better.

I know I can vote, but there is not another election for over a year, and even then, there is no guarantee those I support will win or be effective if they do win. I can write to my legislators, and I do, but I am just one voice, and my voice alone is not likely…

John Egelkrout
John Egelkrout

Written by John Egelkrout

I am a sanity-curious former teacher who writes about social issues, memoirs, and other topics. Follow me on Substack at johnegelkrout.substack.com/subscribe