How to make H.O.W. work

I spent the past couple of days, as many of my hubpage peers have, reading and contributing to this beautiful new cause, initiated by billybuc, Bill Holland. Bill is already a leading force amongst many of us here, so it was not difficult to "jump on the bandwagon" with him. As I read, I am in awe, not only of the talent of these contributors but of the wealth of ideas and depth of committment. To see for yourself, check out our Facebook page. This whole idea got me thinking. Humanity One World. Often when we think about changing the world, we think grand scale. Truthfully, as amazing as that is, it is overwhelming and idealistic. I am, for one, pretty idealistic but I can also be very realistic. So, realistically speaking, how can each and every one of us do our part for H.O.W.?

Do you remember when you were young and your "eyes were bigger than your stomache"? My parents would order one meal at a restaurant for my sister and I to share. Oh, how we would protest! You know, we never even finished our half of a meal! Sometimes, as individuals, we try to take on more than we can handle. We look at poverty and hunger and bigotry and we want to change it all, make it all better. Yet, it seems like quite a challenge, a major undertaking. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. How wonderful that we are in a community that allows us to share the burden! We don't have to finish it by ourselves and just imagine how much more we can do together.

"A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the commom good."~Barbara Jordan

Many people worry that they aren't doing anything or aren't doing enough. I bet if you sit back and take inventory of all the generous things you do in a day, you would be surprised. How many doors do you hold open? How many "his "how are yous?" to strangers have you said? How many words of praise and encouragement have you used? How many times did you say, "How can I help?" All of these are examples of humanity. If each of us practices even these very simple gestures (and most of us do) we are already helping our world. When we answer a child's question, when we move for faster traffic to pass, when we pick up litter on the street, we are helping the world to be a better place. When we teach our children the difference between wrong and right, when we are thankful, when we are less wasteful, we are helping the world. We don't have to constantly look for the grand gestures, we just have to recognize the worthy ones.

Appeals for money reach us on a daily basis, sometimes more than once a day. not everyone can give freely. I have never had cash to spare but I believe in tithes. I can give a percent of what I earn or what I have. I have always had a small payroll deduction for my pet charity, OneSight. When I never had it in my pocket, I don't feel it's loss. I also like to add the dollar at the grocery store and Petsmart. They are causes that matter to me and when I am already spending money on groceries, I don't "feel" that extra dollar or two. Also in the grocery store, I look for products that give back.The ones that give a donation with my purchase. This way, I am not spending more than I can afford and not buying things that I wouldn't be buying any wayyet I am still helping. You can be sure I'll buy the yogurt with the pink breast cancer ribbon displayed on it or any boxtops for education, too!

And then there is our time. Most of us can spare some time to volunteer, to lend a hand. We can be a part of something big or something small. We can join in existing foundations or we can form our own. If you have been following this series, many of our hub authors have written about programs or ideas that we can do to make everyone's world a little brighter. We want so much to change the world that we forget how much of an imprint each and everyone of us can make on the world in so many different ways. Every "I appreciate you" and "You made a difference" go a long way. Just because someone's job is to help, it doesn't mean they don't deserve gratitude. Nurses, doctors, teachers, preachers all appreciate being told that what they have said or done has made a difference. A simple, I noticed you! Every hub that I have read on here has valuable information that we can all learn from.

Since we are right at the beginning of the holiday season, these hubs talk about some of the things we can do at this time of year.

Rusticliving wrote about how to help create a special Christmas for needy families,

These are just a few of the many amazing writers who contributed, which leads me to my last idea.....

We are all ambassadors of our countries. We have a voice and we can use it. Talk to people, tell them what you are doing and why. Give them examples. Share experiences. Write about it. And write it again! Just get it out there! In Bill's original hub, How do we cure social ills?, which oddly, I just found tonight, he appeals not just for ways to do the actual giving but for ways to get it out there, to bring it to the right people's attention. My friends, that is what we do best...we write. We can advocate through our words and get them out there. we can continue to band together and grow. And as we grow our ideas, we can divide and multiply by sharing these pages to our individual websites, social media sites, twitter, etc. We can link and ping our way into recognition. By accepting this responsibility, we acknowledge that we are the voice of H.O.W.

"Words are a form of action, capable of influencing change."~Ingrid Bengis

Please watch the following video to see how important choosing the right words can be!