It’s been a long, gritty road to peace and we’re not there yet. Our world has come a long way from waging war on every new nation we see, but the truth is, total world peace and societal perfection are not attainable goals. But we’re close to a world where people might feel safe, and that’s something good. Each day, we make these tiny baby steps towards harmony, each footfall bringing us inches closer to a loving, caring world.
A lot of people today don’t remember what it was like to fight for suffrage, equality and freedom and much of the world now enjoys the benefits of those struggles. However, terrible things still run rampant and climate change is a threat to us all. We can’t ignore these issues, even though some of us love to. Our world is in trouble and we can help it.
If we can’t go the “extra mile” to contribute to making a happy and healthier society and planet, we all can at least go the extra inch — even we students at school.
We can say hello to someone in the hallway that we don’t know. We can recycle our aluminium cans and paper, using the bins provided by our school. We can help somebody with their school project or bring treats into class, if we can. Cayman International School has made it easier to do just a little bit more to make the earth, our one and only home, a better place.
I know things might not be great for some of us. We might be struggling, sad, stressed, busy, tired, but if we try, just a little bit, then over time, those inches will become a mile. Then that mile will become miles and soon, with the global hugeness of our little inches, these little acts of good can encircle the world and everything will get better, people will get less sad, or their struggles will become a little easier.
I also know I could be more considerate of others and probably most of us could. At school, a lot of people just think about themselves, which is understandable. I’m always worrying about what people thought of my presentation or being annoyed at my place in the lunch line. But if we all learn to think with the big picture, we realise these problems aren’t worth worrying about and we become a little less stressed out.
If we all go the extra inch to make our school, and our world, just a little better, we all might be happier and healthier. So go that extra inch.
Molly Robson is a Grade 8 student at Cayman International School.
This article first appeared in the February 2020 print edition of Camana Bay Times.