Mother Teresa - Do It Anyway

There are many people in this world that we consider great humanitarians. Many strive to accomplish great acts of compassion and support in an effort to solve the problems we face in our world. Mother Teresa was the opposite. Though she strived to fix many problems facing our world, she focused her efforts on small acts of kindness and other disregarded actions to show love and caring to the people she helped each day. She concentrated her efforts on improving the lives of those in need by imbuing their hearts with the knowledge that someone cared about who they were and what troubles they faced. She did not care if she was admired for her work but hoped that her efforts would serve as an example to aspire to. Her selfless acts promoted love, kindness, understanding and action throughout a world, which was desperate for someone who cared.

Mother Teresa pioneered a new way of looking at the poor, hungry and sick of our world. Her teachings of spreading love throughout the world in order to give the poor the simple dignity of human recognition and love were groundbreaking. The world responded to her message because it was achievable on an individual bases. We learned from her that each of us has the power to improve the lives of those around us. Her message is vital in an increasingly stigmatized world where the wealthy ignore the poor, hoping the problem will just go away. Using Mother Teresa’s wisdom, each of us is given the opportunity to help those in need in any small way we can. With a smile and some kind words, understanding and respect, we can spread love and support to those desperate for affection and a helping hand.

Mother Teresa spoke fondly and often of simple acts of kindness and love which every individual can accomplish to better their world. She declared, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”1 The small actions she spoke of encouraged the idea that helping those in need is not as daunting as it may seem. She made people believe that through small acts, we can achieve a better world. In a speech she stated, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing,” and that, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Her statements induced the idea that even though a smile and kind words are seen as small actions, it can have a great impact on those it’s given to because no one can ever be untouched by a smile or kind words. Mother Teresa also spoke of the different kinds of people in need. She spoke of the idea that “Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted,” and that, “The greatest poverty is loneliness. Hunger for love is worse than hunger for bread.”2 Her desire to help those who were not only famished and sick but also starving for love encouraged the idea that action to help those in need must fulfill both the persons physical and emotional hunger.

Respect and understanding played a huge part in the role Mother Teresa played as a humanitarian. Her work highlighted the horrible conditions many people face and through acknowledgement and activism,