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.

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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, she was able to show and promote respect and understanding of those in need. In one of her great speeches, Mother Teresa spoke that knowledge of the poor leads to caring for the poor which leads to action. Her efforts to publicize the truth of poverty and advocate for action stimulated a world, which sought to turn a blind eye to the issue. She often spoke that for those more fortunate; it is hard to see poverty. She stated, “We look and do not see. We are all passing through this world. We need to open our eyes and see.”3 Identifying the poor was a huge issue for Mother Teresa because she witnessed the lack of caring and compassion in many wealthy countries where people remained full of food but hungry for love. She spoke, “We must have the courage to find poverty in our own family. Look around and you will always find someone who is poor.”3

The most fundamental and critical teaching of Mother Teresa was of action and servitude. She is quoted having said, “Love cannot stay silent or still. It must be put into action through service.”4 Having spent her entire adult life caring for people in need, Mother Teresa understood the importance and necessity of encouraging her fellow human beings to take action in an effort to aid the impoverished people of the world. She encouraged small actions that had great impacts, proving that anyone can help. She recognized the immense tribulations affecting the people in this world and championed to serve them. She remained realistic but optimistic when grasping the enormity of the problems. She once said, “We cannot give what mother and father can give but we should not let that keep us from trying.” Her avocation for action in spite of diffidence and doubt was demonstrated throughout her life and on the wall of her office of Shishu Bhavan, the Children's home in Calcutta, where there hung a sign, which read “Do it anyway.” Underneath the blunt title was a list of excuses people resort to in order to explain why they do not take action to help those in need. One such passage read, “People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered – Love them anyway.” The sign culminated with the words “Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth – Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.” That sign encompassed many of the teachings of Mother Teresa because she never gave excuses for not taking action and always did it with love and compassion. She understood that there is always someone in need so one must never stop working for them. When asked by a reporter, “What will you do when there are no more poor people in the world?,” she answered, “Then we will be unemployed.” Though her comment was lighthearted, Mother Teresa knew the reality of her job and had the courage to understand that her job was never done. However, that never kept her from feeling that she wasn’t making a difference each day that she touched the lives of people that needed her.

Mother Teresa’s teachings of love, kindness, understanding and action are the most beneficial and essential tools in the fight against poverty in our world. As long as the poor exist, the wealthy will exist and we cannot let those in need go without love, kindness and support from those who are able to provide for them. Mother Teresa was one woman who understood the importance and power of an individual to better the lives of those around them. Her wisdom must be admired and aspired to in order to work towards a just and humane world where everyone knows that they matter and are cared about.

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