Anne Frank said something like, 'How wonderful it is that anybody' 'can make the world a better place, anytime.' You wake up in the morning and you say, well... What am I supposed to do today? How can I help? There's nothing nicer than to make people laugh. I love it. Wow, what a great thing to be able to do that... to be able to be of use and of service, and at the same time, it feels good to me to do it. Everything that goes on in this world is an opportunity for you as a human being to reflect and to then decide... Am I going to be the up level? Or am I going to pull it down? And I want to be an up level. I want to walk into a space and leave it better than when I arrived there as my way of helping. Everyone has something, and some way of being, and something to give. I have knitted this year so far 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11... 12, 13, 14, 15... 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21... I've knitted 25 jerseys so far, this year. When a jersey is finished then I walk around where I know there is a busy outlet and I'll see somebody with a baby. You want a jersey? Then they'll say, 'But I haven't got money for it.' Then I say, 'No no no - you can have it, it's for you, it's a gift.' It's wonderful to be able to give something to somebody that nobody's given them anything really in life. And here I am giving them a jersey... a little jersey for their baby. What I do which I love and it's kept me going and enthusiastic... I joined this group of people who think they can still sing, and think they can still dance, and they are elderly. And every week we go to a different retirement home and we entertain the oldies. It's a pleasure to do, it's nice being on the stage. I'm the only one who does... what do they call me... a stand up comedian? I make them laugh and I can really connect with the audience which is enriching for them and for me because I feel as if I've done something. In helping, in trying to be of use to this world, it brings a lot of meaning and a lot of connection. It's a way of being able to speak a language other than one that's verbal or words. And say things that we may not be able to say when we speak words. In every interaction and encounter that you have, how do you listen to it and in some way the choice of words that you have or the action that you take is the most uplifting act. And to look for it not only in the big things, but in how I greet the person that I first see when I walk into my office. And feeling into that person and going, it feels like they might be a little bit sad and maybe they need a hug. Something as simple as that. Start at home, you know. Look around at your family... How can I help my dad? How can I help my mom? And then just grow your family... your neighbours and then the neighbours neighbours... and then the community next door to yours. So there is lots of opportunity to be helpful. When the reality is hard, we become pessimistic. But actually if we believe in something positive and that it will be better, we will make it better because we take action to make it better. I wanted to be more useful... use my life in a valuable way. Through teaching origami, I create a bond with the children. I want them to have a sense of hope, that they can do something with their own lives. They are part of something good, something better, something valuable. When service is done well it ends up being two people meeting and that connection becomes what helps. It's very very difficult to explain why in words. It's a very very palpable feeling though. You feel that you are a part of something bigger. When you open up to that, then you open to a much broader experience of what helping really is. What you receive is just wonderful. You don't receive it in money or anything. Just the pleasure of seeing their faces. I don't try fix this world. If that was my mission, it would feel like what I give and do is less than a drop in the ocean of what is needed and required. But I trust that there are other people out there that are also doing. We have a tradition in Japan... When somebody is sick we make 1000 cranes to wish him or her well. What I have learnt is that we do it bit by bit. If everybody does a little bit, we can make a difference. So not one person doing 1000 cranes But if 100 people, it's only ten each. So then we can make the world better. If 1000 people each make one crane, then 1000 cranes. So that's a collective effort, and I think I believe in that. I do it because it helps. It always helps. Somewhere, I don't know where, but a child will wear my little jersey tonight. Now that's what I like. It's to move from the dark to the light. Wherever I go... make it better. Every day... little by little. To all of you who have contributed, for those of you who have shared our films, for those of you who have written out comments, this journey is just beginning. And we've put a Patreon.com link below our films so if you'd like to continue to support us we'd love for you to donate below. Thanks so much.
