You’re only one person. When you see injustice, abuse, hate, and the like, what difference can you make? You’re not the president or a Fortune 500 CEO or an eminent spiritual leader. What difference can one person like you make? All the difference in the world.

Rosa Parks was only one person. Her act of defiance—refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955—made a huge difference in the American civil rights movement. Her courageous act sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a 13-month mass protest that ultimately led to the desegregation of public buses and that brought national and international attention to the injustice and abuse of racial segregation.

Malala Yousafzai is only one person. Malaya was 15 when she was shot in the face and nearly killed for advocating for girls’ rights to education in Pakistan. She persisted. Her work in many countries fighting to ensure girls can go to school earned her the Nobel Peace Prize.

But neither you nor I are a Rosa or a Malala. The world’s problems are too big. Our national and world issues are too complex. Our society is too divided. We can’t change the world. Or can we?

You and I can never do everything, but we can always do something. In the 2025 best-selling book, “The Let Them Theory,” Mel Robbins says that no matter how big a problem is or how stressful something feels, there’s always something you can do through your actions and your attitude that will make things better.

Here’s a small but mighty example. In 2017, our Bristol church was hiring a new choir director. During one interview, the candidate (Bill)—who eventually was chosen for the job—said a church our size should have a children’s choir and he would start one. When I heard that, I suspected Bill had guzzled down too much cuckoo juice. We’re a small congregation. It’s a banner Sunday when you see five kids in worship. Yet, Bill persisted. Now, eight years later, the youth choir he started and still runs has provided music during many, many services and even put on a musical play. Does this seem small? Consider Lisa, Cheryl, and Rodger.

Lisa runs the Sunshine Card ministry. Their group sends out 100 greeting cards to shut-ins, to the sick, to those celebrating birthdays every month. Cheryl keeps her car’s trunk stocked with food, socks, water, personal hygiene items, and other essentials that she delivers twice a week to people without a home. Rodger started the Men & Boys’ Fund to help local men and boys reach their potential. Since 2017, that fund has awarded $75,000+ in grants to agencies and individuals in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, and Wolcott.

The Rev. Walter Everett was only one person. His oldest son, Scott, was shot to death on July 26, 1987 in Bridgeport. Through immense grief and pain, Rev. Everett, then pastor of a Hartford church, chose a path of forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. He befriended the man who murdered his son, even officiating at the murderer’s November 1994 wedding. Injustice, hate, and anger met something stronger in Rev. Everett’s loving kindness.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, nursing home residents were restricted—socially isolated—unable to see family and friends. But 15-year-old Hita Gupta began dropping off goodie bags stuffed with puzzles, color books, colored pencils, and handwritten notes to people in 18 Pennsylvania nursing homes. Her “small” action did more than help stimulate people’s minds, give them positive things to do, and show them that others cared about them. Hita’s action inspired others to do similar acts of kindness.

A history professor at Union Theological Seminary, Simran Jeet Singh is one person making a difference. Simran was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas in the Sikh faith. His parents are South Asian, and like nearly all Sikh men, Simran wears a turban and has a full beard. Simran was first called a terrorist when he was 10-years-old. In a PBS mini-documentary Simran explains how he responds to injustice, abuse, and hate. He says, “I ask myself, ‘How in this situation, can I practice my values of oneness, love, and service.”

In this world’s abundant storms of strive we, the everyday people, should focus less on what we can’t control (the storms) and more on what we can control—our actions and responses. It will make a difference.

Chris John Amorosino lives in Connecticut.

https://www.courant.com/2025/09/07/opinion-youre-only-one-person-you-can-make-a-difference/