How many of us have thought we would have helped Moses change the world if we had been there when he brought down the 10 Commandments?  Or maybe you think you would have been a staunch disciple of Jesus.  Perhaps we wish we were there with Gandhi or Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King. 

Well – that opportunity is still available today.  In fact, it will always be available to every person who is willing to accept the Truth and express it in their living.  If you need a current role model, you only need look on Nelson Mandela.  This great man is still with us, in the flesh, though perhaps for not many more days.  Thursday, July 18 is Nelson Mandela Day.  In celebration of this great legacy, 67 years of working for human rights and changing the world, we are asked to give 67 minutes.  Just 7 minutes longer than your favorite TV show.  Far less time than we spend watching a sporting event, reviewing emails, playing computer games, or reading the Sunday paper.  Sixty-seven minutes to make the world a better place.

You don’t have to fly to South Africa.  You don’t have to drain your bank account.  You don’t have to do anything specific.  Just find a way to make the world a better place for 67 minutes.  You can do this with a group or by yourself.  It can be an organized activity or off the cuff.  You might volunteer at a hospital, school, or the Salvation Army.  You might walk around your neighborhood picking up trash and smiling at everyone you see.  You might just take your family for a picnic and find new ways to express your love for each other.  You might fix the neighbor kids’ bike or deliver meals to people who can no longer get out.  Can’t get away from work today?  How about simply being conscious of your fellow workers, especially the ones who push your buttons, noting something you appreciate about each one and telling them?

Here’s the bad news:  By the time you read this, it may very well be later than July 18.  In fact, Nelson Mandela may have slipped away from us and no longer be in human form on Earth.

Here’s the good news:  There is no rule that says you can only do this on July 18.  Sure, if we each take 67 minutes on a given day for acts of kindness, love and charity, it will make a HUGE difference in the world.  How about multiplying that by dedicating 67 minutes each week of our lives for that purpose?  For some, that may be far less than they are already doing.  For others, that may seem like a big commitment.  No judgement.  Do what feels right for you.  That is, after all, exactly what Mandela did as well as Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jesus, and Moses.  They only did what they knew was right for them.  Nobody is asking you or me to do anything different.  We are only asked to be conscious of the fact that I CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE and then acting on it in whatever ways are open to me to affect the world that is immediately around me.  That’s all it takes.