Reaching Outward — The Power to Reshape the Course of Events

Many of us hold on to the idea that a certain degree of predictability and control is possible. But at some point, we meet situations that are inherently unpredictable—times when the world as we know it is upended. Yet in the middle of enormously difficult circumstances, people everywhere—from the communities where we live to those around the world—instinctively pull together, carrying out selfless acts and finding ways to collaborate, contribute, and care for one another.

Each day gives us an opportunity to step forward and move what we see as possible into action. When we reach outward toward possibility, vision comes into play—not merely as an idea of how we would like things to turn out, but as something that gives scope, power, and dimension to our lives and the lives of others.

The communities we are part of are among our greatest assets. Even in the smallest actions, we can find togetherness, purpose, and evidence of how interconnected and interdependent we are. When we step up and act, life can be seen and related to differently. What that action gives birth to, what it attracts, and what we can make happen can reshape the course of events.

There is no selfhood where there is no community. We do not relate to others only as the persons we already are; we also become who we are in the way we relate to one another.