Sam Cooke was American artist in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was a singer. One song he sang was called A Change Is Gonna Come.

While some of his more popular hits were light and easy to digest, A Change Is Gonna Come spoke to injustice, racial segregation, and the lack of love in the world.

The last words of the song are “Oh, there have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long, but now I’m able to carry on. It’s been a long time coming, but I know a change gonna come. Oh yes, it will.”

When we think of the world today and wonder what change has come. If we wonder what changes still yet need to be made. It is easy to get nostalgic about music from times when turmoil and trouble filled our hearts with worry for the world.

Especially in these times when the world responds to a pandemic in very different ways and we are forced to believe that in some way we are a collection of humans. A collection of humans and not a group of nations divided by borders, GNPs, and resources.

What of this change that might come? How best are we to do the work of compassion and love in a time and place where peace and understanding are traded for righteousness?

This answer comes from many masters and many times.

Ram Dass taught that if you are making yourself a better person, you are making the world a better person. Gandhi believed if we could change our own habits that the habits of the world would follow suit. Paramahansa Yogananda is quoted as saying, “change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world.

Wayne Dyer, a psychologist who grew in popularity as he promoted positive thinking, said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.” Even this is a take on what Lao Tzu said in the Tao te Ching 2500 years ago.

My personal mission is to change the world one smile at a time. In some way, perhaps it is making a difference. Usually, I do not concern myself with the results of what I create in the world because there is so much more to create.

Whether I am changing the world of others by creating a smile on their face, or I am changing my world by wearing a smile on my face, is yet to be seen. Regardless, smiling seems to be my way.

What is your way?

How are you changing the world?

There is good and bad news.

The good news, is that you control more of your world than you are taught to believe. you are less dependent on others than you think, and even the smallest kindness makes a difference.

The bad news, has to do with Sam Cooke. He was an agent of change and a gift from whatever gods recruit for angelic voices to sing here on earth.

He was also shot in 1964. Three times, by the owner of the motel where he was staying. Whatever happened is unclear, but the result was that he was killed.

Some of our best agents of change were killed. In most recent times, often by gunfire.

I do not need to create a list.

Perhaps you suspect there are those who loved to hard, or loved the wrong people, that made those in power nervous. Maybe