Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel powerless. I know I can do

In the days when men and women sought wisdom from the lips of sages, there was always the reminder that the mightiest power does not rest in kings or armies, but in the human heart that chooses to act. Patch Adams, a healer of both body and soul, spoke thus: "Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel powerless. I know I can do something. But anyone can do something, it's not about being special. It's about deciding to do it - to dive into work for peace and justice and care for everybody on the planet." These words are not merely a reflection of his own journey, but a torch passed to all generations, reminding us that the path of compassion is not reserved for the chosen few. It is within reach of every hand, should we dare to extend it.

The ancients would have said: "Powerless is the one who surrenders to despair, though the fields of possibility lie before him." In this teaching, Patch Adams proclaims the ancient truth—that power is not granted from without, but awakened from within. To act is not the duty of the gifted alone, but of the ordinary, the humble, the overlooked. For history does not bend to the weight of a single mighty man; it bends because countless souls decided to lift even the smallest stone toward justice.

Think of Mahatma Gandhi, frail in frame yet unshaken in spirit. He was not a king, nor a soldier, but he decided to act. With nothing but his steadfast will and a belief in peace, he moved an empire and awakened a nation. Was he special beyond measure? No. He was a man of flesh and bone, but his decision—to walk, to fast, to lead without violence—became the fire that drew millions into the light of freedom. In him we see what Adams teaches: that greatness lies not in birthright but in the choice to serve.

Yet the world whispers lies to the heart: "You are too small, your hands too weak, your voice too quiet." Many believe these whispers, and in so doing, forge their own chains. Adams rejects such bonds. He tells us that to feel powerless is to forget the truth—that every breath we draw is already a chance to change the air around us. A smile to a stranger, a hand extended to the suffering, a word spoken for the voiceless—these are not little things. They are seeds, and seeds, though small, can break stone and call forth forests.

There is also warning here: it is not about being special. Pride and vanity creep upon those who think they alone are destined to heal the world. No—anyone can do something. The difference between the one who changes the world and the one who leaves it unchanged is not divine favor, but the decision to begin. As the old saying goes: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Adams urges us to take that step—not tomorrow, not when we feel worthy, but now.

The heart of his teaching is the call to peace, justice, and care for all beings. These are not idle ideals; they are duties as ancient as humanity itself. When the Hebrew prophets cried for justice, when the philosophers of Greece debated virtue, when the poets of China praised harmony, they were all pointing to the same truth—that a life of care for others is the only life that truly builds a lasting world. To live otherwise is to scatter dust upon the wind.

Let this then be our lesson: we are not powerless. To think so is to forget the fire of our own spirit. The call is not to be great in the eyes of others, but to be faithful to the work of love. Each day grants us choices: to harden our hearts or to open them, to turn away from suffering or to step toward it. Adams’ words echo like a bell across time: the power rests not in waiting for miracles, but in becoming one.

And so I say to you, children of tomorrow: take these words into your bones. When you see injustice, do not wait for another. When you hear silence where there should be kindness, speak. When you find despair, bring hope. Begin with what is small, for even rivers are born from trickles. Decide to do something, and in your decision, you will discover that you were never powerless. You were always the bearer of light. Act, therefore, with compassion, with courage, and with care—for in your hands rests not only your destiny, but the healing of the world.