You Can Make a Difference, Yes You Can

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It does not take much to make a difference in lives of others for the better, just a heart rooted in humanity and willing to do so. You can make a difference. Yes you can.

The Lord has been extremely gracious in first giving me birth in an educated and enlightened family, education to the highest possible levels in some of the finest universities of our planet, later an opportunity to travel, live and work across the world. Around seven years ago, at the age of sixty, as I stepped out from my academic profession, the thought occurred that my rich experience would be a waste if it could not benefit the world in various ways. It would be ungrateful to the Lord that provided this experience. Next time around, in a new life, he may not bless me similarly. A human is full of good and bad qualities. Much activity in the world, as my earlier years witnessed, involves doing not just good but some wrong and shameless acts that I too have not escaped and regret. All things have consequences, karma, good or bad and a human must ever strive to put good into the world lest his or her future unfold into misery.

A blog is not a place for a Scientist to write scientific papers. Those are published in scientific journals that are peer reviewed and reach a community that can understand and make use of them. That is where some of my scientific publications are, produced as a part of my profession as a scientist and professor in three of the leading universities of our planet. They can be found in google scholar citations. However, a blog is an excellent place to reach the wider human community on matters of everyday interest to them. Through it one can even strive to make a difference in the lives of many around the world. The definite experience of this blogger after some seven years of active blogging is that – Yes you can, not just in lives of one or two persons, but in the lives of millions.

Although this blog has touched on many topics in its more than four hundred posts, some that have made a positive impact, may I give just one simple example from an earlier post to illustrate the point. It has made a difference in the lives of millions of children and others across India, especially the poor, in a significant way that adds up year after year.

While looking for low cost convenient foods that can address hunger quickly my attention was drawn to biscuits produced by a well known company in India – Parle. Because of their low cost they are grabbed across the land by even the poorest of persons as a quick snack to appease hunger and whatever nutrition its ingredients provide. Because of huge volumes of production, simplicity of packaging etc. the company still makes profits while keeping costs low. I looked at the fine print of ingredients on the package and was disappointed to note that one of them was trans-fats. These are synthetic fats produced by a chemical process on natural vegetable oils. Much scientific evidence since their introduction has reported that they may harm human health, as indeed many synthetic and chemical foods do as compared to food that nature made for humans and animals. Applying my mind to the issue, I suggested healthy alternatives, in two earlier posts of his blog (OFR biscuits) and posted links on the company page on facebook and elsewhere. One of the issues addressed was replacing Trans fats by healthy vegetable oils. I am delighted that the company made the change as I note by reading the ingredients now, and feel happier still when I see a child happily munching on one. Millions do daily. In small subtle ways, day after day, it shall surely save them from accumulating harm that a synthetic food may cause.
Praise the Lord.

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