One of the books that has made me think the most, and quite a lot, is  Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It’s not a fairy tale. Nor does it pretend to be. It’s the powerful testimony of a human being who was able to survive several Nazi concentration camps and, even so, affirm something unsettling:  that life always has meaning . Always.

Even there.

Even in the midst of the worst things one can imagine.

Frankl argued that almost everything can be taken from a human being, except one thing:  the capacity to give meaning to their existence . In other words, even when we don’t choose what happens to us, we remain the authors of how we respond.

An idea that continues to challenge us today.

We don’t need to revisit that horror to understand that it speaks to us today. We simply need to look around. Or, better yet, look within ourselves.

We live in a society that has improved in many ways, I won’t deny that, but which, at the same time, seems to have lost its way at times. And its bearings, and its sense of direction.

And it won’t be for lack of things to complain about.

If you stop to think about it, you’ll surely come up with quite a few: wars, violence, tension, superficiality, lack of respect, disorientation… We could go on. The list is long. Very long.

However, the question isn’t just what needs to change out there. The fundamental question is something else:  what are we willing to change?

The world is also changed from within

Because when we talk about “fixing the world,” the temptation is to think about big decisions, global policies, far-reaching movements. And there will be some of that. There is. But let’s not fool ourselves: the world is changed, if it is changed at all, in a much simpler and much more demanding way.

Because it concerns you.

Because it concerns me.

Brick by brick.

Each one from their own place. From the position they occupy. From what they have to do today.

The image of the clock

Sometimes I like to think of this like a clock. A complex mechanism where every piece, even the smallest and most invisible, has its function. If one screw is missing, just one, the whole thing stops working as it should.

It may seem insignificant, but it is not.

The same applies to us.

Some will dedicate their lives to politics, hopefully always understood as service to the common good; some will research, some will teach, some will heal, some will protect. And some, without the spotlight or headlines, will support a family, care for the sick, or do their job well every day.

Everything counts. Everything adds up. Or everything subtracts.

It depends on you, on the other person, on me.

We’re not here to hang out

The problem arises when we believe we’re here simply to “pass the time.” To consume, entertain ourselves, and let time slip away. To let the calendar pages burn away. As if living were about wasting life, instead of giving it.

Not working.

Because, deep down, we all need something more: to know that what we do has meaning. That who we are matters. That our presence is not accidental. Or random.

And it isn’t.

Every person—you, me, anyone—has a mission. Sometimes discreet. Sometimes silent. Sometimes unsightly. But always real.

And when you try to do it properly, really properly, something changes. The day changes. Life changes. And, without making a sound, maybe the world changes a little too.

A simple yet demanding invitation

So, without getting into grand theories, here’s a simple idea:  don’t underestimate what you can contribute . Do your part. Do it well. And do it with purpose.

Because, in the end, that’s what it’s all about. About adding our little brick each day. Or our drop in the ocean. To remember, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, that the ocean wouldn’t be the same without that drop.

Get involved. And give meaning to your life. You’ll do well.

José Iribas S. Boado