The greatest gift in the universe is the gift of time

These days, what people really want from others is their time. Whether it’s your little sister showing off the grades that she got from her teacher, or your husband, friends or parents talking about their day, everyone just craves some time. We may have all kinds of problems in this world — from sexism, to corruption, from politics to terrorism — but the ones we can resolve right away are very few. Yet, we don’t do much about the ones that are within our capability. While we do think about setting out and ‘changing the world’, it makes sense to take things one at a time.

So why not change our own life, or change the lives of our loved ones? Communication is just a call away. We instead think about ourselves. There’s more to that in life. Everyone wants a chance to be heard. Hasn’t social media made that obvious?

Here’s how to start small and spread happiness. Give biscuits to those begging on the street. Ask your domestic help how her day was. Hug your parents, listen to them. It is the least you can do, but it will make someone’s day. These small things create a huge impact on an individual. They are important because as individuals we constitute society. We think, “The world is moving fast, but does no one care about me?”

Maybe if we sat and thought about what we have given to people, we might be ashamed. Perhaps we’ve been compassionate, have helped people and been there for them, but have got nothing in return. Try and do something for others around you. Try it today: you’ll feel like you have been part of something big!