I have bad news, everyone: the world is expanding. This country has experienced messy relations with other nations around the world in the past few years. One may find our current state of affairs (pun intended) the only logical outcome. Pulling out of international agreements and creating a barrier between nations, the United States has been putting “America first” for a while now. The resulting fractured relations have quite a few people understandably worried, and I want to know what one can do to improve something, anything, to make the world a more peaceful place.

Two categories of Americans stand out to me the most: accepting of immigrants and completely against them. Both sides have valid arguments, but the opposition between them has our nation divided. I would not feel so worried about this cataclysmic division if our decisions did not affect any other countries, but Americans do not live in a vacuum.

Every choice American citizens make has an impact on every other country, just as other countries affect America. Votes for the American government have global consequences the same way leaving an international deal does. The effects can take the form of anything from greenhouse gas emissions to the cost of milk and orange juice. Every vote trickles down; if one does not care for the sake of others, he or she can at least think of personal effects. Taxes usually increase if war breaks out or America’s national debt reaches a new high, right? I have yet to mention that the world grows to this day, and my generation in particular needs to learn to cooperate with the rest of the world if we want to get anything done. Also, Americans want our country to stand out as one of the best in the world, do we not? How can we expect the world to see that if we close ourselves off and lash out whenever another country has an idea?

Readers beware: this next section contains thoughts from a free-thinking hippie chick.

So what can one person do to help the world? What could someone possibly do to make a change? Honestly, it does not take much. Change does not happen overnight, nor does it happen in one grand gesture. Volunteering to help refugees practice English or showing a willingness to stand up for people of different races can start a butterfly effect that changes the minds of millions. Even helping at a food bank or soup kitchen shows compassion, and one small act of kindness can get people to help others. To gain a better understanding of the world, one can educate oneself on the systems of governments around the world and international politics. One can read a reputable news source to glean information on the current state of affairs.

The world constantly grows and shifts with every passing moment. This revelation terrifies me because of how small it makes me feel, but I find myself in awe of the beauty this new, open world provides. Unfortunately, America cannot avoid the rest of the world forever. (I mean, we take up about a third of North America. Where can we go?) If

Americans want to only get things done for this country’s sake, we must maintain stable relations with other countries

regardless. Want the rest of the world to improve too? In the words of Michael Jackson, “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”