When the World Feels Like It’s on Fire

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably felt that gnawing unease, that sense that the world is moving in a direction you didn’t sign up for. In the United States, democracy itself feels precarious. The balance of power, once a given, now wobbles with each new headline.

Elsewhere, wars rage. Ukraine. Gaza. The world stage is filled with crises that seem too big, entrenched, and overwhelming to change. At home, divisions deepen. Violence persists. The weight of it all can feel suffocating.

And yet, here we are. Alive. Awake. Capable.

The real question isn’t just “What is happening?” It’s “What can I do?”

Fear thrives in uncertainty. When we don’t know what’s coming next, when the world feels unstable, the mind naturally spirals. We run scenarios, project worst-case outcomes, and feel helpless in facing forces much larger than ourselves.

Yet all of this does one thing—it paralyzes us. It convinces us that we should change nothing because we can’t change everything.

But that’s not true. There is a way forward, a way to step out of fear and into action. And it starts with a simple but profound question: “What difference can I make right now?”

The Power of The Question

This isn’t a slogan. It’s a tool. It pulls you out of despair and into presence. It moves your focus away from what’s broken and toward what is possible. It doesn’t demand grand solutions—it invites action, here and now.

Think about it. Every great movement, shift in history, and moment where things got better started with an ordinary person asking some version of this question. “What can I do? What can we build? What can I give?”

The question doesn’t just change your mind; it changes your energy. It flips the script from waiting for solutions to becoming part of them. It moves you from powerless to powerful. In a time where everything feels fragile, that shift is everything.

How to Apply The Question in a Volatile World

You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to fix the world. But you do need to decide: Will I be someone who feeds fear, or someone who acts with intention?

Here’s how The Question can guide you:

1. Start where you are. You don’t need to solve global crises from your living room, but you can look at your immediate world. How do you show up in your family? Your community? Your conversations? Are you spreading anxiety, or are you offering steadiness and clarity? The difference you can make may start with simply being someone others can count on.
2. Focus on what’s real, not just what’s loud. The world is noisy. Social media amplifies the worst. But what is actually in front of you? The people you work with, the neighbors you pass, the causes you care about—these are real. They exist outside of headlines. What needs attention in your direct world? What small step can you take to contribute?
3. Refuse to add to the fear. Fear is contagious. But so is courage. So is kindness. So is calm, deliberate action. How you speak about the world—online or in person—matters. Are you reinforcing helplessness or helping people see what can be done? Are you reinforcing helplessness or assisting people to see what can be done?
4. Take one meaningful step. Maybe it’s donating to an organization that aligns with your values. Perhaps it’s volunteering. Maybe it’s reaching out to someone who feels alone. Maybe it’s getting involved in local politics or simply educating yourself on an issue that matters to you. Small actions add up.
5. Remember history. The world has faced darkness before, and every time, people made a difference—not all at once, not with sweeping solutions, but with small, deliberate steps. The world changes because people decide to change it, and that choice is always available.
6. Your role in this moment: You are not powerless. You never have been. The forces shaping the world may be bigger than you, but that has always been true. What matters is what you do with the time you have. What matters is that you refuse to become another voice saying, Nothing can be done.

Instead, ask: “What is the difference I can make right now?”

Then, take a step. Because when one person asks the right question at the right time, things start to change. And that, in the end, is how hope wins.

Many thanks to Robert Middleton from Ordinary Visionaries for allowing me to share this article.