More than enough food for thought

I've been thinking alot lately about how people fnd meaning and purpose in their lives. Maybe because I've been reading alot - about a lot of horrible things really, honour killings, alcoholism, and global warming to name just a few. And whenever I read another article about poverty in Africa or sex trafficking or, insert social ill here, I'm upset/worried/pissed-off. And then I put down the article and go to bed and wake up in the morning and go to work and forget. I spend my days drawing little pictures and laying out type and giving careful consideration to kerning and clean lines and the relative merits of helvetica. ;) And for the most part, I enjoy this but it all seems rather insignificant when faced with all the broken things in the world that desperately need attention. Sure, I ride my bicycle and recycle and vote and try to work on projects that contribute to the greater good, like public gardens and literacy schemes but it seems like small potatoes in relation the worlds big woes... I was reading a collection of quotes today (for use in a book we are putting together at work) and I came across a couple that seemed really appropriate to my frame of mind these days... Maybe they just make me feel better about working at the "frivolous" job of art instead of working to end world hunger but they moved me and it's nice to find a little piece of inspiration now and again...

"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there’s no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there’s a chance you may contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours."
Noam Chomsky

"What is success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson