What the World Needs Now Is…You!

There’s a familiar question in a song played often at Pride festivals that poses the question, “What have you done today to make you feel proud?”

It’s a valid question, and not just one that begs your attention in the month of June. Perhaps your answer is something related to a professional breakthrough at work, or maybe it’s a personal accomplishment, such as reaching a personal record at the gym. Regardless of what brings you pride each day, I’d go so far as to ask not only what makes you proud, but what makes you (and really, others) feel love? 

We’re just over a week into Pride 2025, and already we have seen an unprecedented assault on human rights. First came the (unsurprising) confirmation that the White House would break with tradition and not formally recognize June as Pride Month. Then came the news that an administration official would work to rename the USNS Harvey Milk to something that would instead help “reestablish the warrior culture” of the United States. 

As if that weren’t enough, we’re witnessing the largest pushback against the administration’s handling of immigration and undocumented individuals– culminating in the supposed leader of the country deploying armed forces against citizens.

…and that’s just what’s happening here at home. The world beyond our borders seems to also be spiraling into chaos.

It’s easy to get swept up in the madness. Easy to feel hopeless. I’ll admit, I went to bed last night feeling we’re entering one of the darkest periods of modern history– and worse, that there’s nothing I can do about it. But when I woke up this morning and felt the sun shining on my face, I knew I needed to dispel those thoughts and really check myself.

I tend to have a very “Ben way” of trying to find the light where there otherwise seems to be none. The piece of advice I have for you today comes from, of all places, a perfume commercial from the late 2000s. In it, Britney Spears (of course I found a Britney connection) stares into a crystal ball, while a psychic across the table asks her if she wants to know her fate.

Britney doesn’t hesitate. She stands up and says, “…no thanks, I choose my own destiny.” She closes the commercial with an awkward– but very Britney– stare, empowering the audience to, “choose your own destiny.”

Now, I know some folks might want to raise their eyebrows at me for citing a Britney commercial in the midst of global chaos, but stick with me. I’ve already made part of my point.

We can’t control the actions, beliefs, or mindsets of others. We can’t always predict where the poor decisions of those in power will lead. We can’t stop every verbal or physical attack upon our community. We can’t change the backward thinking of those who might “pray for us” in one breath and proceed to wish us harm in the next.

But we can control how we respond, and how you respond makes all the difference.

It might feel like nothing, but even just the act of standing up and saying, “no, this isn’t okay,” is so powerful. So, too, is looking someone in the eye, and saying, “I see you, and I’m with you.”

These gestures might seem small– but in truth, they’re the opposite. To authentically show up for someone is one of the most loving things you can do. To hold space for someone under attack is to give them a safe place to feel peace. To stand together is to affirm the fact that we are one community, one nation, and one movement.

It’s like something I say after every group fitness class I lead at the gym. After we cross the finish line of our workout, I give my little spiel about cleaning up our equipment and leaving the studio better than we found it, but I recently started adding something else:

“Go out and put some love in the world– we could use more of that right now.”

And honestly? Putting love in the world is the most powerful thing we can do. In a time where hatred, bigotry, and division feel rampant, acts of love and kindness seem radical. But I promise– they’re not radical. They’re simply, always, just right.

Until next time,

Stay strong.

Stay together.

Stay in the light.

-Ben the Blogger