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Ask HN: Ideas for small ways to make the world a better place

12 points - yesterday at 8:18 PM


I’m looking for some good, specific ideas on small ways to have a positive impact on the world on a daily basis.

What do you consider to be the highest return-on-efforts ways to make the world a better place for as many people as possible?

  • beardyw

    yesterday at 9:12 PM

    People want to feel loved, safe, respected and happy. To make the world a better place start with yourself and make sure you make those things a priority with whoever you interact with.

    • apothegm

      today at 4:55 AM

      Give at least one person per day — whom you otherwise wouldn’t — a few words of genuine and specific appreciation. Friend, family, coworker, stranger. Doesn’t matter.

      • mitchbob

        yesterday at 9:29 PM

        Recently posted here on HN and well worth a look:

        Underrated ways to change the world, part II

        https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...

        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46873494

        Part I is at

        https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...

        • galleywest200

          yesterday at 11:28 PM

          Pick up trash you see on the ground. Does not need to be a huge “adopt a highway” style thing. Just pick up that bag on the ground near the bin and put it in the bin.

          Not only does this make the place cleaner, people watching this may get the warm fuzzies that someone else actually cares.

          Another thing is to ask employees at stores how their day is. You don’t need to have a full conversation, sometimes people just have nobody ask them this question and it helps.

          • Blackstrat

            yesterday at 10:31 PM

            Work and take care of your family.

            • valgor

              yesterday at 10:37 PM

              Go vegan. You will no longer be apart of horrific animal abuse, the leading cause of biodiversity loss and deforestation, and if done correctly, will likely improve your health. You won't be able to get so much good from doing one thing.

                • GenericDev

                  yesterday at 10:53 PM

                  Maybe a nice halfway point would to be vegetarian...

                    • shoo

                      today at 12:03 AM

                      incremental steps like reducing or eliminating beef consumption by substituting less water intensive meat (e.g. chicken / turkey) are also helpful

                        • simianwords

                          today at 7:46 AM

                          This is a fair strategy.

              • onlypassingthru

                yesterday at 11:08 PM

                The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best is now.*

                *But also make sure you water, stake and prune it for the first 3-5 years.

                • tizzzzz

                  yesterday at 8:33 PM

                  This is a great idea!Like I move around a lot in various online communities, I always Encountering all kinds of comments.Please support the comments you think are right, I think this can increase the confidence of the publisher and also makePlease support the comments you think are right, I think this can increase the confidence of the publisher and also make yourself feel happy.When more and more excellent speeches are encouraged, the world will become a little bit better.

                  • yef

                    yesterday at 10:50 PM

                    Be an organ donor. Donate blood on a regular basis. Skeptoid had a podcast today that talks about blood donation with some interesting tidbits about shelf life of platelets and whole blood. (5 days vs 42 days)

                    (Disclaimer: the site I hacked for myself to help me consume podcasts) https://spokengoods.com/podcasts/385078-skeptoid/mic-d-up-br...

                    • idontwantthis

                      yesterday at 11:12 PM

                      Just talk to strangers and be kind. Compliment people. Let service workers know when they’ve done a good job. Walk around your neighborhood and meet your neighbors.

                      • wanderingpixel

                        yesterday at 10:00 PM

                        Be kind. Create beauty.

                        • toomuchtodo

                          yesterday at 8:29 PM

                          https://www.effectivealtruism.org/ at scale. Kindness, listening, time, and financial charity to those around you at the microcosm level.

                        • aristofun

                          yesterday at 11:18 PM

                          This has been quality answered many times by smartest people but nobody cares.

                          Take Kant for example and go improve yourself, as the only part of the world you can really change.