In Genesis 18, Abraham learns of the Lord’s plan to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Moved with compassion and operating perhaps under the assumption that it is better to let a thousand guilty go unpunished rather than let one innocent suffer, Abraham starts pleading with the Lord to spare the cities for the sake of the righteous that might theoretically live there. The Lord promises that if ten righteous are found among the wicked, then the cities will not be destroyed. Abraham had the right idea when it comes to saving the world. We have to start small. History is full of examples of men and women of vision who were convinced in the righteousness of their cause and couldn’t be bothered with the lives of individuals when they were engaged in the great work of saving the whole world. Dozens or even thousands of lives lost here or there, especially the lives of small and unimportant people, were barely even rounding errors, necessary sacrifices for the greater good. Too many of us get caught up in the trap of the bystander effect, assuming that with all of these good people all around, someone will reach out to the one who is lost and alone and confused - as they should! - but that doesn’t mean it has to be us specifically that tends to the wounds of the wretched soul that fell among thieves and was left for dead. Well, that’s where we are wrong. If the world seems like it’s ripening for the kind of divine justice hellfire and brimstone smiting that once fell upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, then it is up to us to stop it. We stop it not by launching some global initiative and intimidating or coercing everyone to fall in line or be eliminated. We stop the destruction by starting with loving our neighbor as ourselves. And we make sure that our neighbor is just that - our neighbor. Pretty much everyone everywhere is struggling and suffering with one thing or another. All of us need help. When we start with changing for the better the life of just one person - hopefully someone in our immediate vicinity or sphere of influence - we are already on track to saving the world more effectively than all of the ideological -ism’s put together. If we can’t find ten righteous people in our neighborhood, then we have to serve and love and forgive and be an example of believers and invite all of those around us to save themselves from misery and destruction by following in the Savior’s footsteps and ministering and uplifting one by one. And one by one we will save the whole world.
