In the Batman series, there is a segment where young Bruce Wayne stands alone on a cold night, staring at his murdered parents’ bodies, feeling all alone. At this moment, officer Gordon puts his coat on Bruce, assuring that he has someone looking after him, and things will get better soon.

This goes on to be a defining moment, as Bruce grows up to become Batman, fighting evil for a better world. If you have seen the movie, did this moment move you? If yes, what was that feeling like?

Gordon had a choice: To spread warmth or not. To give hope or not. His simple gesture of putting a coat on a child set the rise of our hero, Batman, in motion. You see, in life, our stories are intertwined and even the smallest actions can make or break things for someone else. And it all boils down to a choice.

What choice will you make?

Your smile has the power to change your own and others’ emotional state. If simply seeing a moment of Gordon putting his coat on a child’s shoulder can move you, imagine what the actual act of you smiling at a real person can do.

In the face of life’s sufferings, it is easy to slip into negativity: broken trust, the randomness of life, and unpredictable future make things worse. And people can fall into the downward spiral of “Why me?” Yes, you cannot solve everyone’s problems, but the least you can do is shine a ray of hope, a simple smile. When you smile, do it with all your heart. There is no room for pretense or judgement, just love. A hope that there is more to life than the current storms one is caught in.

It is only together that we can change things for good, and the change always starts with you, your choice.