What shall I do

Global warming, poverty, corruption
War, hatred and environmental destruction
problem, problem, problem
problem everywhere
what do I do, where do I start?

Action is needed
action is warranted
for surely, I cant step back and relax
when this world, my home,
my pale blue dot
is on fire,
a fire that can well be controlled

Should I turn into an activist to campaign against injustice?
or turn into a tree hugger and regenerate forests?
or turn into a peace activist and go to a war zone?
or turn into a philanthropist and give it all away?

This is a quick fix,
so is that and
so is every action that I can imagine
so is every action that has ever been done
every solution is partial,
every solution has its limits
which partial solution do I pick?

What would Gandhi do?
Would it work?
Is that the way to think?
Every action has compromises
and even Gandhi compromised
can I do better than him?

Or should I follow Ramana and not do nothing?
But isn't no action selfish?
Why didn't Ramana busy himself in action?
Is no action like Ramana really the best action?
Would he appear here to clarify?

Being confused this way
am I wasting time?
when instead, something precious can be accomplished
Isn't my laziness masquerading as confusion?

As I was in this state
confused and torn by agony
moved in every direction
by the winds of fate
came a sudden state
of implosion of the sense of me
the me was then under constant focus
and it started collapsing under its own weight

The me still remains
but it is no longer the boss
It needs attention sometimes
It commands response sometimes
but not always
many times, it is not responded to
some times, it is not even present
and this clearly shows the way
to individual and universal peace

I thought deeply, I felt deeply and was present deeply
to find the core of the problems
I then understood without doubt
that the problem is the identifications of the me
the identifications have to be fed constantly
with pride, hope, happiness and what not

Surely, its a mirage
and when the mirage that causes trouble everywhere
was found in myself
I decided to root it out
and it was immediately clear as daylight
and that that's the best I could possibly do
Which is what Gandhi did
which is what Ramana did
Now, there is no confusion
Both were right, both did their best

What better can one do to this world
than what a banyan tree or a frog does?
can one do better
than to lose one's ego
Can one do better than to
not search for identification
can one do better
than to fit snugly into natures cycle
When that is done
then how can peace not follow?

What do I do then about external realities?
what about direct action?
Its clear to me
that anything other than cleansing oneself
is a quick fix
and any action combined with self cleansing
is the best one can do

Then, I can be a Gandhi and fight
either at a war zone or against corporate injustice
or be a Ramana and
be an epitome of perfect peace and silence
or, equally greatly, be no one and
do whatever quick fix that I can

For it is clear
that I am no paramatma
cleansing the world is not my mandate
but, cleansing myself
and changing what I can
is certainly my mandate
as it was
for Gandhi, Ramana, Jesus or Buddha