There is a quote attributed to the Dalai Lama that says, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

Mosquitoes are small, apparently inconsequential insects, but we all know that some varieties can transmit life-threatening infections. This means that despite their size, they demand to be treated with some respect. I have never knowingly been attacked by one, but I imagine that it is, at the very least, an annoyance, given that it is feeding on you. Think midges.

I am not about to suggest that you in any way resemble a small, annoying insect, although some small children can be a bit like this. But the Dalai Lama has a serious point to make. You are just an individual existing in your part of the world, living your life, and just getting on with the daily grind. But at birth, we are all small, seemingly insignificant beings. Some will grow up to perform on a larger stage, while the rest of us live our lives in the shadows. But you never know when you might be propelled into the spotlight, even if the light is from a small torch.

We all have our moments at different levels and scales.

So, does it matter? I suppose the point here is that we are (hopefully) all important to someone. If we were not here, someone would miss us, not like a mosquito, but in a different way. They would want you back because you have something positive to contribute to their lives. Get rid of a mosquito, and you are quite happy. Hopefully, no one thinks that about you.

I suppose that in this country, wasps are treated in a similar way. It is funny to watch when a wasp gets inside a bus. Small but commanding great respect. Nobody wants to risk getting stung, but nobody wants to be seen to panic in that confined space. However, I have seen people run out of an office when a wasp got in. Guess who had to deal with it!

So, size does not matter. It is the influence that you have on the people with whom you interact. These days, with Teams, Zoom and the rest, you can be influential in any part of the world without even being present. It is not your physical presence that matters, but the power to influence your communications.

I suppose politicians are a good example of this. We are unlikely to meet many of them, but they influence us by being on the radio, television or reported in the papers. They don’t need to be present to affect our lives, unlike a mosquito.

What about entertainers and performers? We have the choice. We can watch or listen to them remotely, or we can go and see them perform live. Either way, they have an effect on us, but the experiences are quite different, and so you would expect the effect on us to be quite different. I recently returned from a music festival. Seeing performers live is so much more exciting than just listening to them, but it is also the associated experiences. In my case, the music finished each day around midnight. Then I had to get back to my hotel, 4 miles away. That was quite an experience in itself. Being physically present at an event means you experience so much more, some good, some not so good. You cannot just turn off the music and go and put the kettle on. But you get so much more from actually being there.

So, as you go about your day, try to be physically present at events as well as dealing with people remotely. And try to avoid too many mosquitoes in your life. At best, they are an annoyance; at worst, they can suck the life out of you.

As for the influence you have on the people around you, it will be more than you think. You may feel that you are a small bit part player, but others may well have a very different view.

We all matter to someone.

Alan E Long

The Long Partnership

07770 738770