Sometimes that desperate need to be significant translates into wanting to be noticed at any price, to be commended, to be rich, to be a winner, and we do harmful things to achieve these goals. Oftentimes we do such things because we are angry, confused, or desperate, or too wrapped up in ourselves; perhaps we are manipulated by people whose approval we need or want, or we defer to authority. But there is another way to prove that we matter, and that is to do good for other people: To change the life of one person in a positive way is to make a difference in the world. It shows we matter -- in spite of earlier weaknesses we may have demonstrated. One of the most powerful messages in this book is that God will forgive. He will relieve you of guilt and anguish -- but you have to earn it.

Throughout this book Kushner makes clear that the human craving for significance is a powerful force -- for evil as well as good. We know we are no angels, but as we move through life, if we haven't done good to others, our lives will truly have had no meaning. Communal standards and pressure, says Kushner, can often do more to set people on the straight and narrow than religious threats of divine condemnation or secular threats of legal punishment. Whatever the catalyst, says Kushner, the important point is that if we want to feel our time on earth has mattered, good deeds are the path to that invaluable legacy.