By Jim Davis

If you’ve ever doubted that one person can make a difference, then you need to hear the story of Stanislav Petrov, the man who single-handedly saved the world from nuclear disaster.

In the 1980s, Petrov was a duty officer in charge of the Soviet Union’s missile detection system. His job was to monitor the computer and alert his superiors in the event that the United States or its allies launched a nuclear strike against them. And so he was the person on duty in the early hours of September 26, 1983, when the Soviet system reported that US missiles had been launched against Russian targets.

Petrov’s orders in this situation were clear: he was supposed to inform his superiors of the impending strike so that they could retaliate with one of their own. But Petrov didn’t trust the computer. So instead of reporting a missile launch, he reported that the computer was malfunctioning. And by doing so, he likely averted a nuclear war.

Most of us will never have the chance to save the whole world. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make the world better for some of the people around us. The Life Enrichment Center was founded to transform the lives of people in need. Join us for our 20-year anniversary celebration and learn how you can be a part of that transformation. Be someone who makes a difference.

It begins with One. Will the one be you…