I’ve been paying too much attention to the news lately. Dang, it seems like there’s a lot of anger in the world.
Media is full of examples of anger in our streets, our politics, our schools, our work, and our family environments.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, I reminded myself of two things.
- The media is putting out a distorted view that highlights all the most outrageous things to garner ratings.
- I can make a difference to the world by healing lingering anger in me.
Yes, one person can influence the world.
Isn’t the state of the world really just a collective reflection of millions of individuals?
Even though I’m one single person, I help shape the external pictures of the world.
“Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.: — Nikola Tesla
Inner anger in me, or in any of us, is going to be reflected as a whole in society.
I can easily see this concept at work on a more local level.
Families, work environments, classrooms, and neighborhoods are all mini-societies, and I can work on improving them from within me.
Then the changes in these mini-societies radiate outward to influence larger and larger groups.
So why not think big? If I want something for the world, I begin with myself.
“Every avalanche begins with the movement of a single snowflake, and my hope is to move a snowflake.” — Thomas Frey
I know it’s my human nature that points outward and looks to place blame on someone or something else, but healing of any sort starts from within and radiates out.
And that’s great news, because I have control over my own thoughts, feelings and actions.
This healing principle holds true for any quality.
If I want more honesty, more happiness, increased health, or more compassion I can work on growing these qualities in me and demonstrate them every day.
It’s not enough for me to wish for better things for the world. I have to work for them.
In other words, I gotta walk my talk.
I can’t let myself get bogged down into thinking that I’m only one person or that other people are way more angry (or fill in the blank with some other quality).
As I work on healing the things I don’t want to see and growing and focusing on the the things I do want to see, I begin to notice shifts in my immediate mini-societies.
The shifts in my mini-societies keep rolling forward like an avalanche eventually affecting larger societies.
Change will happen in ways I may never see, and that is part of the beauty of this process.
There’s a nice side effect to this, I enjoy an increased level of personal peace.
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
As always, I wish you all the best!
I made a 5-day Guide to Mastering Happiness, and it’s yours for free! Click here to get the guide for free!
Visit me at www.christinebradstreet.com
Originally published at byrslf.co