One of my favourite quotes in recent times is from a one pane comic and it holds important truth. It describes the challenges of accepting that climate change exists, that we humans are a large part of its cause, and that working to arrest and reverse it is our responsibility. The comic depicts a lecture hall with someone at the back, hand raised, uttering the words, “But what if we create a better world for nothing?”
Being good to people, and showing compassion and love can only be good for the world. We might be tempted to think, “Hold up, not everyone will receive that well or reciprocate with their own goodwill, so why should I?” If we always search for what we are going to get out of something, we are helping perpetuate a world which is too focussed on the self. We are looking at how we exist in the world with a faulty or skewed lens. I’m not saying to be naive and expect others will always act with our best interests at heart. What I am saying is, it costs a lot of energy to be who we are, even before putting up walls or actively choosing to respond with anger and unnecessary negativity ourselves.
Worry and anxiety are things we will not be able to avoid. Negativity will find its way into our life. What we can choose to do is work on being conscious of when they are more likely to affect us, and how we can manage and minimise their effects. When I walk past anyone, or see someone I know, I try to offer at least a smile, if not a kind word or a conversation. The difference made by these simple gestures can be greater than we might ever know. This is something I can do because of the situation I am blessed to find myself in. I have a good job working with good people, I live in a great place with caring housemates, and I have loving family and friends looking out for me whom I also look out for.
This will not be true for everyone in the world. One or more of these things will not be as stable and they may be experiencing a time of struggle. We are still all in this together, and must help others when we are able. Paying positivity forward is a way we can all benefit. Sometimes this will be giving freely of our time and resources. Sometimes this will be accepting help when we are in need.
One of the ways I manage my worries, and fears, and troubles, is to lay them down before God. If you are struggling, whether you know Him or not, there is nothing to lose by reaching out, and letting Him into your life. What you might gain, however, is massive and life-changing. Life will still show us difficulties which we must work hard to overcome. There is no substitute for hard work.
If we become a person more at peace within our own mind, heart, and soul, and a person more at peace with the world around us, that can only be a good thing.
Dream big, embrace peace. Love, always.
Hard lines, heavy times, and handblocks 