Maintaining Peace Even in Chaos
With the numerous events that have occurred in the last few days and weeks, sometimes we can feel so small and powerless in the midst of a seemingly chaotic world. We might ask, “how can I make any sort of difference?” As Paulo Coelho said, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” NEVER let someone take away your voice! There are so many different ways to effect change.
Some individuals are called to action – the crusaders that go out and bring change to this world paving the way for those that follow. The first responders that often restore order in a time of crisis, often risking their own lives. Others are more quiet about it – those that sit silently in prayer and send love and light to all around them. There are those in between the spectrum, too. Even the smallest effort has an impact. Think of a child that says a prayer at night – as they close their eyes and wish for a world of peace around them with all their might. Does that not shift your own mindset? How subtle an action, but how powerful the change because our state of mind is so very powerful – it’s how we approach and respond to everything in our lives. Whether you are a person of faith or not, you see in front of you a person that exhibits LOVE in its purest form. That little being that asks for nothing back in return, has the potential to impact the world in big ways, because their mindset is our future. As so many very wise individuals have stated before – HATE IS NOT TAUGHT, IT IS LEARNED. Let us not pass judgement on others in how they choose to make a difference (kind of takes away from the whole idea of making a difference, don’t you think?). All of it makes a difference, whether you see/feel it or not.
We can NEVER let fear prevail or paralyze us to the point we no longer LIVE our lives to the fullest. When we do not LIVE, they win. Yes, we live in a world of duality – there is good and evil, light and darkness. Unfortunately, the evil and darkness are things that we cannot hide from and more and more it seems these events occur in our backyard as opposed to a world away. The more we learn to change our fear into PEACE, the more we can effect change in this world. Some achieve peace through prayer or meditation, for others nature is their sanctuary, and others it can be more of a physical outlet such as yoga or running. There isn’t one specific way to achieve this, so do what works for YOU! That is how we begin to transform our lives and the world around us. Unfortunately, we think about this today from tragedies that have occurred in our world. But, this applies to your everyday life, too. Coming from fear only limits your full potential. Those that act out of fear rarely see more than a few potential solutions to a problem and often from desperation, while those that make choices from a place of PEACE can see so many more opportunities in life.
There is way more goodness, love and light in this world than there is evil. Examples? The people of Paris opening their homes to complete strangers to provide safe shelter to those that were stranded, or Parisians lining up in the streets to donate blood, the many messages of LOVE pouring out to the world. All of these actions far outweigh the small group of terrorists that chose to inflict harm on others. In truth, we take away the POWER of these fearful individuals when we choose to LIVE and spread LOVE. Fear and hate solves nothing. While the world mourns the tragic passing of the innocent, let their passing not be in vain. Creating a world of peace and love requires effort – it takes forgiveness, kindness, and love on the part of all. We must all work together.
What can we learn from the lessons of history regarding hate, fear and intolerance? What kind of energy will you CHOOSE to put forth in this world? What EXAMPLE will you be to those around you? What will you TEACH your children or loved ones about what this world can be? What can YOU do to make this world a better place?