It is normal to feel a range of emotions while processing the current situation of our country. Mad, sad, elated, deflated, optimistic, oppressed, depressed, worried, fearful. I could go on and on. How we process these feelings and how we act on them is what is going to make all the difference.
What provokes people to act in a certain way? Passion, convictions, fear? It can fuel negativity and hate as well as many positive outcomes, solely based on the individual reaction. It is important to take in a well-rounded view of any important issue before you take action. If I’ve learned one thing in life it is that overreacting frequently comes from a place of fear and not taking the necessary time to process a situation before reacting or acting.
So, what is the appropriate amount of time and how does one become well-rounded? Determining the answer to such a theological question is nearly impossible as the answer is based on a million factors, as well as each individual person and their knowledge, experience, and internal influences. Knowing all that, how do we get people to react positively to something? How do we get them to find the silver lining in what seems like a dark situation? The simple answer- we can’t.
Although we are inhabitants of this country along with 328 million other people, we basically only have control over ourselves. They say you can adjust your own sails, but not the wind. The wind is an ever-present force with the ability to do a magnitude of damage, and we have no way of making it stop. We only have our thoughts and our abilities on how we weather it. How we use what we have to control the impact. How much we want to be exposed to it and how much can be diverted or blocked.
The bad and hate in our country are much the same as the wind. It is an ever-present force that will likely always be there. It is critical to our success to thrive in spite of it. And that we block it out and divert it and stay out of harm’s path the best that we can. The decision to do nothing likely shortens our livelihood or even our lives, but the conscious decision to deal with it in a methodical, practical, and survival-based way is what can make all the difference.
The good part about making this decision to take control of the impact on ourselves is the way it can influence those around us. Likely many others feel the same and either is not equipped to handle it or perhaps haven’t thought about it like that and can be influenced into action. The same as hate can fuel action, love can fuel action. Maybe we will always have both forces to contend with, but in most examples, we find that hate many times ends up self-destructing, while love grows and sparks new development and even though love can end it frequently redistributes itself into a new form.
But it starts with us. Each and every one of us. When we consciously choose love and look for every available avenue to know it, show it, and grow it we are purposefully adding good vibes into our world. It becomes contagious and something that cannot be resisted, so infectious that it gets into our blood and our minds and our spirits and becomes not just an inanimate object, but living breathing being. That being becomes an innate part of who we are, an unbreakable spirit that cannot be dismantled no matter how bad the world around us gets. This is the goal we need to strive for. Not a myth or a fairytale or a task for another day, but a project for today, tomorrow, and every day until the end of time. A never-ending duty to ourselves, our country, and our fellow humans. A gift to our children, their children, and all the children who will follow us.
But what is love? How do we start? Sometimes we think of love only in romantic terms. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Love is a feeling of warmth and a positive passion for something we believe in. It is what we feel when we do a job well, enjoy the company of a friend, or make a plan to accomplish something in the future. Love is being able to overcome a challenge, tackle a difficult situation, or help someone in need.
By thinking of love in terms of how we can positively react to something, we make the goal more attainable and therefore easier to accomplish daily- right now, in this moment, and in every moment that follows.
By choosing love, we block out negativity and don’t give it any oxygen. Things without oxygen die off, making way for life. We may not notice it slowly happening until we look around and see new life and growth everywhere. It takes time, but the flowers always grow taller than the dying brush. We have to be patient and conscious and brave. The task won’t always be easy, the goal has never been as important. The stakes have never been so high. We only have this one moment we are living in right here to choose to make a difference or continuing wading through the quicksand of hate and division.
