Right now a lot of difficult things are happening in our world with human rights, equality and justice. How have you decided to handle it? How are you communicating, or maybe not communicating? In today’s article I share why not bite the bait, but also not be complacent. I hope these 4 tips are helpful to you. We are all in this together.
Hope you have a beautiful weekend! As I celebrate my 41st birthday this Sunday, I am grateful for all of you and for the life that I come to live. Thank you all for being part of this community xo
One of the reasons I try not to get too involved in bigger issues is that I can easily get caught up in the drama of it all. As soon as I sink my teeth into something that isn’t fair, I’m done. I have taken the bait and will fight like no other. Turn on, get angry and you are not in good energy.
I shared with the children the other day how I argued to get out of an F in college. I took a Classics 101 class my senior year to complete my schedule and completely failed a job that was worth most of my grade. I argued with the teacher for a good 3 hours about why that shouldn’t have been the case. He screamed, he cried, he pulled out all the stops. I really didn’t think I deserved it and I wasn’t taking no for an answer. I was doing well in school, I was in my senior year and I knew very well how to write an article. In addition, I had my history companions, the main friends, edit my article. You can see how passionate I am about these inequalities. The professor finally relented, which allowed me to rewrite the article. I did, and he, of course, didn’t give me more than I needed to pass the class.
I still have nightmares to this day that I didn’t graduate from college.
But that psychoanalysis is for another day …
I know he would have been a great lawyer, but at what cost? And don’t get me wrong, we need lawyers and I’m definitely grateful for them, but for me it would have eaten me alive. Arguing constantly would not have been good for my health.
That is why I avoid biting the hook. Getting too attached to a result is unhealthy.
But sitting on the sidelines isn’t great either. Sometimes I feel disconnected and out of touch with what is going on.
So how can we live somewhere in between? “I know about the world but not about it,” as a wise person once said.
To not take the bait and get caught up in the drama of it all, but still feel like we’re doing something to make a difference?
Here are some tips that have helped me and that can help you too.
- Try to see the bigger picture. Why does this appear? What is the lesson? What is the blessing in disguise? Everything that happens in life is an opportunity to grow and heal, or to take another step towards fear and lack. What lens will you choose to see things through? I try very hard to choose the first one.
- Do not attack anyone else. This is the largest and most powerful.
Who are we if we attack people verbally (or physically – ouch!) For their opinion? We tell our children not to bully others, but then we do the same as adults. Let people be where they are. Allow yourself to be where you are. Most people don’t feel heard and then attack. Let’s listen to someone else’s tone and then offer our own thoughts in a respectful way.
- Think about how you can make a difference in a positive way. If making some kind of change is close and dear to your heart, how can you make a difference in a positive and impactful way? As Mother Teresa once said: “I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said I would never do that, but as soon as you have apeace rally, I’ll be there. “Getting to the root cause of a problem is often the way to start. From there, do what you can in your own life and community to see the change you want to see. Join forces with an organization you’re creating the change you want to see, or create your own!
- Above all, behave the way you want others to behave. It is counterproductive to mock the mocker. Be bigger than that. Take the highest road. Focus on yourself and what brings you joy and a sense of accomplishment. Your actions speak louder than your words and you will inspire others to do the same. I loved what one of the late night talk show hosts said about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford ~ she has such a calm and kind demeanor, she probably would have started her car in the parking lot after her hearing if she needed help . Just do it yourself. Be the best version of yourself whenever you can and when we all come from that place, the world around us will change.
Maybe the root cause of anything and everything is our thoughts … hmm …