This weeks’s article is a response to the question – “what can I do” – that I received from many after last week‘s article. Above is a link to the video I made on my porch swing. You can watch me “preach” this week’s article here on video. Or, continue below for the standard “article.”
Fear paralyzes us.
We feel inconsequential to affect the world.
We get overwhelmed.
We freeze.
I am familiar with this too.
But, I know something: You and I can change the world.
And, we can.
Together.
Call me a star-eyed idealist, but I believe we can make this world a better place by Thursday.
From Wikipedia:
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.
In other words:
A very small change in initial conditions had created a significantly different outcome.
A single butterfly’s wings flapping in the Sahara desert has an influence on the went in the arctic.
Hundreds of butterflies has an even greater effect, but the point is that the singular small action changes the world.
I am doing my part as I am certain you are doing yours. And, the state of the world right now requires us to double down and do more. So, let us pepper the world in a myriad of small, little, unsexy ways of being more loving, compassionate, caring, long-suffering, kind, humble, gentle, virtuous?
* Clean up the environment in which you live
Beyond picking up literal trash, you can:
* Curb yourself from saying a few snarky remarks
* Go out of your way to be kind, three times today
* Practice patience – and be proud of yourself if you stayed patient for 1.6 seconds when in the past you could only keep yourself from erupting for 1.5 seconds
* Stop complaining with your words or your expressions, or at least cut down the number of times you do either
* Express gratitude aloud or in a journal
* Lovingly call-out someone who is dehumanizing towards their perceived enemies so they can learn to stop fueling hatred
* Connect with people and express to them hope – for hope, like love, is something we all yearn for and require
Choose for yourself what you are going to do. Commit to it. Say aloud right now what it is you will do and/or send me an email what it is you will do today.
Let’s repair this world by Thursday.
You and I can change the world.
We can change it by Thursday if enough of us beleive that we can.
We can.
Yes, yes, we can.
You’ve seen this quote before, I’m certain of it.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
I want you to take a moment to take it in.
I want you to believe it.
I’m asking you to have faith. Leap from the rational part of your mind nay-saying and land yourself in the certainty of the absurd notion that you and I are able to change the world.
You can change the world.
You are needed for the world to change.
Of course it’s true!
To put it in less positive language, the world will not improve unless you and I commit to it happening.
Today, tommorrow, and Wednesday commit — if only as an experiment — to up the amount of compassion you can put into the world and lessen the amount of hatred.
Would you please?
Listen, I feel a bit delusional here as well. I’m writing this and I’m thinking:
“Really? You believe this? You, Brian, are going to write an article that will actually pursuade people to take small actions? And, you want to fervently believe this will help bring us to realize heaven on earth?”
“Yes, yes, I very much hope so.”
I’m very serious.
I will do what I can.
But, I need your help.
The world needs your help.
Sure, you might feel a little awkward or delusional as well.
But, do it anyway.
The world will be a better place of all of our butterfly wing contribution of love and compassion.
These are the words of my dear friend Hafiz:
Fear Is The Cheapest Room In The House
Fear is the cheapest room in the house
I would like to see you living
In better conditions,
for your mother and my mother
Were friends.
I know the Innkeeper
In this part of the universe.
Get some rest tonight,
Come to my verse tomorrow.
We’ll go speak to the Friend together.
I should not make any promises right now,
But I know if you
Pray
Somewhere in this world-
Something good will happen.
God wants to see
More love and playfulness in your eyes
For that is your greatest witness to Him.
Your soul and my soul
Once sat together in the Beloved’s womb
Playing footsie.
Your heart and my heart
are very, very old
Friends.
Today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, let’s add more love into this world.
What do we have to lose by flooding the world with a myriad of small, little, unsexy ways of being more loving, compassionate, caring, long-suffering, kind, humble, gentle, virtuous? We have so much to lose. And so much to gain.
Let us see that the world is a better place by Thursday.
Please do your part to help repair this world.
Stop with vitriol. Stop with hate. You cannot spew hatred at your enemies and be surprised that they do not want to change. You can not beat a person into loving you. Instead, let us bear witness to the power of love, the power of hope, the power of humanity to rise above our fear.
Let me conclude with a gift I received in the mail – it was a most beautiful quote by the artist Shari Elf: “Where are we going if we’re not going to love?”
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