Stop Hiding Behind Littleness and Step into Making a Difference

It sometimes can seem like a daunting experience to live in our world right now.  Media bombards us enough that we may have the fear that our world is very out of control.  Whether we are talking about global warming, the national deficit, the political gridlock or mass shootings, we can find something daily in the media to support this fear. At these times, it can seem overwhelming to know how we can each personally do our part to begin to make a difference in our world. Actually, it is easy to decide; we can’t make a difference and live life in a bubble thinking we don’t have a responsibility to do our part. 

But I am reminded by Mahatma Gandhi’s message of, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi gives us a direct reminder that it has to start with one person, “ourself”, to make a difference.   Mother Theresa reminds us of this as well.  She stated, ““We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something”. Gandi and Mother Theresa lived with the idea that in any little corner of the world it is possible to make a difference through one simple act of kindness after another. Kindness could help us bring about the change we are looking for. From Wikipedia, the definition of kindness is as follows: 

Kindness is the act or the state of being kind, being marked by good and charitable behavior, pleasant disposition, and concern for others.  It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.  Research has shown that acts of kindness do not only benefit receivers of the kind act, but also the giver, as a result of the release of neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of contentment and relaxation when such acts are committed. (Wikipedia, 2001)

I like to fantasize what would happen if each of us decided, for one day, to “be the change we want to see” or we really took responsibility for the small drop of ocean that we make up.  We might live our day more conscientiously and decide not to let the drivers on the road around us irritate us. And in fact, it would be the day that we let others go in front of us who needed a moment’s pause from us on the road, going through a door or standing in a line. Maybe it would be the day that we extend true loving energy from our heart to others, all done behind the scenes within ourselves. It might be the day we call someone up who could use extra support.  The potential for many scenarios is at our fingertips.  But this all comes with a warning – there is a huge side effect to extending kindness and compassion to others – happiness!

Dr. David Hamilton writess about kindness and how kindness benefits the recipients and the givers. He states that kindness makes the giver happy and it benefits the giver’s heart.  As people feel better (because they have been kinder to others), they want to be kinder because they are feeling better.  It appears that kindness can have a snowball effect as the more you give, the better you feel, so you want to give more kindness.    (Hamilton, 2013)

Hamilton states that warmth and compassion towards others creates oxytocin in the system.  This is an amino acid that is transmitted during childbirth and breastfeeding.  It is associated with warm contact, being in love or having a nice exchange with someone. Hamilton believes people are hard wired to be kind to others and that integrating this into our lives actually changes our brain structure, makes us feel happier, and creates stronger bonds in our life because we are extending warmth, compassion and kindness to others. (Hamilton, 2013)  People often resonate with the idea of doing kind acts for others on a deep level because it expresses our spiritual philosophy that we try to live by. Perhaps this is hard-wired into us.

Hamilton challenges us to experiment with this idea of kindness and compassion and integrate it into our daily living. He suggests that we start with having one day a week that we call our “kindness day”.  This is the day that we go out of our way for others and focus on being kind throughout the day.  This can be as simple as showing and “feeling from the heart” gratitude for someone doing something nice for us.  But it will probably evolve to much more as we start to live with kindness more and more. And a side note to this - these acts of kindness that impact us emotionally, mentally and spiritually are also physically good for the heart.  People who extend kindness have extended benefits of lower blood pressure, decreased stress and an improved sense of well-being. (Hamilton, 2013)  Acts of kindness impact us holistically. Perhaps kindness is the first step in living “heart-centered wellness for life” by being the change we want to see. And the next step is to make this a way of life because as you put others, you impact your own self on a holistic level.  I challenge you today to step into the “bigness” of this challenge  -- go out today and live conscientiously to make sure that your imprint affects the world.

Works Cited

Hamilton, D. D. (2013, January 7). http://www.social-consciousness.com/2011/10/spirit-science-meditation.html#!/2013/01/dr-hamilton-how-your-mind-can-heal-your-body.html. Retrieved February 21, 2013, from Social Consciousness.

Wikipedia. (2001). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindness. Retrieved February 28, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.

 

 

 

Be the Change You Want to See

With the political scene closing in on the final moments, the air of uncertainty drifts over us like a thick dense fog. It doesn’t matter what our political affiliation might be, most likely the majority is not sure who will win. What we do know is that regardless of whom wins this race, 50% of the people will win and 50% will lose.  What we do know is that this election has been a year of polarization and separation.  What we do know is that most feel the effects of the battle that has been fought. What we do know is it will take more than 50% to bring the country back together.

So where do we need to go now as a country, as people, as individuals? It seems that politics has moved to a new level where there is no middle ground for the people to gather at with our common points, but rather it is a “us” and “them” mentality.  It is a “right” and “wrong” mentality.  The deep line drawn in the sand has moved into a washed out ravine that no one dare cross due to its dangers. This ravine is threatening to separate us as a nation much deeper than our politic philosophy. And the sad part about this outcome is that it appears that we are content to allow this separation.

It is interesting that the people that may decide this election are the undecided voters.  This would indicate that these are the people in the middle that can’t decide which side of the line they want to stand on. They aren’t necessarily comfortable with the separation and polarization and are trying to make sense of what needs to happen to make things better for our country.

One thing is for certain; whoever wins this election has a big job of helping the nation heal.  With the separation and polarization nothing can be accomplished.  It seems that in the name of “getting the message out” we have forgotten how to be kind and loving to the people that we cohabitate with in this country.  We have forgotten that as much as we have differences within the political parties and within ourselves as individuals, we have similarities. We have forgotten that although we each wear different shoes, we have probably walked in the same shoes as our neighbors at one time or other, or we know and care about someone that has.  We have forgotten how to be quiet and listen to those around us and what they are trying to say. And yes, it would be good to come from the top down, but probably more importantly, we as the individuals in this country, need to start a grass root effort where we listen to each other and care more about the person than our ideals.  It is the coming together of the people, probably through climbing down into the ravine to meet in the middle. Yes, it will mean that we have to put down the swords and begin to care about each other, again, as people. It will mean that we have to be willing to listen and care about what our neighbor is experiencing.  It will be an opportunity to practice Gandhi’s words of wisdom, “Be the change you want to see.”