I am learning that it is possible to have two very different realities in the same world, at the same time, even in the same home, down to the same room. It is astounding to me to stand face to face with someone, breathing the same air at the same moment and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that one lives in hope and one in despair. One sees possibilities of growth and joy and excitement; the other-probable loss, misery and monotony. One calls himself a fool for his errors , the other believes in growing ever wiser with each mistake.

I am learning that each of us decides which one we will be, and not a one of us can decide for the other. Everywhere we are is exactly where we are meant to be to learn the lesson we need to learn to grow stronger, no matter what our age. When I realized this is the moment that I quit being a victim of mean old life crapping on my poor unsuspecting head. Now, while I admit that this scenario is great for garnering commiseration with like-minded individuals who either A: have also decided they are victims or B: feel fortunate and superior in comparison to my “plight”-it is not conducive to building a joyful and productive life that gives light and energy to others.

If your truth is that the world is an ugly imploding rejection of democracy, and soon we will all be killing each other and it will be Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome, and there is nothing to be happy about, then I will have to say I’m sorry about that for you. My truth is that we are responsible for where we are now, and screaming hate will only make it worse. My truth is I will do my best to live every day with hope and love and clear vision so that I can see what I can change and make efforts to positively impact everyone around me so that the ripples of that extend far beyond what I can imagine.  I am a living example of how hate causes misery and love causes healing. If I see a fire that will certainly hurt if not kill many people, will I throw gasoline on it, or water?

If I hurt someone, even accidentally, and they turn to me with kindness and understanding-I am destroyed by my own behavior. If someone is kind, even when I lash out harmfully, a part of me is healed by that kindness. It isn’t that I am too blind to see the wrongs, or pain, or suffering; it is that I want to heal and grow and prosper inside in spite of these realities so I can show it can be done, so that starting with me there are less wrongs, less pain, less suffering in the world. I see no foolishness in this kind of thinking. I believe we can be captives in the prison of our existence, or we can be the strength that frees us from substandard living, the light that shows the safe way out, and the hope that calls others to do the same.

I’m sick of the news without a plan of action, the judgement without an effort towards understanding, the mindless jabbering without positive action. What kind of world are we creating while we run on this treadmill of foolishness thinking we’re actually getting somewhere?

I am just saying stop the madness. Breathe. Take a good look around. Instead of endlessly complaining about the state of the world, please, PLEASE, use your mouth and hands and heart to do something, just one little thing-to make the world better today. And then again tomorrow. And so on. What harm could that possibly do? And what miracle might occur if you try?