Ripple Effect

Daily we are bombarded with information.  Sooo much information.  Sometimes it seems as though every time we turn around there’s someone else in our face trying to get us to think what they think, believe what they believe, see the world through their eyes.  Why does there have to be so much conflict?

Is it really all that difficult to be loving?  Is it really so damned difficult to be accepting?  And how about tolerance?  When did tolerance become a thing of the past?  We get up and go to the local coffee shop and there are people who are intolerant of the time it takes you to order your drink!

Just driving down the street, you see impatience.  People gesturing angrily because you’re not going fast enough even though you are exceeding the speed limit.

Where did civility go?

My heart is heavy at all the hatred I see.  The talking heads on the news yelling over each other to be heard but nobody can be heard because everyone is yelling.   The left doesn’t like the right and the right blames the left.  Is the truth somewhere in the middle?  But what is the truth?  Truth cannot be easily decided anymore because everybody wants to you know their version of the truth.

Is there any love left in the world?  Love for your fellow human beings?  Love for your neighbor?  That person standing in line ahead of you has a name.  They have a story.  They have had struggles, tears, fears, and worries.  Just.  Like.  You.  Can you see yourself reflected back in their eyes?  Or are they just someone who is slowing you down?

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

Go. Go. Go.

Run over those who get in your way, who slow you down.  What if you were to just slow down?  Sometimes I think that we have lost the ability to be still .  We have lost the ability to be patient with each other.

We need to slow down.

We need to look up.

We need to see the people who we encounter.

THEY matter.

YOU matter.

WE MATTER.

We are not a million individuals put on earth to live separate lives.  We are a million individuals put on this earth to join together to become a community.  To help each other.  To love one another.

When you’ve finished reading this, I want you to do something for me.  When you’re done, I want you to close your eyes and create a picture in your mind of what the world would be like if everyone’s needs were met.  If everyone knew love.  If everyone practiced love.  What would the world be like if everyone practiced tolerance, patience, understanding, and love?

I am not preaching politics here.  I am talking one-on-one, daily encounters, chain reaction effects when you practice loving your fellow human beings.  All of them.

I challenge you.  Yes you.  Start with one day this next week and show love, patience, kindness, and tolerance to all with whom you encounter for the entire day.  Not only will it make their day, but it will make you feel good too.  Just like dropping a pebble into a pond, you will see the ripples effecting the lives of others and, your own.

Trust me on this one.  I love surprising people with kindness.  They really don’t quite know what to make of it when they encounter someone who doesn’t get flustered at how long they take in the check out line.  They get a big smile of their face when they experience the unexpected stranger who holds the door open for them, who ushers them ahead instead of being pushed aside.

Drop a comment if you plan to try the ripple effect experiment and then come back and let me know how it went.

Keep following me for more sage advice from a person who has lived through some shit and has come out smelling like carnations.