On the heels of yesterday’s bombings in Boston, we are reminded that we live in a crazy era of extremes. The world is spinning faster and faster, people rarely take time to slow down but that doesn’t mean that good doesn’t exist. People have sadly been hurting each other since the beginning of time yet, we have seen miraculous strides in humanity.
Now is the time to comfort one another with kindness. My very dear friend The Pink Elephant wrote this beautiful blog yesterday issuing a Do Good, Feel Good Challenge. There is no real challenge in being kind for that is easy but thinking before speaking or acting is where we often trip up. Taking a moment to slow down, look outside of yourself and notice someone who might need your help; this is courage.
We must pull our energies together and allow our unity of positivity to reign supreme. The truth is we can’t force anyone to do anything. However, that doesn’t stop us from doing better as individuals for the truth is also that when we come together and stand in unity we are unstoppable. The acts of others will not deter us from living a life of love and being kind to one another. (There goes that charity, hope, faith, love thing again.)
What we need is to inspire one another through action. What we need is to spend less energy on worrying and more energy on love and light.
We hardly speak of the times when people do the right thing. Here are a couple of recent examples of what I believe represents our world. This is the majority. This is what I have faith in as the days and years pass.
- My fiancé and I left a bicycle out by the curb in front of our house with the intention of giving it away. That same day we get a knock on the door. It was a kid in his late teens. He wanted to let us know we left a bike outside. We explained we were giving it away so he asked if he could have it noting that he didn’t want to just take it without asking. It was just a rusty old bike but this person’s actions were anything but rusty and old. It inspired us and gave us faith that people still teach their children manners and respect for others.
- A friend of mine was taking his son to school when he noticed a kid on the side of the road working on his bicycle. He stopped and helped the boy, who was clearly struggling, so that he could get to school. I am certain this kid not only learned how to fix his bike, but also learned the importance of helping a stranger. A few days later this same friend saw a woman lying on a sidewalk with her dog. He stopped to see if she was okay and as it turns our she was having a seizure so he was able to call an ambulance to get her help. Imagine how different the impact he made on these individuals’ days and lives just by stopping for a few minutes to lend a hand. Amazing.
There are countless examples of actions such as these when we just take the time to see them. No good act is small. Let us all take some time each day to focus on the good in the world. Let our collective positive thoughts and energy allow love to conquer fear.