Five Simple Practices That Could Change Our Whole World.

“Every soul is beautiful and precious; is worthy of dignity and respect, and deserving of peace, joy and love.” ― Bryant McGill

I watched a young woman the other day. She was struggling with her bags of groceries, with a little one unhappily ‘in tow.’

As she came nearer to her car, one of the bags toppled from her hands – spilling fresh oranges, a bottle of milk, and canned soup throughout the parking area.

“Hey, they want equal rights…” a young man joked to his friend. My goodness, what a hurtful thing to say. As I reached down to help the young woman gather her things, she said, “It happens to me nearly all the time.”

And, tugging at the worn threads of her hijab – she gathered her things, and drove away.

As I walked to my car, I couldn’t help but to think – I wonder what we might do to change this world?

The following are just a few of my suggestions.

Pause before you presume; breathe before you believe.

So often, I watch individuals react before they’ve taken the time to understand the gravity of their response. Whether through an off-handed comment, or a sideways glance – my darlings, we are all ‘guilty’ of forcing ourselves through to the action.

Perhaps, it’s the nature of our thinking mind -that we must rush to the ‘ending’ before the story has really begun. Judgement presupposes these matters of heart, and in doing so – we fail to offer ample space for compassion.

Though, with just this one simple breath, my dears – we may begin to interrupt these often muddled patterns of perception.

To pause, before we presume; to breathe, before we believe – can often be the most effective means for bringing us ‘back to center.’

Separate the story from the simple truth.

How often have we reacted to an unsettling situation, only to discover – sometimes, many years later – that perhaps, the situation wasn’t at all as we had initially assumed.

Story lines are a dangerous beast, my friends. I myself have fallen victim to their prickly web – tangled by the tenderness of my own past pains. It’s hard, at times, to discern between the two – what separates the story line from the simple truth?

My darlings, it begins with a compassionate awareness of self. To say to the most injured part of our soul – “this, too, will soon be ok.”

Look for the opportunity in the upset.

I remember once, quite a long while ago – I had been swept away by the energy of a moment. Someone had done something to me, or so I had believed – and, in an instant, emotion led me astray.

Oh, and I was ‘hooked’ good. Walking away, I sharpened the ‘blades’ of my response – going over, and over again all that I should say.

Until the following morning, when I realized the nature of my upset had roots in a memory, long tucked away.

You see, my darlings, sometimes our upset isn’t at all what it seems. We may find a connection buried deeply within our experience. Prejudice may be tied to a past pain; and, our quick temper…to this unyielding need to be heard.

Ask yourself, “Where are my roots?” And, I promise you, you’ll begin to understand the true source of your upset.

See this world through another’s eyes.

In his book, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life, author Bryant McGill suggests that when we look upon this world with loving eyes, the energy of love will be returned in all reflections.

Sometimes, though, we are too quick to assume; we base our feelings on what we ‘see in the news.’ We fail to see the heart behind the headlines.

Oh, but my darlings – there’s always more than one side to every story.

We see generations of suffering at the hands of a warring state; but, do we understand the true nature of their fear?

According to Zen Buddhist Monk, Thích Nhất Hạnh, “To work for peace is to uproot war from ourselves and from the hearts of men and women.” More directly, to understand our own fear, our own hesitation, our own mistrust – is to begin to build the energy of connection.

“Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have to agree with people and their beliefs to defend them from injustice.” ― Bryant McGill

Indeed, for in order to eliminate those shadows of injustice – we must be willing to share our inner light with this world.

Make patience your practice and compassion, your mantra.

Just this, my dearest darlings:

With a little patience, and just a ‘smidge’ of compassion – we really can change our whole world.