Hello, dear one!
Have you ever taken the time to figure out what made you unhappy in the past?
For me, I was able to connect some self-induced misery dots after meditating on a quote by the great philosopher Socrates: The unexamined life is not worth living.
I was unhappy because I didn’t get what I wanted!
I expected things to happen in certain ways, or people to behave in certain ways for me to feel good about myself.
To make it worse, my educational system encourages the need not to offend others, instead of empowering the ability to manage self-reactions.
I developed an attitude that people were responsible for my reactions to their words and actions.
Well, with that attitude, didn’t I learn my lessons of fixing others to please my ego?
The good news is that today, I’m not only able to recognize my occasional need to persuade others, but also tweak others when they’re needy to feel good.
As a native New Yorker, one of my neighbors recently expressed tremendous disgust with a poster displayed in the NYC subways:
“Don’t be ashamed you are using, be empowered that you are using safely.”
This poster was published by the NYC Department of Health to empower drug users in shooting drugs safely. Advice on the poster includes using drugs in groups and testing drugs for fentanyl.
Insane?
That’s why NYC councilman Joe Borelli was furious on social media, “No, NYC Department of Health, heroin addiction is not empowering. This is the opposite of ‘harm reduction.’ This normalizes injecting deadly life-changing drugs!”
Borelli questioned further, “Does the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) support encouraging riders to ‘take turns’ using heroin?”
Massive discussion flooded in on Twitter, and some got sarcastic, “So the city now puts ads in the subway to claim that use of fentanyl is empowering. Will definitely make the NYC subway a better place!”
I don’t blame my neighbor and the people in NYC for stirring up anger, frustration, concerns, or even depression.
However, how do we change this world into a better place for ourselves?
Will pointing fingers at others, including the government we helped elect and the officials we entrusted?
Fortunately, the Bible did suggest a new way to deal with situations like this: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will ( Romans 12:2).
Change your thoughts and the way you’re looking at things, and you’ll be in the flow to manifest God’s will for you, always with blessings.
Often you learn the most from the people whom you cannot stand and their opinions are the total opposite of your beliefs.
All of them add to the evolution of growth, and that’s the true purpose of mankind.
Regardless of what’s going on externally, the Bible says to think of whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or anything excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
A better world begins inwardly with you and me, as Rumi put it:
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.