It has been a tough week. A week that would make the strongest of us question and wonder our purpose. We have seen the natural disaster in Nepal that has caused death and destruction, killing thousands and leaving tens of thousands more injured and homeless. On ANZAC Day we have reflected and paid tribute to the men and women who have and continue to serve their country, and we have witnessed the inhumane death of the eight men in Indonesia.
The world seems to have lost its equilibrium and we are all struggling to maintain our balance.
How do we stay positive when the world around us seems to make no sense?
When every day we wake to news of violence, destruction and the constant threat of economic crisis?
How do we remind our kids that the world is still filled with more good than bad, when we sometimes have trouble believing it ourselves?
How can we have hope for tomorrow if we struggle to believe in today?
The ability to remain positive and optimistic is not always easy and sometimes we have to look harder to find the joy and beauty. We need to consciously remember to take the time to stop and reflect and recognize what surrounds us. From the blueness of the sky, or the first sip of warm coffee on a cold morning or many colors of the changing seasons, the random act of kindness by a stranger or the friendly banter with a fellow traveler on the train.
These are the things that we all too often don’t give a second thought to, as we rush about our daily lives getting caught in the grind and absorbed by our own ‘to do’ lists.
But when the world has thrown us off balance and we are struggling to stand tall, then we need to stop and reflect. We need to remind ourselves that we can’t control Mother Nature’s wrath, and that there will always be violence in our world, but there is also much goodness.
The ability of communities and the world to rally together to help countries in need, the unifying of communities who mourn for strangers and forgive past mistakes, and the ability of individuals to turn a tragedy into a legacy to change the world forever, is testament to the resilience and overwhelming goodness of the human spirit.
Thankfully, I am reassured that there is hope for a better tomorrow.
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