Day 319

 January 23, 2021

Recently I discovered these words by Nelson Rockefeller:

"We live in an age of revolutionary transformation. We can seek to shape it or we can doom ourselves to irrelevance. We can accept the challenge to our creativity or we can resign ourselves to ineffectual bitterness. We can lose ourselves in passionate and paralyzing controversy over technical aspects of individual problems, or we can, as I deeply believe we must, develop a more creative perspective—one which enables us to see the inner relationship of great issues and the larger framework within which they can be solved."

They written in 1968, but seem appropriate for these times.

The challenge we face as a country is to do what Rockefeller believed, "develop a more creative perspective". We as a country must see what is happening and find the perspective of others and understand it. The way our democracy is set up there will always be different opinions. Freedom is what this nation was founded on. Unfortunately it was also founded on revolution and that is the part people are clinging to. We need to revolt in 1776. It was necessary to gain freedom from a oppressive government, but these days people are taking their freedom into a violent tilt. 

The new president has started his tenure with 17 new actions, many designed to reenact policies once disbanded by the previous administration. Others are targeting the current issues of our world (pandemic, climate and racial injustice).

Since January 20th the world seems more peaceful. Is peace really attainable? The people of the United States will have their eye on president Biden and his staff. The world will also be watching the soap opera that has been ongoing in this country. There are many questions still to be answered in regard to the pandemic and getting this virus under control is a priority. 

As humans will all seek reassurance and that is something that has been lacking from our lives since March 2020. The need for humans to connect is an innate desire and the virus has created a wall for most human interaction. The current state of the world has brought to the surface many hidden fears and anxieties causing many people to act out in anger or retreat into a solitary lifestyle bereft of human contact and the reassurance we all require. 

As we thread our way through this life we all have doubts about ourselves, regrets for things we have done and many live in quiet desperation for the hope of what may never come about. With the smallest of gestures and few words, one person may have a profound affect on another by offering them reassurance. Either a shoulder to lean on, an ear to hear their voice or an empathetic understanding that they are not in this alone. 

We share these deep feelings of uncertainty and can be a valuable resource to those who carry the weight so heavily that it brings them to their emotional knees. When we provide even the most banal words of comfort we are offering the hope and reassurance that things will be alright. The current times may seem bleak and our patience wear thin, but things will change and the future holds a certainty that all of us can endure with a little help from our fellow humans. 

George Washington Burnap said, "The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

It is in something to hope for that allows us to keep on keeping on amidst the turmoil, pain and suffering that life can be. And when someone, a human like us, can offer us words of hope we can see another side of life. One that offers love and laughter, joyful experiences and unparalleled beauty. 

Sometimes we just need a little kindness and other times we need a swift kick in the ass. Either way the results can be beneficial to our human spirit. In the movie Rocky Balboa, Rocky speaks to his son and provides his son with a verbal kick in the ass. Let Rocky be your inspiration!