Apathy, Change, and You

Each day is a challenge. I wake up every morning, trying my best to arm myself with whatever mental armor I need, so that I won't be blindsided by negativity. However, the one thing I never account for is the fact that everyone around me will be doing the same thing.

As a society, we've been trained to be skeptical of everything and everyone. We question our leaders, question our laws, and rail against the ways of the world that have led us to this mass chaos that, seemingly, has no end. Yet, none of us is truly willing to take responsibility for the role we might have played in this mechanism. We're, all of us, content to put up our walls or stick our heads in the sand.

Many of us assumed we could leave the important decisions to the more informed, more educated, and more involved segments of society. We stopped paying attention to the signs that signaled something wasn't quite right because we had problems of our own to tend to—let somebody else handle this mess. 

The problem with that attitude is that it's pervasive—it never stops at one person—and a society that mass produces an attitude of apathy isn't one headed in the right direction. You have to stand for something if you ever expect to live a life of purpose.

Read a newspaper, watch the news, seek out the knowledge you need to start making the small steps that can eventually get us all back on the right track.

Be the change you wish to see in the world...isn't that what Ghandi said?

Are you being that change or letting the world change you?

Curiosity Can Help Eradicate Ignorance

There are "nosey" people and there are intellectually curious ones.

Nosey people want to know more than you do about everything and everybody. They don't necessarily concern themselves with whether or not the information is valid, or even worthwhile, they just want to be sure they are the ones privy to it first. It makes them feel important.

By contrast, intellectually curious people want to know something because it betters them
as individuals and citizens. They understand that only through knowledge can you overcome blind ignorance.

So, they seek out people, outlets, and materials that can benefit them in becoming more informed. That is how they best feel
they are able to play a part in making this world better.

As you grow into the person you wish to be, it's important that you never lose your zest for both finding out the unknown, and sharing that knowledge with others.

Be an instrument of action and never lose sight of how important a role you play in advancing the world around you—for the better.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Who's Minding The Store?

It seems like a silly question to ask but as a simple woman, with simple expectations, I often find myself asking this very question about the country I call home.

Let me get this point out of the way early, I'm not the most well-informed person you will meet. I don't read the newspaper daily, nor do I follow the personalities on CNN or Fox News. Most of the time I'm too busy living my life to focus on such things.

The majority of my days are filled with making sure my kids are cared for and my husband is happy—that's my life and I'm satisfied with that being my life.

However, that does not mean I'm out of touch with the world I live in.

I'm a consumer, the mother of a school-aged child, the wife of a blue-collar employee, the daughter of an educator, and the sister of a banker—the bases are well covered where keeping informed is concerned.

I can see that living comfortably has become harder for many of us and I know that the cost to provide has become more expensive than ever.

Things are not good. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to notice.

Which leads back to my original question: who's minding the store?

Who's looking out for little me in my semi-rural existence? Who's fighting hard to make sure that the laws passed are done with me in mind?

Are there still legislators out there who believe in doing work "for the people", or have they all forgotten they work for us?

I am a citizen of this country. I love my freedom, and I value my right to live without boundaries. But, it occurs to me that the system is broken, and I'm not sure that there are enough good people in place to fix it.

Who's minding the store?...Who knows.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 22: Open Your Mind...

The biggest mistake that many of us make is in believing that our way is the only way to get something done.

Sure, it's wholly possible that you have devised the most efficient, effective, and effortless way to do a particular thing, but that doesn't mean that is the best way for everyone else.

Each of us makes our own way in this world via a path that we set, using the method that's most comfortable for us.

We might take cues from different schools of thought on how we might best accomplish our desired goal but, in the end, we still have to make our own way—and we do.

That said, you have to be willing to allow others to do the same.

Don't force your views, beliefs, or philosophy on another just because you feel they are incapable of being successful without the,—that's not only arrogant, but short-sighted on your part. Be respectful of the process each person needs in order to reach their maximum potential—not yours.

In the end, I'm simply advocating acceptance.

Accept the fact that your way isn't the only way. Allow yourself the opportunity to see things from another perspective, and allow that perspective to be an additional feather in your cap as you continue to evolve, learn, and grow.

Day Five: Change Is....Good?

People are who they are. You can try and change them but, in your attempts at doing so, ask yourself this: would you be open to someone trying to change you?

You hear a lot of chatter, particularly in relationships, about a person who seems unwilling to compromise. He or she just isn't willing to bend long enough to understand "my perspective", "my needs", or "my point of view". The belief behind that is simple: if they do things my way, things would be much better between us.

Understand something, most people aren't willing to be changed by any one person. They feel good about who they are and what they've done and, honestly, if their philosophy on life and dealing with people has, successfully, gotten them this far, why should they feel that doing things your way will be any better?

The important thing to do when you recognize an incompatibility, is to see just how much of an issue it truly is in your relationship. Is it a deal-breaker? Does it truly change the dynamic of your communication approach so much that you find yourself unhappy? Is it something you simply cannot live with?

If the answer to any of those questions is a solid yes, perhaps the only change you should be making is in the person you've chosen to spend your life with.

Nobody is perfect, so the best decision you can make for yourself where relationships are concerned is to not allow your time to be wasted by any one who isn't on the same page as you because, no matter what your circumstance, we are all worthy of a life more divine than the one we'll just settle for.