Everyone wants to feel safe. In fact if the truth be known everyone 'needs' to feel safe. Today in the world as it is, as presented to us through the eyes and the lens of news media, it's difficult to feel safe. So many threats coming from so many directions and really not many real solutions to keep us safe from them. To some it may feel like a crap shoot when one walks out one's door every day as to whether or not one will return in one piece or return at all. In parts of the world today there is truly a high risk of being injured or killed by complete strangers who may be trying to take over the society in which one lives so that they can control what people think, what people say and what people do.
It would be very easy to go on and on and on listing all of the risks that come with living in today's world, no matter where one lives, however that is extremely counterproductive for any awake and aware human being to do. We can forego that part of it and instead move on to what we can DO to help ourselves feel safer if we but choose to and that is why I'm writing this.
Many of us are anxious and afraid. We don't know what crazy thing is going to happen from one moment to the next today but we can all choose not to fall victim to the fear, the anxiety and the stress that fear and anxiety causes us. After all in this life it is not what happens to us but it is how we view it and how we weather it that truly matters in the end. There's going to be bumps in the road and there's going to be truly frightening events that may cause us to return to a place of feelings of insecurity, anxiety and outright fear about the future. What is really important is that we live in that for as short a time as possible and then go about the business of living without fear and anxiety.
Everyone has their own path to travel in this and what works for one may not work for another. However it's possible that there are common and simple things to do that will help almost everyone.
First and foremost be aware that being an active participant in this life, in the world around us, doesn't have to mean that we must keep up on every current event. There are those who seem to be addicted to news and the news media. Then there are those of us who have in the past lived many years, even decades, without feeling that we need to know everything that's going on around the world or even in our local communities at all times. As one of those people I can truly attest to the fact that I was harmed in no way by ignoring current events and that I never missed anything that was truly important or that affected myself, my family, my friends or others. Somehow the news of the things that affect many people and may have a direct effect on us get out without our dedication to keeping up on current events. The news media is a mixed bag of people dedicated to keeping us all apprised of the events that do truly affect us and of people who are looking for ratings; ratings that translate into profit and profit that translates into wealth. It's tough to distinguish one from the other so perhaps vastly reducing the amount of news that we view/read and even perhaps eliminating if from our lives would be something we could do to help us feel safer. After all today it seems that the news media is devoted to bringing us the worst, the most frightening and the most threatening information under the guise of wanting us to be informed so we can be safe. Safety may not be so much in being informed as it is in being vigilant. Vigilance is not fear, it is simply being aware of one's surroundings. We can be very vigilant without feeling afraid.
The second, and perhaps the most effective, way of feeling safe is to DO something. What we do doesn't have to be huge or even big it simply needs to be focused. Everyone can do something to help themselves feel safer by reaching out to others and supporting them. I daresay that anyone who has experienced the 'joy of giving' of themselves would agree that action in this area is not only grounding but is also healing in nature. Giving can come in many forms; in nearly an infinite number of things that are available to do that helps someone else and also ourselves.
There is charity giving of course which could be anything from donating money to a cause, to getting involved in a cause, to spearheading one's own cause. However for some people that's not who they are and for many that's not what they can afford finance or time wise. But there are many ways to give to others. Support of a single person or many persons whether in person or on social networking is one option. Gathering like minded people who have similar interests and even share the same fears and anxieties is another. Writing, donating, volunteering...it all helps and it all matters.
We are each individuals who have our own unique gifts to give and allowing anyone at any time to judge us or to suggest that what we have to offer isn't as good as what others do is an obstacle to finding what we can do. I can promise you that once you find what it is that you can do, that you can contribute, that you have to give and then you do it that is when you have found your path. Once you've found your path to giving to others you will realize that through your giving you feel safer. Why do you feel safer? You feel safer because you've made a connection, because you are a contributor to THE ANSWER that is becoming one humanity that helps and supports one another regardless of color, creed, religion, sexual orientation or any other aspect of our unique humanness that some deem a good reason to divide ourselves.
We are one humanity and safety is NOT in dividing ourselves to protect ourselves, safety is in connecting ourselves one with the other until we are all connected...
No comments:
Post a Comment