Every day we hear about pain and suffering being inflicted on others in the world. We try to make sense out of these events. We believe that if I can make sense out of everything, I will be okay. I will be in control.
But how do we make sense out of so many experiences that are senseless? How do we make sense out of abuse, neglect, bullying, deception that either we personally experienced or we hear or read about. The truth is we cannot make sense out of events that should never have happened. We are powerless over those who inflict this pain.
When we are not willing to accept that we are powerless, we say to ourselves, "It's my fault, I should have tried harder to prevent this situation from happening" or "I did not do enough." If something happens in the world, we ignore it or avoid it saying, " I don't have time for this."
We are taught that to feel powerless means we are weak. This thinking actually keeps us trapped and feeling like a victim. In reality accepting this powerlessness makes us human. It allows us to feel compassion for ourselves and for others who are suffering, rather than shame or pity for unavoidable experiences.
Accepting the powerlessness actually allows us to think of ways to work through and overcome adversity and move forward. It allows us to face the harsh fact of human nature: there are insecure people in this world who will continue to hurt others because they are hurting.
But the one thing they cannot take away from us is our ability to empower ourselves and others to keep doing the right thing no matter what. It means that if each one of us decides to do one act of kindness, for one person each day, no matter how small or big, good will always triumph over every unkind act attempted or inflicted.
But how do we make sense out of so many experiences that are senseless? How do we make sense out of abuse, neglect, bullying, deception that either we personally experienced or we hear or read about. The truth is we cannot make sense out of events that should never have happened. We are powerless over those who inflict this pain.
When we are not willing to accept that we are powerless, we say to ourselves, "It's my fault, I should have tried harder to prevent this situation from happening" or "I did not do enough." If something happens in the world, we ignore it or avoid it saying, " I don't have time for this."
We are taught that to feel powerless means we are weak. This thinking actually keeps us trapped and feeling like a victim. In reality accepting this powerlessness makes us human. It allows us to feel compassion for ourselves and for others who are suffering, rather than shame or pity for unavoidable experiences.
Accepting the powerlessness actually allows us to think of ways to work through and overcome adversity and move forward. It allows us to face the harsh fact of human nature: there are insecure people in this world who will continue to hurt others because they are hurting.
But the one thing they cannot take away from us is our ability to empower ourselves and others to keep doing the right thing no matter what. It means that if each one of us decides to do one act of kindness, for one person each day, no matter how small or big, good will always triumph over every unkind act attempted or inflicted.