Dear friends,
Welcome to this,
The fourth in a series of reflections under the title Lessons in Hope.
We look around,
Sometimes in despair,
At the sight of political divisions preventing us working together,
Even as planet Earth,
Our shared home,
Suffers under the weight of our activities.
It's easy to feel anger,
Sense of overwhelm,
Discouragement and even resignation.
And we can sometimes have these emotions all at the same time.
Faced with these uncertainties,
We have to fall back on some words that we know to be true,
Always true,
Because change is constant.
The words,
This too shall pass.
Humanity has faced many periods of darkness,
Many ages of uncertainty.
At these times,
Our basic responses,
Ranging from coping with fear or working from a sense of sheer necessity,
These responses have resulted in our finding a way forward,
Finding our way out of darkness to a brighter future.
So in this meditation,
We'll give ourselves words of encouragement,
Enabling us to come back to the peace within.
And from that place of peace,
We'll be encouraged to walk forward together in search of a better tomorrow.
First,
Let's take a little time to bring ourselves into presence,
As we remind ourselves of an important fact,
Our common humanity,
And how we all have a right to be here.
So,
You are welcome in your poverty.
You are welcome in your abundance.
You are welcome here,
Regardless of your political views or your lack of them.
Remembering that all living things on earth,
Human beings,
Animals,
Plants,
Have all shared the same air,
We must work together as one body for the common good.
So whether you are black or white or somewhere in between,
Rich or poor or somewhere in between,
Feeling hopeful or hopeless just now or somewhere in between,
Regardless of your age,
Nationality,
Race,
Gender,
Shape,
Size,
Political leanings,
Sexual orientation,
Or any of the many differences which can be used to separate us one from the other,
Regardless of any of these things,
As members of the human race,
Breathing in the air which is the common need of all living things,
You are welcome here.
Let's have a one-minute pause,
60 seconds,
To recognise and give thanks for the bonds which unite us all in our wonderful diversity.
Welcome back.
The struggles we face today,
Although daunting,
Are not entirely without precedent.
Generations before us have coped with disaster.
They've resisted tyranny,
Fought for justice,
And have healed broken situations.
We are part of a long line of survivors,
Stretching back to the beginning of time itself.
We are not the first to feel disheartened or fearful,
And undoubtedly we will not be the last.
And here is the important reality.
Everything changes.
Nothing stays the same.
This possibility,
The inevitability of change,
Provides each of us with an opportunity.
We can be part of the change,
Each of us within our own sphere of influence.
We can choose,
And we must choose,
To be part of a movement towards a hopeful tomorrow and a better world than we have today.
We can't expect change to happen overnight,
But if we look back over history,
You will see that human dignity and resilience have repeatedly triumphed over the mixed challenges of disaster,
Oppression and greed.
You might ask,
What can I do?
A reasonable question.
First of all,
We must maintain a rational perspective in response to any situations which are of concern to us.
Every day we encounter problems,
Some personal,
Some global.
The question is,
How do we decide where to focus our energy?
This is where the idea of circles of concern,
Influence and action help us find our way.
And we'll have a look at these circles after another one minute pause.
The outer circle,
Circle number one,
Could be described as our circle of concern.
This includes everything that worries or interests us,
Climate change,
World peace,
Economic instability,
Or even the behaviour of distant politicians.
These all fall within this outer circle.
This circle of concern grows wider by the day,
Because of the nature and the speed of communications in our time.
But while we may care deeply,
We often have little direct control over these issues.
However,
Within circle number one,
There is what could be described as our circle of influence.
Within our concerns,
We will find some areas where we can make an impact.
We may not control government policies,
But we can vote,
We can advocate,
We can organise,
Motivate and educate other people.
We may not end global poverty,
But we can support local initiatives in that direction.
This is where our voice,
Our skills and our relationships matter,
Giving us a role to play.
And again moving within,
We realise that there may be available to us a circle of action.
This is a space where we can take immediate,
Concrete steps to improve matters.
If something falls within our circle of action,
We can do something to make a difference today,
Right now.
An example might be in the area of climate change.
This is of concern to us,
So it is within circle number one.
It is within our area of influence,
So it fits within circle number two,
Where we can advocate for environment-saving actions.
Where we can vote for people,
People who put the environment high on their agenda.
But this concern about the environment also fits within circle number three,
Our circle of action.
Here we can take positive action ourselves,
Today,
By reducing waste,
By conserving energy and by choosing sustainable products.
The direct application today of the mantra,
Refuse,
Reduce,
Reuse,
Recycle.
The important thing to remember is that time and energy spent simply worrying or complaining about concerns outside our influence,
This is time that could be better spent elsewhere.
It's better that we focus on actions using our influence and taking concrete action to bring about the change that we are seeking.
Instead of feeling paralysed or overwhelmed by the enormity of a problem,
We simply ask ourselves,
What can I do now?
And we get to work where we can.
So the message of this reflection is simple,
Everything changes,
There is no need to lose heart.
And by acting in situations where we can bring our influence to bear,
We can help bring about the change we seek.
It's tempting to believe that unless we can solve an entire crisis,
Be it political corruption,
Environmental devastation or social injustice,
We might think our efforts are meaningless.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Because just as ripples spread out from a stone dropped into the centre of a still lake,
Even our smallest actions ripple outwards.
Their effects will be felt far from the centre where the stone dropped in.
I'd like to end this reflection with an encouraging quote from William James,
Who died in 1910.
William says,
Act as if what you do makes a difference.
It does.
And yes it does.
So may we never lose hope in our work to make this a better world.
Namaste.
