A great man once said, “Be a lotus.” Which means, no matter how ugly, how evil, and how sinful everyone around you might become, do not allow yourself to be stained. A lotus remains beautiful even as it lingers in the filthy waters of the pond. Don’t be contaminated, do not be influenced by worthless means, remain radiant among the shadows of darkness. Be a lotus. It has to start with one, to fill the pond with more.
It quite frequently feels like there is no escape from the sad and troubling news stories from around the world. Often when we log on to social media or turn on the news there are reports of gun violence, acts of terrorism, murders, missing children, or a scary epidemic and it seems as if the world is growing ever more disturbing.
There’s no point in pretending that evil isn’t a reality and that the world will one day make peace with their enemies (although it would be nice) and I do think that we need to keep ourselves informed to a certain extent.
I sometimes worry about the kind of future my children will have as it’s easy to get consumed in all the negative happening in the world and want to shield them from some of the harsh realities, however we need to remember that bad news can teach us valuable lessons and motivate us to change our behaviours to make a difference. On so many occasions we see communities who would normally avoid each other come together in the event of a tragedy and consequently put any racial, gender or sexuality biases aside which proves we can live in peace. So instead of dwelling on the negative it’s important to teach our children that there’s also so much joy that can be had and is happening all around the world right now.
Here are some pointers I like to remind myself of when it comes to keeping updated with the latest world events.
Be informed but don’t obsess – If you do like to be updated with world news I would choose a time of the day to update yourself and then completely disconnect until the next day.
Do something positive to help – If there is a headline that has really captivated you find a way to help, no matter how small your action may be it could have a big impact.
For every piece of bad news make the effort to find some good news – It’s really easy to find good news stories and even typing into google “Good news” will bring up hundreds of websites and articles that share inspiring stories and uplifting news.
Accept uncertainty – Instead of letting uncertainty break us, paralyse us with fear and fill our heads with doubt we should embrace it. We should instead ride the fear, make changes, keep learning and always keep moving as there are just some things in life that are simple out of our control.
I hope that my children always remember that they can be the light in the darkness and their positive actions no matter how small can make a difference.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Thanks for reading! ☮