Anger and violence are everywhere.
Family violence in our homes, bullying and shootings in our schools, anger on the sports field, the playground, and road rage in our cars are the chosen ways for many to solve problems. But, does it really resolve anything? Cultural differences and differences of opinion aren’t solved by violence and anger. They only deepen the wedge and wounds of separation, creating more distrust and violence.
We are bombarded with news casting that dramatizes theft, home invasion, corruption, killing, kidnapping and more. And this is just about what’s happening locally in our own neighborhoods and nearby towns. Yes, it makes for headline news, but do I really need to know all that 24/7? Do you? Unfortunately, it fills our waking and sleeping states and who know what distortions it generates to our subconscious minds.
Are we undergoing a moral crisis in this country and also globally? Is there hope for peaceful coexistence, collaboration and cooperation and the conscious decision that we are stewards of the world we live in?
Stewardship means the care and responsible oversight of something of value and pertains to the management of property, finances and estates. Commercial stewardship refers to caring for the domestic and service requirements of passengers and guests on ships, trains, airplanes and restaurants.
Today we’re rightly concerned with the stewardship of our natural resources for the purposes of preservation and sustainability over time and for leaving a legacy for future generations. Yet, it seems vital right now to extend the meaning of stewardship to each other. We decide that it’s time to recognize the joint responsibility we all have to safeguard one another. Human life and human dignity are valuable assets to protect as I believe all life is. Life is worth caring for and preserving.
Just as we choose our friends, our recreational activities, and our preferences about clothes, cars, and food, the way we behave and what we transmit to others verbally, physically or in our minds is also by choice. Choosing service beyond self-interest is a critical selection. Technological developments advance us in so many wonderful ways and truly connect us instantly across vast oceans and time zones. Yet, the spiritual and humanitarian values that can preserve and advance civilizations have unfortunately regressed.
Individually and collectively, we have an urgent and growing responsibility to support and practice compassion, goodwill, peaceful conflict resolution and nurture one another and ourselves with the utmost care.
What helps us promote that? Dialogue, meditation, prayer, loving companionship and extoling the cherished values of love, gratitude, appreciation and humility are just some of the ways. We can quiet the internal churning of hatred, intolerance, impatience and anger. We can think before spewing hate and embracing greed. And, we can also remember and find ways to recognize that when we wrong someone else, we also wrong ourselves. Together we are immeasurably wonderful and powerful, and we can create a world that breeds love and creative possibility.
Read more posts by Jo Anne White, Ph.D., international speaker. Dr. White is a blogger for JenningsWire.
