A more loving and peaceful world starts with us

“Isn’t it amazing in this world that anyone can love anyone at all?” - Transit

My yoga teacher Kathy McNames from Yoga Vermont once said that it’s a miracle that we can love and understand one another since we all live in different worlds. Our perceptions define our existence like a pair of sunglasses tinting our worldview. We might think that we all experience the world in the same way and yet our past, opinions, and feelings create our reality.

And no, this doesn’t mean that one way of seeing the world is better or more accurate than another. It simply is. And since we all live in different worlds and are entering each situation with our own baggage, the ability to love one another is truly a miracle.

So what happens when we start to understand how our perceptions shape ours and others realities? What happens when we start to shift our mindset into one of compassion and understanding over competition and animosity?

I truly believe that we can always find ways to share kindness. Sometimes it’s checking ourself in our irritability towards a stranger or sometimes it’s seeking to understand a loved ones’ actions. What if every single person is doing the best they can with whatever resources they have in that exact moment?

And that includes you.

The only thing that we can truly control in this life is our actions and how we interact with the world. We get to be active participants in our life and choose the reality that we seek. And that begins with self-compassion.

This holiday season, let’s let go of judgment and seek to understand. Let’s find the tiniest ways to share love and kindness. After all, sometimes it’s the smallest moments that make the biggest impact.

Creating a more loving and peaceful world starts with us. The effects of our kindness has no bounds.