Letter From The Editor – Balance
– By James McFadden –
With all the turmoil cropping up on an almost daily basis. It’s often hard not to see the forest for the trees. Today it almost seems like the opposite is happening. Today, we are so overwhelmed by the big picture and the global nature of it that we forget to focus on the small things in our daily lives that matter most. Family, friends, and lasagna. I really do love lasagna!
While it is important to see and understand the bigger things going on around us, it is just as important, if not more so, to see and understand the more critical things happening around us, things we have a more poignant influence over. I mean, what good does it do us if all we’re worried about is world issues when those we love may be struggling to find peace or see the joy in life? Myself included sometimes…
From where I’m sitting, this is the greatest global threat we’re facing right now. We’re so distracted and caught up in the big ugly that we’re neglecting to see the world that exists right in front of us, and I fear there are many out there who are really feeling lonely, isolated, afraid, and on the edge of giving up. Not myself at the moment, but I think you understand what I’m trying to say here.
So, consider this a call to arms, your own arms, the arms that can reach out, touch, and embrace someone who may be having a difficult time feeling hope or joy. It’s not just in their heads; it’s real, and it can often be life-threatening.
Love and compassion are fickle little beasts that are often forgotten when we’re only focused on our own problems and especially when we’re angry at the world’s injustices. And there are so many injustices to choose from right now that it’s easy to see just how easily we can be distracted. Now there’s a paragraph you might want to read again…
Now, this isn’t an article with any answers, just suggestions that you, the reader, must interpret for yourselves. We all need to take some time to consider just how much control and power we have and where that power and control are greatest. Do we want to get angry and protest the latest outrage, or do we want to quiet our minds and embrace someone close to us who might just need our embrace?
Balance is paramount in this endeavor. I’m not suggesting you forget about the bigger problems we’re facing; I’m simply suggesting that you also make time, maybe even more so, to focus on those things closest to you that need your time and energy just as much as the world needs your voice added to its collective.
I mean, what good is it if we save the world, but the world around us falls apart in the process…
So, while you’re going through your days this month, make sure you take a moment to share your time with someone around you. You might simply be saving more than just the world…
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