In this challenging time, it can be difficult to stay focused on our lives and our purpose.
It is close to impossible not to be aware of all the suffering and injustice occurring in the world, and in fact, we need to stay informed. But if we immerse ourselves in the news, we may find ourselves feeling drained. If we choose–again and again–to return our attention to our own unfolding path, we gain the strength and courage to help others in whatever way we can.
Currently, a group of monks is on a long walk from Texas to Washington, D.C.
Everywhere they go, they carry the same message: “May you be well, may you be happy, may you be at peace.” People line the roads to greet them, and police cars drive slowly, alongside, keeping them safe.
These monks smile and encourage us to stay present, to notice our breath, to join together and find comfort in one another. They remind us that simple acts done with pure intention can work miracles.
There will never be a perfect time to do what we are meant to do.
As the writer Maxine Hong Kingston wrote:
In a time of destruction, create something: a poem, a parade, a community, a school, a vow, a moral principle; one peaceful moment.
Through cultivating presence and mindfulness, as the monks tell us to do, and using our creativity to make something positive, as Maxine Hong Kingston advises, we not only transform ourselves but also transform the world around us.
We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. What affects one destiny, affects all indirectly. –Martin Luther King Jr.
