Choose Hope - Choose Change

Choose Hope - Choose Change
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There’s always light in every storm.

There’s always light in every storm.

https://www.facebook.com/WriterJessicaFaaborg/

It’s no wonder so many people in the US are depressed on a regular basis. People have forgotten the basic emotion of empathy; empathy for themselves and empathy for others. Communication is a forgotten tool and people would rather throw friendships and relationships away instead of dealing with whatever caused an issue and moving forward. Too many people get stuck in their own comfort zone where they are able to complain about the world they occupy outside their bubble, but refuse to do anything about it. Entirely too many people jump on their computer and become keyboard warriors, but when put too the test of “what are you doing to make a change?” keyboard warriors and back yard bitcher’s only answer is, “nothing.” All of this makes me ask, in a world filled with selfish and negative people, violence, greed, and total social dysfunction, how do you choose to remain hopeful? How do you turn that choice of hope into action? How do you change the narrative surrounding you in to one filled with positivity and hope?

Look around you. How many people are truly happy? Now look again. How many of those who claim to be truly “happy” people are ignoring the world around them? Ignoring other people’s pain because, “Hey, we all have pain.” Ignoring the current political environment because, “it’s all drama.” Literally putting on blinders to the reality of the world surrounding them, yet given the opportunity they complain. Saying things like, “it shouldn’t be that way” or “it’s not fair” only to close themselves off back into a bubble and do nothing; when asked if they voted or did some other any action to make a change in the world around them, the answer is always, “no.”

Too many Americans have unplugged from our real social issues simply to care only about themselves. They have friends who reach out to them in genuine pain, but because they don’t understand the pain, they choose to roll their eyes and exit the conversation. Later they chose to talk about the friend and his or her pain and make judgments about their life. They say things like, “you shouldn’t feel that way.” and “I don’t want you to feel that way.” and close the bubble back around themselves. Communication can and would fix this problem. If people would be less afraid to communicate. If your feelings are hurt, tell the person who hurt them not only that they are hurt, but why. Saying XYZ happened and those things hurt, is not a personal attack. It is a way for one person to take action to try to fix a problem. The person who has the bravery to stand up for their own feelings is the person choosing to make a change. Choosing hope instead of negativity and choosing forgiveness instead of swimming in pain. What the other person receiving the information does is up to them. If they see it as a personal attack, or drama all they have done is show that they truly lack empathy for others.

With all of these questions rolling around about hope and how to make a change, when was the last time you had enough empathy to listen to the people around you? The starry eyed optimist filled with nothing but hope about their future crushed by one simple comment of “we are all ants and robots just going to work to pay bills.” That person has put on blinders to all possibilities of hope and accepted that there is no way to help make a change. The starry eyed optimist gets hurt because someone is essentially shitting on their hope and dreams. Neither of these people is right or wrong. They have just made different choices based on their levels hope and faith. The optimist chooses to continue the hope of helping to make a change.

So, to answer the question of how do you choose to remain hopeful and turn that into action? You get to know yourself first. Explore yourself enough to find what makes you inspired and passionate. Know what your limits and boundaries are; what is acceptable in your life when it comes to happiness. Refuse the urge to close yourself off and forget that the world is happening around you and be empathetic to other people. Examine what is important to you and what part you can do to help make a change. Be an observer and look at other people’s perspectives in order to find a way to be empathetic. Be proud of your accomplishments and celebrate your victories, no matter how small or large they are.

If your passion includes our current political environment, plug back in and get involved. Find a candidate to stand behind and encourage others to vote on every level. If your passion is helping those in need, volunteer at a local shelter or become a victim rights advocate. If your passion is educating others, take the steps needed to allow yourself to dig into that passion. If your passion surfaces as anger against greedy businesses, stand up and let your voice be heard in a public forum. Sitting around and complaining never solves any issue. Choose change and hope instead. Take the steps needed to find your own voice and turn that voice into actions. If you are a hope filled person, act on that hope. Stop saying things like “someone needs to change that” and start doing the things necessary to make that change. A true change starts with one person, why not you?

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” - Mahatma Gandhi

#LoveYourselfFirst #LoveYourselfFirst

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