We often underestimate the power of our own individual actions. We may not realize how much impact we have on others. An experience a good friend of mine shared with me illustrates this perfectly.
My friend, who is Japanese, was crossing the street when, out of the blue, a man crossing in the other direction nearly bumped into her and said, “get out of my way, Chinese b****.” She felt momentarily frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights. In that short moment, using only a few words, that man was able to have a negative impact on her. The words hurled at her were violent in nature – like a punch in the gut.
She was early for a meeting with her client so she went to a nearby coffee shop to get a cup of coffee. She walked on feeling unsettled, confused and hurt by this anonymous and random action of violence.
There was a line at the coffee shop and, as she was waiting her turn, the man behind the counter asked for her order. “Just a cup of coffee, she replied. The man smiled and said, “You don’t have to wait on line, pretty lady. Just go to the cashier.” His smile and sweet words probably meant nothing to him – it was just another moment in an otherwise unremarkable day. He probably had no idea how healing and uplifting his words felt to my friend.
This is just another example of how we are all connected as part of the Quilt of Humanity. Every action we take, whether negative or positive, creates energy that reverberates across the entire quilt. This energy can destructive, tearing apart individual threads, or positive, creating threads of connection. What actions of yours recently have sent positive energy out into the Universe?
Hey Deb,
I agree that a smile or a kind remark puts positive energy in the Universe that can make the difference in at least one person’s life.
Recently, a friend made a remark of how I always seemed to “acknowledge” people, ask for their names, call them by their names in “meaningless” transactions. If everyday acts of kindness are now seen as meaningless transactions, we’re in trouble as a human race.
Everyday, I can see how many of us are living in the “Matrix”… in automatic and non-thinking ways. I am working hard at being present. I find it difficult to do every day, all day, all week, and I deeply surprise and disappoint myself in not being able to do. As one who deeply wishes to walk her talk, I’m trying to work it!
Yvette,
I love the way you acknowledge people!
It is hard to walk the talk, isn’t it?
Deb,
Thanks for inviting me to your space and your thoughts. I appreciate the spark it lit under me to think deeply about how important it is to be constantly vigliant about how i treat people and how i talk.
Yvette, ain’t it the truth, its incredibly hard to be vigilant and completely conscious every second of every day! But being kind to myself and reminding myself that i’m doing the absolute best i can at every given moment helps me keep on tryin.
Peace to both of you and other. Caty
Caty,
Yes, it is hard to walk the talk and we need to recognize that we are only human.
Deb
Deb, this reminds me of the first lesson in “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” We’re all connected and the things we do affect people in ways we can’t even imagine. Thank you for the reminder.
Celeste,
I never heard of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” but it sounds interesting.
Thanks,
Deb
Thanks for your insight. I too am struggling to remain present in my interactions with people and in my own conscious. So often I am two steps ahead or behind the present moment and my abrupt attitude towards others is usually triggered when I am interrupted from my mindless wanderings.
Hey Jo,
I am quite familiar with “mindless wanderings.” I often find myself arriving someplace with no memory whatsoever of how I got there. I evidently get so busy being preoccupied internally that I become blind to everything external.
Dear Deb,
It’s truly amazing how rich life becomes when one makes the effort to impart a gift, or blessing, to whomever one comes into contact with- a smile, a kind word or gesture, a compliment. Do so not only creates a ripple of grace in the universe but in a very real way it causes one to be more aware of the beauty that is always around us, and that in turn helps in dealing with and trying to help heal the things that are not so beautiful.
Thanks for this simple yet powerful story and lesson.
Love,
Michael
Michael,
I love your words, “ripple of grace in the Universe” – such a great description of how we can each have positive impact.
Love,
Deb
Deborah,
I fully appreciate the power of good words vis a vis unkind words. We should all certainly seek to do and cultivate kindness to others–emotionally, mentally, spiritually and otherwise. But while negative expressions may sometimes hurt us, I do know, however, that negative feelings can sometimes lead to positive effects.
Let me illustrate the point with an algebraic truism, which is a negative quantity multiplied by [or divided by] always leads to a positive result! We can therefore use a negative remark to take us back into the past, to help us to see where we may have fallen from a state of completeness or near perfection in our distant lives. Negative energies may hurt at the point of their delivery; but if they force us to introspect a little, they may point us to the need to come up to higher ground by seeking to dissociate with the the mere mechanical contents of the negative, and log into the positive side of the negative remark by one refusing to become attached or permanently affected by it. In that way, a negative can lead to a positive in our lives.
I always feel blessed when I learn from the negative or unkind things that people may say to me or may have said to me; and pinch myself with resolve to become a better person, so that there may not be opportunities for another to correct or remark on a negative in me by my subconscious or real imperfections that may be lurking actually or latently in my life, and which may be readily apparent to another or others.
Blessings to all!
Anthony
Interesting point Anthony. Certainly negative experiences can present us with excellent learning opportunities.