The 10 things I learned about myself and the world in 2021...
And what it means for 2022
As we bid farewell to 2021, here are 10 things I learned about myself and our world over the past year:
1) Happiness and inner peace are much more a state of mind for me than a reflection of what is happening in my life at any given moment.
2) I don't need to shut out sadness and loss from my life to prevent it from consuming me. It's a natural part of life, like any other, that needs to be allowed to be.
3) When I feel overwhelmed by frustration, sadness, anger or anxiety, the best thing I can do is to simply close my eyes and take a breath...and another...and another. The breath is more powerful than any drug when it comes to shaping our state of mind.
4) Sometimes the best I can do for someone I care about who is struggling is to simply listen and let them know I care. It's OK not to have an answer, and it's better not to try to come up with one when there is none.
5) It's just as important for humans to be empathetic creatures as it is for them to be social creatures. We put too much emphasis on socialization with those we know and not nearly enough on empathy for those we don't.
6) We no longer have the luxury of taking our democracy (that so many Americans gave their lives to protect) for granted, and we each have a responsibility to do what we can to preserve and protect it. That is the truest form of patriotism.
7) Decency, dignity and compassion are much more important traits for our leaders to possess than political ideology or beliefs.
8) I don't need to be part of an organized religion, or take part in religious rituals, to find spiritual fulfillment in my life. I've found that the best way to nurture my faith is open my mind to new ideas and possibilities and embrace those that give me comfort and wisdom.
9) Our world and society are complicated places, and those who see complicated issues in purely black and white terms are usually going to be wrong and misguided. It's much more important to be loyal to a search for the truth and real solutions to real problems than to be blindly loyal to a political party or ideology.
10) We need to be humble enough to see where we have been wrong on things of consequence and change our views to reflect new understandings and facts. But that shouldn't stop us from fighting passionately for our convictions, especially when it comes to social justice. None of us are perfect, all of us have failed at one time or another to live up to the ideals we espouse, but all of us have the potential to learn from our mistakes, grow and, most importantly, make a positive difference in the lives of others as well as our own. Let's commit to doing that in 2022!
Happy New Year!