The State of Dis-grace

Well, we've done it. We've become a society of selfish, egotistical, heartless, self-righteous and indignant units driven by greed. Oh, sure, there are those of you out there going, "What the hell are you talking about? I volunteer and give to charities, go to soccer games on Saturdays and church on Sundays. I give!" I'll just bet that in the back of your mind somewhere, the next line is probably something like, "Yeah, I give - when there's something in it for me!" It's rare to come across people who just wants to do something for the sake of helping out, no matter how small it may seem, and without recognition or reward. And if you think about it, this also means showing a little grace now and then by simple acts of thoughtful kindness, such as letting the young mother, tired, stressed and struggling with the baby on her hip, cut ahead of you in line at the grocery store because you're really not in any hurry and she only has a couple of items. Or by letting another driver in to the lane of traffic ahead of you. You know what I mean.

This concept has been around forever, and every few years or so someone coins another 'fad phrase' like "Today is the First Day of Your Life" or "Practice Random Acts of Kindness". But as of now, late September in the year 2009, it seems as if the human race has suddenly become so cold and insensitive to one another that it's time to come together, to find common ground and learn to love each and every one of us, working for that elusive world peace everyone keeps talking about.

Have you ever noticed how out-of-tune we are emotionally? So much so that we can barely look each other in the eyes. I read somewhere about a simple experiment that you can try yourself: for one week (the original experiment was for one month, I think), every person you pass on the street, in the hall, in the store, where ever, look at them straight in the eyes as you pass each other and greet them hello. Just make yourself do this and you'll be amazed at the responses you get ... or don't.

Then people think you're crazy, but who cares? Think seriously about this for a few minutes: what would happen if we all stopped worrying about what someone else may or may not think about us? Don't we have enough pressures from society already?

The past couple of days I have encountered so many incredibly rude people, many of whom are setting examples for our future generation by acting out such behaviors in front of their own children. Thus the tirade against humanity and it's gross negligence of common decency. And I could go on forever, high up here on my holier-than-thou soap box, reprimanding humans for becoming so uncaring, insensitive, and merciless. But in all honesty, as humans we are flawed and imperfect, and the variables that contribute to the growth and development of each of our lives are too numerous to even consider. I am certainly not here to judge. Isn't there a happy balance in life where we can all be ourselves without having to compete with one another, while living peacefully and harmoniously world-wide?

Good night, then, and please try to be good to all living things. Remember that the more love and gratitude that you send out to the universe, the more love and gratitude you receive. I'll just leave it at that.