Successful Relationships Reading Corner
This week, we wrote about why it’s important to relate to community as well as individuals. Here are some earlier posts where we talk about what we all can do.
Community in the Year of the Virus “We have been getting feedback from our readers on how much their sense of community has changed and grown in their present experiences. There is an appreciation for others growing out of the very fact of not being able to come together, at least not physically. People seem to have become so much more aware of the importance of relationships, near and far, and of the communities we are a part of.”
How to Make a Better World Through Your Relationships “We’re talking about the experience of being open to someone when you meet them, of seeing them as another human being; someone with dreams, desires, and needs just like you. It is a peaceful attitude that can be recognized, and the other person feels that much better for it. Even if there are differences, the other person feels that their position is going to be taken into account. If you don’t get a peaceful response, don’t respond in kind, but continue to look at what is motivating them. Not only your world, but the whole world is fractionally improved by your contribution. It may seem small, but it counts, just as every vote counts. Imagine what the world would be like if everybody acted in this way: world peace! Yes, we’re a long way off at the moment, but we are moving toward it, even if Ukraine and Gaza say otherwise. Hold this in mind when you interact with people. Be inspired, and be inspiring. Be a part of that goal.”
Promoting Peace: What Can You Do to Make a Difference? “I was talking with a dear friend the other day, and we started discussing peace and how much it is on our minds and hearts these days. We discussed the feeling of hopelessness that seems so prevalent and what to do about it. After recounting a few stories of her experiences searching for peace within her interactions, she said that in order to have peace you need to feel peaceful inside yourself and then find ways to share and spread that to each one of your relationships. We began looking at what we can do personally. I shared my appreciation of a project called I Declare World Peace, in which people create a short video with their personal declaration, and these videos from all over the world are available to view. Making such a video is very empowering. You stand up in front of the world and you declare peace. It is simple and it has a profound effect. It is my belief that by the very act of putting it out there, you bring change.”