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I Believe in the Human Spirit
As with all people, I have many beliefs. The ones that I feel are the strongest – and the ones that I want incorporated into every area of my life – are the ones relating to the human Spirit.
I believe in the goodness of humanity. I believe in the strength and compassion of people. It can be so easy sometimes to only focus on the negative – how others have “done us wrong.” But when we only see the negative, we create within ourselves an “us versus them” attitude. We fail to see their Spirit. And we fail to see how truly connected we all are.
I believe that every person on this Earth, at every moment, is doing the best they can with what they know. Knowing this allows me to have compassion for someone who may be struggling (including myself). And it allows me to practice forgiveness towards people who have done something that I feel hurt or angry by. Everyone has made someone else upset at one point in time. However, it’s difficult to stay angry with someone once you really see yourself in their position. We’ve all been there. We’ve all said things we didn’t mean or regretted later. We’ve all had those moments of growth, however uncomfortable they may be. And when we recognize ourselves in someone else, we see their Spirit.
I believe in Mahatma Gandhi’s famous words, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” If I wish for peace, I must be peaceful. Peaceful thoughts bring about peaceful words, and peaceful words are the precursor to peaceful actions.
I can’t force anyone else to share my point of view, nor do I desire to. But I believe actions are contagious, whether they are negative or positive, and I choose to do all I can to spread compassion. And during the moments when I lose my way, I forgive myself, learn from the experience, and move forward. I do whatever it takes to put myself back on my path, to remember why I am here.
I believe that humanity as a whole was put on this Earth to open each others’ hearts. This can manifest in an infinite number of ways, but I believe the important thing to remember is that it can be done on a small scale every day. One of the most compassionate things we can do daily is to speak kindly about others. Gossip is an infectious disease that only serves to hurt all involved. I believe that choosing not to gossip can be one of the most profoundly important things we can do to serve others.
I believe in the power of gratitude. When I’m depressed, I try to think of everything in my life that I have to be grateful for. This isn’t always easy, but little by little I start to remember all there is to be thankful for. Staying depressed is always a little more difficult when I remember how much I really have. And when I’m not depressed, I still take time to be grateful for my life, which only serves to reinforce that feeling in me on my more difficult days.
I am not perfect; I am constantly learning and growing from my experiences. But my intention is to always be moving in any direction that compassion takes me. I choose to see the love that exists in the world, because I believe it is there.
