Category: international relations

We are international beings

I remember when I was growing up often hearing the saying “do one thing but do it well!” I had a tendency to daydream and wander in so many directions, touching many fields of interest and feeling frustrated at the mere idea of having to choose. In school one day, my Russian teacher prevailed upon me as I was struggling to keep up with the seven foreign languages I had selected to study: choose one and focus on it!

The majority of people specialize in a single discipline and get to hone it throughout their lives, identifying first and foremost with their job, their family, or their country of origin, depending on whatever prevails when standing at the helm of their own existence. As a result, we often question our ability to make decisions in other areas regarding our health, the education of our children, or the fate of the planet. We quickly abdicate the authority and discharge the responsibility for our own lives, unable to cope with the rapid changes in our set of circumstances, from having to heal ourselves, to educate ourselves, or to partake in communities and hone the fate of the planet.

It takes a village to raise a child for a balanced life, listening to all sides, integrating all voices. You may have noticed that you tend to look at things from one particular angle, but that there are many perspectives. You may feel more inclined towards an emotional rather than a financial argument, or you may prefer to think in terms of details rather than the big picture. Make sure not to be blindsided, however, as there are many other ways of looking at our situation. We may be happier choosing one focus, but we owe it to ourselves to explore other sides.

We become (well-rounded) human beings when we open up to others’ viewpoints and become more confident in our own choices as a result, and when we become fully at ease with our changing views over time. Ultimately, it helps communicate with people from other countries about who we are, in full respect of our own and others’ biases. We are multifaceted international beings at heart.

Life passes us by and the world suffers

As we rush through life, possibly enjoying the pace for a while, we are driven to exhaustion without any sense of our own responsibility in this pace, becoming the passenger rather than the driver of our own destiny. We have lost the ability to step back and reflect, to look at the big picture or do a small spontaneous thing off track. We are caught in this runaway train in the direction shaped by society, too scared to escape the mad pace and destroyed scenery, forgetting that in our precious life we were given the wheel and the inner GPS to navigate. Let us take a good look at the world and see ourselves.

The way to start is by slowing down, getting off the road and catching our breath. Let us remember who we truly are and the world we want. Do we truly have no time to make a difference? Are we so helpless to change the world? How much time does it take to give a smile and bring joy around? We can be of service without having to dedicate our lives to good causes and world peace. Let us commit to joy, if not for the world at least to ourselves. The warmth we are bound to feel will spread.

Negativity is generated by widespread suffering, pain, and selfishness. By refusing to see our own contribution – direct or indirect – we rob ourselves of the possibility of counteracting the pace at which we self-destruct through mere thinking if not acting altruistically. Meet your own breakdowns with the joy the world needs and retake your own power to make a difference in your life and in the world.

The world will only be at peace when you are at peace with yourself

There are so many reasons why the world is in turmoil and so few recipes to bring it to a peaceful place. In reality there is only one reason to account for this dire state: we are not at peace ourselves. We feel compelled to blame disorder and chaos in the world on our fellow citizens or global circumstances over which we believe we have no control. Our own disorder seems of little relevance, and yet there will never be any peace in the outside world until we have created peace within. The roots of the problem are firmly entrenched in our own selves.

Where should we start when assessing our own relationship to peacefulness? Should we seek help on the outside or search within? More often than not, we rely on others, on experts’ account to help us interpret what may be wrong with us. We certainly cannot all be psychologists, physicians, teachers to show us the way to healing and enlightenment. The input of specialists is undeniably valuable, but in reality our own sense of the path is ultimately the most important piece. Our own inner knowing and processing of external help is fundamental to healing. We are the authorities in our own lives, and we have the final say on what is our reality. Yet we tend to let others decide for us where the problem lies and what is the cure. We abdicate our own responsibility, often unaware or not trusting enough our inner knowing. As we learn to relate to what surrounds us from within, we discover an inner sense of what is right and a resonance between the outside and the inside – a harmonious and peaceful experience of integration that brings us and the universe closer, stronger, more engaged, and interrelated with a greater ability to make a difference.

Once we have become aware of this special connection between the universe and ourselves and have found the path to manifest externally what is firmly anchored in ourselves, we can share with family and friends, inspiring our communities and the whole wide world. The first step, though, is looking within and choosing the more peaceful resonance over the negative vibrations and chaotic experiences that the world will become a more peaceful place.

Where to find peace?

In today’s world, one is hard pressed to find a stable and peaceful place. Christians preparing for Christmas may be longing for peace and wondering, but people of all faith and origins aspire to a peaceful place they can call home, where their heart can expand and embrace others. Nature may be one of the very few places left where we can experience peace. Maybe the world is increasingly denying us places to find serenity so that we search elsewhere, looking inward rather than outward. For those of us who always seek a peaceful environment to find our balance, or those who devoted their careers to work towards peace in the world, the time has come to plant the seed of peace within ourselves.

Cultivating peace within, devoting time and attention to grow a state of mental calm and serenity will become increasingly important to face the troubled world around us, and to generate the kind of peace that will make a difference internationally. The anxiety created by environmental challenges, terrorist attacks, and human suffering all around will only be effectively addressed by individual attempts to cultivate serenity within. We rarely allow ourselves to feel the anxiety and acknowledge that we have the possibility to set aside our worries and centre ourselves to experience calm and peace inside, to cultivate within the beauty of nature and what we have sought from the world. It is time to give.

What we have to give the world lies in our positive thinking and creative powers. Thinking positively certainly has the power to change our circumstances and achieve our desires. It turns challenges into opportunities, intentions into reality, and it is contagious. It is not ignoring difficulties and obstacles but it is transformative – beyond the negative. Not only is it able to generate results, but it also creates a positive environment, a good mood, and harmonious relations. Positive thinking will project outward the calm and serenity found within. It has to become the predominant mind set for each and every one of us to change the way we look at the world collectively and ultimately transform the world itself.

This is a time to birth anew.