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So many of us today are angry or anxious or outright scared because the social and natural systems of our world seem to be rapidly breaking down. And not much is being done to guide us towards balanced solutions and societal healing.
Our leaders are becoming more useless, caught up in ridiculous dramas that have more to do with ideological loyalty than real, solution-based, person-centered progress. And the private sector, with few exceptions, is more than ever about profit over the good of we, the people.
Following the lead from our leadership, many of us have steered our focus onto the specks in each other’s eyes while disregarding the beams in our own. There are financial forces invested in keeping us distracted and divided by a story of “us vs. them”. We need to pause and ask ourselves how this is working out for us.
Today, can we even imagine a world that isn’t hateful and frightening? It seems really far off. But there is always a good road to be found if we look hard enough for it. There are radiant beings amongst us who can help us remember our true potential as a species. Just by the energy of their presence, they remind us of our ability to live in ways that are more connected, peaceful, and balanced. I met someone like that a little while back. And am a better person for it.
I went to one of those fantastic flea markets where you can find everything from tools to trumpets to tarot readings. The sellers were an eclectic array of poets, outlaws, artists, and fringe dwellers. I was strolling the aisles and passed a small booth filled with a mélange of fabrics and curiosities from Guatemala that made me pause.
A young woman, sitting next to some neatly arranged terracotta pots, drew me into her booth with a simple glance. I immediately felt her energy, which was unusual. I’m not normally that sensitive. But it seemed her aura, or charisma, or whatever you want to call it, would not be contained and I was drawn into her space by a gravitational pull.
The young trader emanated a confident poise, wisdom, and inner peace that is rare to find. She sat quietly in the small pool of shade provided by a festive umbrella. She gave me a friendly smile. “Let me know if you have any questions about anything,” she said.
I nodded, returning her smile, and moved to inspect a neatly displayed and colorful stack of woven scarves. I found one in my wife’s favorite shade and I thought she would enjoy it. “What do you get on the scarf?” I asked, holding it up.
“That’s twelve and yes, if you offer me ten, I will take it…as long as it’s cash.” She said, smiling again.
That made me chuckle and I decided to have a bit of fun as she seemed up for it. “I’ll give you the twelve for it if you can tell me the secret to living a happy life,” I said.
She laughed out loud, slowly removed a strand of her long, black hair that had fallen in front of her dark eyes. “That’s easy,” she said, without missing a beat. And then she offered me this: “Happiness is in choosing to be as harmless as we possibly can while going about our day. The more harmless we try to be, the happier we become!”
“That is truly brilliant,” I said. I gladly gave her the twelve and an exaggerated bow with my hands at my heart, like I offer to my yoga teacher at the end of class. “Thank you, kindly,” I said.
She pocketed the twelve. “You are most welcome. Be sure to enjoy the day!”
And there it was. Wisdom to live my life by, offered in less than thirty seconds and under thirty words—all for an extra couple bucks on a scarf!
Intelligence isn’t difficult to achieve. Many people, who are working diligently to create a sort of hell on earth by trying to impose their severely limited worldviews on the rest us, are very intelligent people. But wisdom is much rarer. It has many layers beyond mere intelligence or cleverness. And, unfortunately, wise people seldom rise to positions of leadership, because they just are not interested.
But when we stumble upon some pearls of wisdom that we recognize as such, it is often in our best interest to do what we can to incorporate those pearls into the operating system of our life. To choose to be as harmless as possible is a profound intention to carry in this weary world. And when we create a worldview with the intention of being as harmless as possible at its core, that will certainly lead to great healing in our life. And in the entire world, if enough of us choose to embrace it.
And my wife loved the scarf.
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Photo credit: Getty Images