The Man in the Mirror

№ 43 ☼ 4 minutes

I hit pause. Stopped writing for about a year.

I needed to step back. To take a breath.

To consider and watch and understand.

The world is changing faster than I can comprehend.

The news worsens each hour.

I stopped writing so I could delve more into current events, intending to sharpen my thinking.

It seemed obvious that as chaos increased, I should also increase the clarity of my thoughts and opinions.

But as I traded my time creating for time spent consuming, my world shrunk to the size of my screen.

I became myopic.

In a strange twist, I’ve been robbed of the sharper, nuanced thinking I sought.

All I gained is more mental clutter and angst at what I see but cannot affect.

And I’m not uncommon - what I experienced is the very thing perpetuating so many of our problems.

The world burns because of myopic, self-interested people. Hell-bent on creating more division, insisting their way is the way.

I contribute to that in my own small way. So do you.

And that is all that myopia can produce: enormous schisms that drive us apart. Entire countries are at risk of destruction because of our ideological and political myopia.

How can we remedy this? What is my part?

What is yours?

If we want to mend these chasms between us, I see only one way to make change.

And it’s not activism.

Not arguing or debating from your side.

Not insisting on what is right for me must also be right for you.

It’s not about which race, which religion - none of those infinite number of made-up terms we use to carve up sections of society.

Not morality, as I define it, nor as your faith has codified it. Not social justice or religious reformation.

Not sending money to the “right” organizations so “your guy” gets elected. Corrupt men and women have overrun all governments, placing their self-interest above the interests of humanity.

All else has failed and will continue to fail.

And not one of us has all the right answers.

The only way to make a change is to live a quiet, determined life of virtue. That is, to be virtuous.

The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons.

Aristotle

Beyond morality. Beyond the codex of ancient religions. Beyond current groupthink or the latest in vogue “therapytalk” or whichever disenfranchised people group currently has the microphone.

Virtue stands.

Virtue transcends all systems, all ideologies.

Our values, principles, ethics, morals, faiths, and politics may dramatically differ.

But good is good. Doing good will always be good.

It seems obvious: Everyone, all of us, aiming towards the highest moral character, that which is admirable above all.

What harm can come from orienting your life towards becoming more virtuous and encouraging others to do the same?

What do you lose by refusing to be caught up in your own myopia?

And what we see now is not news; that is, it is not new.

I was just sharing with my sons that in the early 1900s, a single generation saw the worst and first global pandemic, the greatest depression, and two world wars. Each event cost millions upon millions of lives.

Sounds vaguely familiar…

All this hardship gave birth to the Greatest Generation and ushered in great prosperity, new technologies and industries, advances in medicine, science, and more.

It is a cycle.

It is an Ouroboros - self-devouring, self-creating, never-ending.

You cannot escape it. But that does not mean you cannot influence it.

I don’t mean to downplay the tragedy of our times. But I truly believe that if there is great evil, there is also greater good.

And so, what is the use of being caught up in the flurry of opinions, outrage, violence, and hatred? What can my small voice do? What can even a thousand or a hundred thousand voices do?

Tend to the part of the garden you can touch.

And that’s why I decided to start writing again. To be useful, even in a small way. To continue to encourage and to be a voice for good. For Light.

How can you change the world?

How can you make a difference?

It starts with the man in the mirror. (Surprisingly relevant video, too)

And each change you make in your heart will overflow into the hearts of those around you - strangers and loved ones, friends and family, and all the rest of them.

Model a virtuous life, and the ripple effect will influence more people than you can imagine.

After all, love wins.