Keeping from Pettiness - What If?

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for lives that are less than the ones, we are capable of living or accepting a world that is less than the one we are capable of building.” Nelson Mandela

By thinking big thoughts rather than small ones and using the best words rather than the worst ones, each of us will enhance the quality of our thinking and our communication. If we stop looking for faults in others and start looking for improvements in ourselves, we will be more accepting of and helpful to others. By seeking the best for all rather than just the best for ourselves, we can release the talents of those around to make progress on the issues and challenges we all care about.

If we abandon pretense, and encounter each other honestly with minds liberated from spite, resentment, and prejudice will it not be more likely that we act on the ideals and ideas that unite rather than the suspicions and delusions that divide us. Once we are honestly united, can we not make more considered and considerate decisions? Could we not be more genuine and generous in our actions?

If we give each task, each thing, each person the time they deserve and resolve to grow calm, strive to remain serene and dare to be gentle, might the world both look and become a more enchanting and empowering place?

If we allow life to teach us to act upon our better impulses and attend to our better angels, might we not simply demonstrate the courage of our convictions and be the people we truly ought to be.

By acknowledging, the little things of life create difficulties and dissension, might we not recognize and realize that the big things bring us together and challenge us to build a better world.

If in every instance, we persist in being kind, could we not transform the earth from a vale of tears and a house of horrors to a safe haven and loving home for all humanity?