This is a blog post I wrote to complement a scope I did in the wake of the Paris attacks.
The video is not a news commentary as I have a rule not to comment on world’s events. However since Paris is my hometown it was difficult to remain completely quiet.
However, this video doesn’t talk about the attacks, it only contains a couple of general thoughts triggered by the events.
Here’s the recording if you want to watch it. Warning it’s bit rambly as I was processing the news at the time. If you want the synthetic and more eloquent version, read the post below.
To begin I want to state the obvious: any loss of life is tragic. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.
In the face of crisis there are 2 possibilities, getting caught up in a downwards spiral of negativity, fear and hatred, or finding the intellectual, emotional and spiritual resources to transcend the experience and grow from it.
I am always interested in the second. Therefore from this perspective 3 things came to mind:
Life is precious, are you using your gifts? Click To Tweet
GRATITUDE
While everyone I know is safe, at the time of the video, I was just finishing messaging friends who were sharing tragedies.
It made it very clear that we tend to take what we have for granted.
Many people around the world won’t get to eat, to drink, to live in peace or for that matter to open their eyes today.
We are incredibly lucky and we should be thankful for it. It may sounds cliché but in the face of the rampant epidemics of entitlement that’s raging in the west today, it’s worth stating.
THE WORLD IS OUR MIRROR
With this understanding, I cannot help to ask myself: what is it collectively about us and about our societies that is mirrored to us as this blind violence.
This comment is obviously not intended to fault the victims. However as a society if we intend to live in peace we have to understand where we have been sowing seeds of violence and uproot them.
In the video I clarify the idea that violence is not necessarily used to described big aggressions.
Lack of self-love, failure to take care of our bodies, failure to hear our own personal needs, failure to follow our deepest soul aspirations are all instances where we are being violent and sowing seeds of discord.
Our frustration, our sadness, our anger will affect everyone we come in contact with and will ripple in a negative fashion.
The work to create peace in the world can only begin with finding peace in our minds.
Therefore my questions are:
– where is there violence our lives?
– What can we do to transcend it?
Lack of self care is a form of violence. Click To Tweet
THIS IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL
This is it, this is your life. Are you making the most of it now or are you waiting to live someday?
Someday will come and you will be exactly where you are today if you don’t prepare for it.
Your life will not fall into your lap, you have to go out there and create it.
Again, this is a huge honor you were given to have this life, this is a huge privilege to wake up everyday and have all the convenience of so-called modern life.
What are you doing with this?
If you are hiding, playing small, wasting your talents following tracks where you know you are not making a positive impact, honestly I am going to sound harsh, but I’ll be frank: this is a huge slap to the ‘face’ of the ‘universe’, this is a big slap in the face of all the people who can’t even imagine having a fraction of all the conveniences you have.
You were created with a purpose and if you’re not following it you’re failing the world by not playing your part and contributing at the level at which you are needed.
Look at it this way, trees are supposed to produce fruits, if they stop it breaks the cycle and it’s a disaster.
Rain is supposed to fall to water crops, if it stops it breaks the cycle and it’s a catastrophy.
You were supposed to do something to contribute to this world, if you’re not doing it you’re breaking the cycle and you’re creating chaos.
It's your duty to live your purpose. Click To Tweet
I am not saying this is easy, I am not saying this isn’t scary, I am saying this is your duty.
You’re alive today, some people are not so lucky.
Make sure to live up to this honor and to do something beautiful with this gift!
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