When I am saturated with fear, the BEST thing that works to turn that around is for me to get into a place of love.
Love looks like: gratitude, service, joy, laughter, kindness, compassion, integrity, to name a few.
The backstory: I recently received an email about some would-be ‘terrorists’ on a plane and the American ‘hero’ who stood up to them. It turned out to be a fabricated/embellished story, but that’s not the point.
The point is – the original email was written because we have been living in a time of fear and scarcity. We’ve been going down this path for a while, and we’re saturated. Saturated to the point that lies and embellishment have now become common currency. Yikes!
[I actually think the email was sent with the best of intentions. When I read between the lines, I hear: “I want you to read this – I’m sending it to you because I love you, and I want you to be safe. Be informed.” That’s actually a pretty nice feeling. ☺]
Back to the point, though: as a society, we’re scared. 2001 changed our lives forever in America. As a result we’ve become more divisive, insular and easily triggered by situations that activate our limbic system (fight, flight or freeze). I get it. I’ve been there.
So here’s what I want to say to that:
Spread Love.
(don’t spread fear)
It’s important to be informed, yes. But, fear begets fear and only adds to the saturation we’re already experiencing, thereby not allowing our nervous system to catch a break. So, this is about a choice we all get to make on what we want to give our energy to.
Do you want to spread fear? Or do you want to spread love?
I could have easily deleted the email and moved on. Instead, I chose to research its accuracy and write back. My hope and intention was to stem the tide of fear by interrupting it. Once interrupted, I can introduce something different. Something joyful. Something fun, loving, and kind. We all have that choice. 🙂
Today, I choose to Spread Love. Join me?