If you look around, you can't help but see the signs around the world of shifts occurring. Whether it is shootings, bombings, or a democratic vote for change, many people feel a need to cry out and make their voices heard – to change the world around them, and to change it now.
Amidst this apparent turmoil, it's easy to feel lost, scared, sad, or angry.
I wanted to find the words to help you through whatever you are experiencing – something that could help you feel more stable or feel like your voice was being heard.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on what could help you the best. As I looked within me for answers, two words came – Mother Teresa.
It was an unexpected answer because I never paid much attention to the deeds or teachings of Mother Teresa. Sure, I knew of the years she spent helping people in India. I had heard of the movement to make her a saint.
That was all.
I researched Mother Teresa to find out why her name was the answer I was given for how to help you with the turmoil in the world today.
In my searching, I found nuggets of gold that show how to find peace and safety in current events, how to heal the world, how to have your voice heard, and how to be the change you wish to see in the world.
You see, Mother Teresa understood that if you want to change the world, you have to lead by example. If you want to live in a peaceful world, the peace begins with you. It isn't about praying for wars or violence to end. It's about praying for peace, finding that peace within yourself, and sharing it with others.
She knew that the best way to create a more loving and safe world was by showing that same love and kindness to others. It might be something as simple as a smile. It might be something as benign as a kind look.
It's about seeing and knowing that we are all connected. We aren't living separate lives where nothing we do affects no one else. No matter how big this world is, not matter how far we are spread, we are a community. We are never alone.
Mother Teresa understood that focusing on the problems wouldn't change anything, nor would waiting for others to create the change for us. Instead, we must be the source of that change, and it begins in the present moment by finding peace, love, kindness, and joy within ourselves, so that we can then share with those around us. Like a stone thrown in a lake, the peace, love, kindness, and joy will ripple out to everyone – near and far alike.
Mother Teresa truly said it better than I ever could, so I will allow her to do so with these quotes. I truly hope they help you, no matter what you may facing, at any point in your life.
Quotes from Mother Teresa
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
“Peace begins with a smile…”
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty – it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”
“Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family.”
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”
“People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.”
“Joy is a net of love in which you can catch souls.”
“Smile at each other. Smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other – it doesn't matter who it is – and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.”
“Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”
“Profound joy of the heart is like a magnet that indicates the path of life.”
“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”
“We do not need guns and bombs to bring peace, we need love and compassion.”
“Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.”