“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.”
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D
Scroll back up and read this quote one more time. It is speaking to you.
We let ourselves get so overwhelmed by everything in the world that is wrong, outrageous, horrible, sad and painful. We look out, maybe even cry out in despair and anger. What the hell is happening? We see it all as too much to bear so we put on our blinders and settle back into a small life.
You and I are familiar with the small life. It is one in which we dare not take a risk, not even a small one. A small life means that we are concerned only with our own personal well-being. We live small when we refuse to believe in possibilities. When we are small, we live firmly in ‘the way it is’. If you are honest with yourself, you will notice that the small life at once seems secure and at the same time, deep down, is borne of fear.
We have immense power, you and me. To flex our muscle is to simply follow the instruction from Estes above...to stretch out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. To break out of living small, to risk living beyond the suffering world, we need only extend our love, compassion, tenderness, strength and caring to what is within our reach.
You my friend may be the one today “who will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.” You are that important and that powerful.
All is well
Paula
