Stories

No one can fail to be moved by the news stories making the headlines right now (and that's as true today and as any other time in history). Pick any part of the globe and, wherever there are people, there will be strife and loss, triumph and adversity, unspeakable cruelty and heart-stopping generosity of spirit. 

But sometimes it seems as if we are the ape who got all of the brains at the expense of any sense of collective well-being. 

While we can't change the world on our own, we can influence our own little part of it. 

Even within the context of the family or a workplace what we do and say not only matters, it affects others. So this is just a plea for us to pause and ask ourselves, "Is this really how I want to be?" Maybe even, "Is this the best I am capable of being?"

Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International, is credited with saying, "Better to light a candle than curse the darkness," and it's wisdom that will surely stand the test of time. 

It's not always easy to find the positive when people around you seems to be intent on blowing out candles. It can even feel like a betrayal when you know other people are suffering. But the stories we tell ourselves - and one another - have more impact than we realise.