It’s easy to forget that people, other people out there in the world, are all essentially good. If someone drops something, a scarf, a wallet, a notebook, while walking down the street, the natural reaction of anyone that sees this, is to call out to them, or pick it up and chase after them.
We just want to look after each other. (Funnily enough, ants are like this! If one gets into trouble, all the other ants run over to lend a hand. I saw a child sit on a fence once, which collapsed, and hoards of humans ran over to help – just like ants!)
Why people end up killing each other, in wars etc, is a wonder, when we consider that we really want to look after each other. The dropped wallet example is simple, but we can see it at a bigger scale – earthquakes, tsunamis, the mass exodus of refugees from war zones, all lead to instant humanitarian response on a variety of levels – some people with the right skills actually go to the place to help, others quickly send donations.
I think it’s worth remembering every day that all the other people that surround us are essentially good, caring, and would look after us when needed in one way or another. Behind every scowl or stressed face there is essential goodness. Beneath all the trouble, it’s the basic loving energy that is present in all human beings.
Seeing people in this light is a wonderful key to happiness.
This morning on the train to the city I had an idea how nice it would be to give everyone on the train a piece of paper wishing them a lovely day and telling them they were really important to the world. Faced with certain practical constraints (no paper! Too shy!), I set to looking at all of the people in the carriage one by one and wishing them a really happy day in my head.
I don’t know if it will have made a difference to their day, but it made an enormous difference to mine. When I got off the train I felt enormously happy that I wanted all the other good people around me to have a wonderful day.
I hope you have a wonderful day too.
Notes from Ben 