Today we ask you to release harmful energies from your system.

Release harmful energies from your system.

What does this mean?

On one level, “system” refers to your physical body.

Always it is good to release harmful energies from your physical body.

The healthy physical body has a strong detoxification system. A great deal of your physical body energy is dedicated to keeping the body clean, and releasing harmful microbes and toxins.

The burden placed on physical bodies by the modern environment frequently overtaxes the detoxification system, resulting in an accumulation of harmful material that can lead to disease.

Therefore, it is wise to support the physical body by engaging in routine “detox” practices. These usually involve diet, exercise, and activities such as taking a detoxifying bath, or going to a sauna.  Such practices are essential.

On another level, “system” refers to your emotional body. The emotional body is as real as the physical body, although most people do not think of their emotions in this way.

Like the physical body, the emotional body needs to be cleaned. It gets clogged with blocked emotions: pent-up anger, resentment, grief, and so forth. And this leads to various forms of illness as well.

So it is good to air out the emotional body. It is good just to have a good cry on a regular basis, even if you don’t think you need to cry about anything. Listen to a sad song, watch a weepy movie — anything that will trigger a bout of crying.

You might need to scream, or pound a pillow, to release angry energies. You might need to shout at a person who isn’t there, or write an angry letter that you don’t send. You might need to stomp your feet like a toddler. Just get it out. Don’t hurt anyone with it, but get it out of your body.

Then there is the mental body. The thought body. And this is something that really needs to be cleaned out. The mental body is like a closet, and often it is a cluttered closet — full of old thoughts that probably don’t fit you anymore. Thoughts you picked up from other people, that don’t really reflect who you are.

Meditation is useful here: both to create space in the constant stream of mental chatter, and also as a tool to observe your thoughts. If you start looking at your thoughts, you’ll see that a lot of them might be quite negative, attacking the self and others, and so forth. There may be a lot of guilt and shame.

Some people take pride in their clean living: “Oh, my diet is so pure! Look how much yoga I do!” But their mental body is as polluted as a smoker’s lungs.

So air out the thoughts. It is good to write them down and look at them. Then you can question them. Often you will see that many of your thoughts are really not sane.

Then there is the spiritual body. This body cannot be harmed by any earthly toxin. However, your connection to your spiritual body can be blocked or clogged.

Spiritual practices will open up this channel: meditation, prayer, gratitude, embracing the beauty and sacredness of the present moment.

Your “system” also includes what’s around you: your home, your relationships, your work and work space, your finances, everything you take in via the media or social networking, and so forth.

How can these areas be cleaned and detoxified?

Maybe you need to lovingly release a harmful relationship.

Maybe you need to reduce your intake of news and social media, or block certain sources.

Maybe you just need to sweep your floor.

Deep down you all can sense what is good for you, and what feels unhealthy or toxic.

If it is unclear, create space around it. Sit in meditation. Ask for guidance. Be patient, and an answer will come.

Don’t feel like you need to clean everything all at once. That’s no good. Then you’ll just get overwhelmed, and give up before you even begin.

Just do a little. Something manageable, that you know will feel good. Notice how you feel after you do it. 

If you feel guilty, ashamed and powerless around all the harmful energy in your system, then perhaps the place to start with is allowing yourself to have a good cry. Watch a weepy movie, listen to a sad song. Just start there. Cry. You need it.

Today we ask you to release the need to label things.

Release the need to put labels on things.

What does this mean?

The human mind has a habit of naming things. Labeling things. And this habit is very useful in many regards, as it allows the human brain the ability to access and store a great deal of information.

In a library, there is a system of labeling all the books. Each book is assigned a specific number, and shelved in a specific place. If you know the book’s number, you can find the book — and all the knowledge contained within the book. And that is a very useful system of labeling things.

The problem with the human brain is that, very frequently, the brain confuses the label with the object itself.

For example, someone might be labeled “progressive,” or “conservative.”

There is a whole human being there. But with this label, the human is reduced to “progressive,” or “conservative.”

Someone is “religious,” or an “atheist.”

Someone is “overweight,” or “alcoholic.”

Someone is a “doctor,” or an “office worker.”

Someone is a “cancer patient,” or a “diabetic.”

Someone is a “feminist,” or a “racist.”

On and on it goes. And with these labels comes a reduction, a diminishment of the person to whom the label is applied.

It is really like confusing the catalog number of a book, with the contents of the book.

There sits a book in the library. It is assigned a number. It has a title.

You look at the book on the shelf. At the title and number. And you say, “Oh, that is all I need to know about it. I see the number and the title, there is nothing more to look at here. I don’t even need to take it off the shelf.”

That is what happens with labeling.

So just become conscious of this process.

The main reason why the human brain does all this labeling is because it is overloaded with information. It is constantly struggling to sort out all the information it is bombarded with.

The exhausted brain says, “Oh, I’ll put a label on that, so I don’t have to deal with it. I’ll file it away for later.”

Or, “I’ll put a label on that person so I can lump him in with all the other people I’ve put that label on, and then I don’t really have to think about him.”

The mind is completely innocent in all of this. It is just trying to be efficient.

But problems arise. Such as in Nazi Europe, when anyone labeled “Jew” was placed in a file that justified extermination.

Likewise when people were labeled “slaves,” or “Indians,” or any other label that permitted systematic abuse, dehumanization, and extermination.

The Nazis looked at the number and the title, and they said: “That is all we need to know. We do not need to open the book and read.”

So just bring some consciousness to this.

You cannot read every book in the human library, it is true. It is not possible.

But you can acknowledge a book as an unread book. You can acknowledge a book as more than a number and a title. Even if you know you may never get a chance to read that book.

Most importantly, acknowledge that you are far more than your labels.

You are more than a nurse, or a government employee. You are more than an engineer, or a gymnastics teacher.

You are more than brown-haired, or curly-haired. You are more than the shape of your body. You are more than your skin color.

You are more than old or young. More than woman or man.

You are more than your diseases, you are more than your psychology. You are more than your diagnosis.

You are a whole book. And you are more than a book. You are a story without end.

In truth, even in your moments of utmost fullness and connection, you have no idea how vast you are. You have no idea how far you go.

So question all the labels. Especially the ones you have put on yourself.

Venture out into the library. Read the books. And if you don’t have time to read them — honor them. Honor them all.

Today we ask you to mind your own business.

Mind your own business.

What does it mean, to mind your own business?

Often, when someone says “Mind your own business,” it is considered a sort of insult.

But really, it is far more a blessing than a curse.

Everyone has their own “business.” Their own busy-ness. The things that they are busy doing.

Insects have their own business. Animals have their own business.

The bee gathers nectar. The frog catches flies. That is their business.

You have your own things to do. You have the human equivalent of gathering nectar and catching flies. There are things that you do, that are your business.

Do you think it is wise, to go around telling bees they ought to gather nectar in a different way?

Do you think it is wise, to go around telling frogs to catch flies in a different way?

It would be a great waste of energy, to do this. And in the end, the bee would do what the bee does, and the frog would do what the frog does.

So really it is best to mind your own business with bees, and frogs.

And it is best to mind your own business with humans, also.

You have plenty of things to do that are your own business. You don’t need to waste your time and energy thinking about how other people ought to live their lives. You certainly don’t need to go around telling other people how they ought to live their lives.

If you or someone else is being harmed, then yes, it may necessary to intervene.

But be very careful in your assessment of “harm.” Make sure the harm in question is real and significant. Not just a matter of hurt feelings, or a misunderstanding.

It is always wise to thoroughly investigate a situation before intervening.

Someone might try to stop bees from gathering nectar. Someone might try to stop frogs from catching flies.

They might feel very self-righteous about it. They must save the flowers! They must save the flies!

But really, they are just messing up an otherwise harmonious system.

So that is why it is good to take action only when absolutely necessary, when it comes to intervening in the lives of others.

It is fine for you to have opinions about other people and what they ought to do.

If they come to you and ask for your feedback, by all means give it to them. If they truly desire your opinion, by all means give it to them.

But if they have no interest in your opinion, and they are not harming you or someone else, then mind your own business.

Everyone has plenty to do. Everyone has plenty of business. Life is full of things to do, without getting hung up on other people’s business.

There are a lot of crazy people in the world. There are a lot of self-destructive people.

Trying to reason with a crazy person is a waste of energy.

Trying to rescue a habitually self-destructive person is a waste of energy.

If you wish to create positive change in your world, look to where you put your energy.

You are not going to create positive change by arguing with crazy or self-destructive people.

Focus on building the reality you wish to create.

Don’t sit around being angry about a world you don’t like.

That is really what it means to “mind your own business.”

You are not going to force light down the throats of unconscious people. You cannot wake up unconscious people. Certainly you won’t do this by judging them, or getting in their business.

Focus on the light. Stay in your own business. Conserve your precious energy for actions that are truly meaningful and useful.

That is what it means to “mind your own business.”

Today we ask you to focus on what is right in front of you.

Focus on what is here in front of you now.

Do not focus on what is going on over there.

Do not focus on the upsetting news stories.

Do not focus on all the problems in the world.

Do not focus on frightening things that might happen, that are not happening now.

Focus on what is right in front of you.

Arrive in the place where you are. The space that you currently occupy.

Just be here, for a few moments.

Notice what is around you.

Notice how your body feels.

Notice the sights and sounds around you.

If you are occupied by a task, absorb yourself fully in that task.

Do the dishes. Feed the cat. Pick up the child from school.

Be with the cat. Be with the child.

Just do that.

If you are someone who actively engages in political or social activism, and there is a task for you to do — then good, do that.

But do not sit there ignoring the tasks in front of you while brooding over all the problems and tragedies in the world.

Who helps the world more?

A frightened person who feels helpless, overwhelmed and victimized, full of complaints about the state of the world?

Or a person mindfully, peacefully doing the dishes?

Just do the dishes. Whatever your dishes are right now — do that.

Turn off the TV in the background. Turn off the phone. Don’t do one dish, check your phone, do another dish, check your phone. That’s hopeless.

If you arrive in your body, and discover that your body is exhausted, then the thing to do is rest.

The best thing to do right now might simply be to take a nap.

When your body is rested, you will more effectively attend to your tasks.

If a friend is suffering, you will more effectively help your friend if you are rested and grounded.

If your mind is scattered, if your energies are drained, if you can’t get it together just to do the dishes — then really you are not much help to anyone else.

Just attend to what is right in front of you.

Arrive where you are. Listen to the sounds. Look around. Feel your body.

Just do that.

If everyone did that, it would resolve almost all of the world’s problems. And whatever problems might then be left — there would be plenty of attention to deal with them.

Today we ask that you relax around the concept of “goals” and “getting somewhere.”

In life, it is good to have positive goals. However, if the attachment to reaching these goals causes unhealthy stress in your life, then the goal-setting is not positive. Indeed, if it is too stressful, than you run the risk of sabotaging your efforts completely.

It is good to think of achieving goals in light of the game of golf.

In golf, the goal is clear: the ball must go into the next hole, preferably with a minimal number of attempts to hit it there.

A skilled golfer, before hitting the ball, usually has a very clear sense of where he desires the ball to land. One might say that he has set a very clear intention.

So — he hits the ball. And then reality intervenes. Sometimes the ball goes where he wishes. Often it lands elsewhere. Sometimes it lands in an easy place. Sometimes it lands in a difficult place.

The most skillful golfers do not feel crushed or disheartened by “failure.” Instead, they move to the next position, and ground themselves completely within the new reality. 

If the golfer must now hit the ball out of the sand, so be it. A new intention is set.

Ideally, the golfer is also enjoying the journey. He takes time to appreciate the trees, grass, and sky. He remains present, and grounded with whatever arises.

This is a very good approach to life.

One sets intentions. One has clear, positive goals. You would like the ball to go into the hole with as few strokes as possible.

But you accept that reality may intervene.

When the ball goes elsewhere, you are very fluid and adaptive. Okay, the ball is in the rough. You adjust and ground yourself within that new situation — whatever it is. You set a new intention.

When it is time to hit the ball, you are fully present. You are not thinking about your to-do list. You are not thinking about all the other holes ahead of you. Only the next hole before you.

Along the way, you are mindful and appreciative. If the weather is pleasant, enjoy that. Even if the weather is not pleasant, there is always something beautiful to see when you are outdoors.

This is the way to set goals and intentions. You know what you wish for. But you are fluid, and adaptive. You are mindful, grounded, and present.

You enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

This will take most of the stress out of goal-setting. Which, in turn, will give you much more power and skill in the process of creation.

For those of you who believe in any kind of higher power or benevolent awareness underlying reality, it is also very good to give over your goals to that power. It takes the goals out of the grip of your limited ego. This will also greatly reduce any stress around goal-setting.

Today we ask that you trust the timing of events.

Trust the timing of events.

Events can only occur when the conditions are right.

If something is meant to happen at a particular time, all heaven and earth cannot delay it.

If something is not meant to happen at a particular time, all heaven and earth cannot force it to happen.

This truth is very frustrating for humans. Humans like to believe they are in control of things, and can make things happen through sheer will alone.

Will is important. Determination is important.

But still, no one can force things to happen, if the timing is not conducive.

Generally speaking, plants are not going to flower in the dead of a frigid winter.

New life can only be conceived in a time of fertility.

New ideas can only be born when conditions in the mind are fertile.

So really this is what it means to trust the timing of events.

Seeds blossom when the conditions are ripe.

If you plant seeds when the conditions are not ripe, they cannot grow. It doesn’t mean the seeds are defective in any way. It’s just an issue of timing.

A human life has its seasons. Some seasons are fallow and still. Others are fertile and active. These things cannot really be controlled.

Therefore a wise person develops patience and steadiness. The fallow periods are just as valuable as the fertile periods.

In truth, there can be no fertile ground that is not in some way preceded by a fallow period.

In times when nothing is happening and progress appears to be delayed, in reality a great many things are happening.

During the winter, seeds lay in the ground, awaiting spring. The earth restores itself, and grows in fertility.

Constant activity leads to exhaustion, and burnout.

That is why it is good to trust the timing of events.

If something you desire does not happen now, if plans are botched, that is not a cause for giving up, cursing reality, and becoming despondent.

It just means: regroup, put your energy elsewhere, and perhaps return to it later, when the timing is more conducive.

At this moment, you simply may not be truly ready for the thing you desire.

You may need to grow more, to learn more.

Later, after this growth has occurred, you may be ready.

Often little children clamor for things they are not ready for.

They want to ride the bigger bicycle, or watch the grown-up movie. When a loving parent denies them their desire, they are outraged and frustrated.

Still, the loving parent knows the child is not ready for these things just yet.

Reality is often like this.

Sometimes, the child needs to demonstrate to the parent — through effort, and a willingness to learn, and grow — that he is ready to take on a more grown-up challenge.

And then the doors will open.

So it is with reality.

Therefore trusting the timing does not mean that one should be passive or inactive. It does not mean, be fatalistic about things.

It means: work toward things wholeheartedly, yet accept that often events may not unfold as you plan. If there are setbacks and delays, learn from them.

Trust that your desires are not being thwarted by a cruel and capricious universe, but rather by a loving and benevolent one.

It is not easy to do this.

But learning to trust the ebb and flow of life, and to go with it, rather than dwell in a state of resistance —

This creates a peaceful mind.

And when the mind is peaceful, the timing is always right for whatever is happening in the moment.

Today we ask you to embrace yourself as you are.

Embrace yourself as you are.

Let go of trying to be someone else.

Embrace yourself as you are.

Embrace your body as it is.

Embrace your size, your shape. Embrace the age of your body. Embrace whatever discomfort you may feel in your body today.

Just accept it as it is today.

Of course it is good to cultivate health, to work on creating health in your body.

But health is not possible if you do not accept your body. If you do not embrace your body, you will never be healthy — no matter how much you may exercise, or how pure your diet may be.

So please embrace your body as it is in this moment.

This one action is more powerful than all the work on exercise or diet.

Just accept it as it is today.

And thank your body for all that is good within it.

If your body did not function at a high degree of perfection, you would not be reading these words.

Think of all the things that your body must do in any given moment in order to sustain your life.

Embrace all that is good about your body today.

Embrace all that is good about yourself today.

Whatever you consider your “self” to be — embrace that.

Just accept your “self.”

Whatever your identity is at the present moment, whatever your mind thinks it is, whatever your mind is up to — embrace that.

And it is of course fine to work on your “self,” to cultivate a healthier “self.”

But true self-realization is not possible if you cannot embrace yourself as you are today.

No matter how much you work on becoming a “better person,” however you may define that — you cannot ever attain that without embracing yourself right now, today, in this moment.

Just accept yourself, whoever you believe you are, today.

Appreciate yourself. Look at how far you’ve come, and all that your mind does in any given day. Even if you believe that you are not accomplishing anything, still just look at all that the “self” is doing. This mind of yours, this identity. It is always learning and absorbing. It is always engaged in highly complex actions, even when it does not appear to be doing much.

Brushing your teeth, doing the dishes — these are highly complex actions. A baby cannot do these things. A cat cannot do these things. You may even be able to drive a car while your mind is thinking about other things. Consider how complex that is!

Embrace this. Embrace this wonderfully complex “self,” this mind, at work.

Embrace your life as it is today.

Embrace your reality as it is today.

Even if there are many things you dislike about your reality. Can you just embrace your life?

You will never make your world a better place if you reject life as it is today. It is not possible.

Only people who love and embrace life have any hope of creating a more harmonious world.

There have always been plenty of life-hating people who try to fix and save the world. Terrorists are such people. Hitler was such a person.

You cannot help the world if you don’t love life, as it is, today.

So embrace life as it is.

Embrace the trees, the sky, all that sustains and nourishes you.

Embrace the animals, embrace the children.

Embrace your fellow humans, even if this is challenging. They are all doing their best. Truly this is so. There is a lot of fear and ignorance. Judging others will do no good, and will not help anything or anyone.

Everyone does their best with the limited awareness they possess in any given moment. You do, too.

Accept this. Embrace it.

With this embrace comes a deep peace.

Your body will feel it. Your “self” will feel it. The world around you will feel it.

It’s good to receive a hug, isn’t it? It’s good to feel accepted and loved as you are.

Everyone feels better with a hug.

Today we ask that you trust the flow of life.

Trust the flow of life.

Everywhere you look when it comes to life, you perceive rhythms and tides.

Spring, winter, summer, fall.

Day and night.

The waxing and waning of the moon.

The rising and falling tides.

Life is born. Life dies.

That is how it is, in your reality. It is a reality defined by changing states.

There are many causes of mental suffering for humans. But one of the greatest causes of such suffering is the human tendency to cling to that which must inevitably pass.

If you live long enough, you will grow old, and die. This is true for everything in a physical body. It is inescapable.

Babies are born, grow into children, become adolescents, and then adults. It is inescapable.

It is natural to feel grief when things change and pass away. It is natural to feel sadness when things come to an end.

But with every ending, comes a new beginning.

And so the healthy human being does not linger too long in that which has already passed. Or worse, cling to or attempt to prolong states which desperately need to pass.

A parent cannot keep his child a baby. Attempting to do so will harm the child.

When someone is very sick or elderly, prolonging life past the point of any joy is harmful.

When an aging man or woman tries to artificially maintain youth, this is harmful.

Clinging to relationships that have reached their natural end is harmful.

The day cannot stop the night. Summer cannot stop the fall and winter.

Acceptance of this is not only wisdom, but the key to peace.

The most miserable people in all the world are those who cling to a past that is long dead and gone. The aging person bitter over lost youth. The parent who cannot accept that his child has grown up. The person clinging to a relationship that ended years ago.

If you wish to be miserable, that is the way to live.

If you wish for peace in this life, you must find a better way.

The happiest people in the world are those who embrace reality as it is. Those who embrace change.

Such people still experience sadness and grief over loss and passing. But — they do not linger there. They do not cling.

Life is a book with many chapters. When a chapter ends, that does not mean the book is over. It means it is time to begin a new chapter.

Youth, middle age, old age — these are just different chapters of life. Each one has its dramas, its highs and lows.

While people tend to believe that youth is superior to old age, in practice this is not necessarily so. Many young people are terribly unhappy. Many people find more peaceful minds with maturity. Nothing is fixed.

One of the main things to learn in this lifetime is how to let go gracefully.

This is not an easy skill to master. It requires a great deal of practice.

Children have a very hard time letting go of things: toys, food, turning off the TV show. They feel loss very acutely, often over things that are quite trivial, from an adult perspective.

One of the best things a parent can do is model for children how to let go of things, even when there is sadness.

Letting go is a practice, and an art. It does not come naturally. It is an acquired skill.

You acquire this skill only when you make a conscious effort to acquire this skill.

This may happen when, at last, you decide that you do not want to experience so much mental suffering triggered by the inability to let go of things.

So practice this skill in your daily life. Find little ways to let things go. The dispute with the co-worker. The need to possess this or that thing. The need to win something or prove something.

If you acquire skill at letting go of the little things, you will be much better equipped when it is time to let go of the big things.

One chapter ends, another begins. One book is over. Time to start a new book.

If you wish to experience peace in this life, this is a good place to begin.

Today we ask that you simplify your life.

Simplify your life.

Most people feel that they would like their lives to be more simple. Yet they feel that this is hopeless. Life is too complicated, and it is getting more complicated all the time.

But simplifying one’s life is not complicated. It is challenging — but not complicated.

The main thing that makes life feel complicated for people is the modern habit of “multitasking.” That is, modern humans are chronically distracted, and trying to do too many things at once.

When you think of a simple meal, what do you think of? A few good things served on a plate. Nourishing food, that will go down well in your belly. Food that won’t give you indigestion.

A complicated meal might involve many courses, and many things to eat. It might be a gourmet meal, or a meal with many different competing flavors. Very likely such a meal will leave you feeling overfull — it is difficult to digest such a meal.

That is what life is like for many people. A complicated meal, with many competing flavors. There may be moments of pleasure as you eat, but in the end, there is indigestion.

It is fine to eat a complicated meal every so often. But if it is all you eat — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — then it will compromise your health.

So how to make life more simple, more nourishing, more easily digested?

Simplify what’s on your plate. Eat less. What you do eat, make nourishing.

Most people protest that it is impossible to simplify life. Their work is too demanding, family life is too demanding, etc. 

Certainly work and family are part of a balanced meal for many people.

But what about all the extra courses and flavors? What about all the colorful distractions — the constant checking of phones and computers, the constant absorption of information? These things can be reduced.

Do you really need to do all the things that you do? It is one thing if you have plenty of energy to do these things. Then there is no problem. But if you are exhausted and stressed, it might be time to take a close look at all the things sitting on your plate.

Look at the things you do as if they were food. Does what you do nourish you?

Another way to simplify life is to be present in what you are doing.

If you are at work, be at work.

If you are with your family, be with your family.

If you are cooking a meal, cook the meal.

Focus on what you are doing right now. Be there. Don’t let your mind wander in twenty different directions at once. Just do what you are doing.

People think, oh, nothing will get accomplished if I don’t multitask.

But in reality, nothing much gets accomplished when you do multitask.

A truly focused, present human can get a great deal accomplished in relatively little time.

A distracted human takes a lot of time to do little. There’s just too much food on the plate.

So simplifying one’s life is possible.

Really it just means breaking the addictive habits of chronic distraction, multitasking, and over-scheduling. It is challenging to break these addictive habits, but it can be done.

The first step is recognizing that chronic distraction, multitasking, and over-scheduling are addictive, destructive habits — not just the thing that everyone does and calls modern life.

Chronic distraction, multitasking, and over-scheduling are not givens. They are a part of the current cultural conditions — the societal mores of your time. In the past, cultural conditions promoted such things as the morality of owning slaves, or the healthy properties of cigarettes. From a modern point of view, you can see these things were destructive. But they were normal, in their time. 

Therefore, it is wise to question the prevailing cultural conditions of the time that you inhabit. What may seem “normal” to most people now will be looked at by future generations as destructive and unhealthy.

Simplify what’s on your plate. Let what you eat in this life be nourishing.

Today we ask that you have patience with the pace of human evolution.

Have patience with the pace of human evolution.

Many people live in a state of chronic frustration with the pace of human evolution. It is not happening fast enough. How can so many people still hold on to backwards, reactionary belief systems? How is there is still so much bigotry and violence in the world of men? How can people be so blindly greedy and destructive?

It is natural to feel this way at times. But really, humanity has come a long way — much further than you may think.

100 years, 200 years, even 500 years — this span of time is quite small, in the scheme of human evolution. Many of the problems you reckon with today are roughly the same problems your ancestors reckoned with in the past few centuries.

And yet: the world just a mere 200 years ago was once in which there was virtually no understanding of “human rights.” The vast majority of humans, 200 years ago, believed that women were simple-minded and weak, that dark-skinned races were inherently inferior and subhuman, and that homosexuality was an abomination. Even highly educated, relatively enlightened men believed these things a mere 200 years ago.

Just a century ago, it was not much better. Progress had been made, to be sure. But still, the majority of humans believed that heterosexual males of rank and status, with culturally desirable skin color, were intrinsically superior to all other humans. It was perfectly commonplace and socially acceptable to hold such beliefs — anywhere in the world. 

100 years is so very little time. In the grand sweep of history, it is nothing. It is the blink of an eye.

The world you now reside in is more tolerant and compassionate in the field of human rights than any history. Enormous strides have been made.

Yes, much of the world still struggles with widespread bigotry and violence. Yes, even in the most progressive, developed nations, there are large reactionary factions and forces. But that is because it was only yesterday — twenty years, fifty years, one hundred years — that points of view you may consider to be backwards and barbaric were, in fact, the mainstream social norm. 

So have patience. Have patience with the process of human evolution. It may appear to be slow, but in truth the progress of the past century has been exceptionally fast. The very speed of this evolution is, in fact, what is so deeply threatening to those who try to cling to the past and wish to roll the clock back.

Most of these changes cannot be rolled back no matter how much reactionary forces may attempt to do so. This is because they have reached a “critical mass.” There is no turning back.

Have patience, also, with your own individual pace of evolution.

Many people are chronically frustrated that they are not evolving more quickly.

You wish to be better, more enlightened versions of yourselves, free of all your hang-ups and fears — and you want to be that person today. You want to have been that person yesterday, ten years ago.

Honor your own process of evolution. Instead of being frustrated that you have not come far enough, appreciate how far you have come.

Instead of being frustrated that collective humanity has not come far enough, appreciate how far it has come.

In this state of appreciation, with a patient heart, you will be in a far better position to create positive change in the world — and in your own life.