Cultivate inner peace to create a personal ‘zone of sanity,’ as wars originate in the human heart, and transforming oneself is the first step to addressing external conflicts.
Find a place of goodwill and compassion within yourself to remove internal ’landmines’ that could lead to destructive actions and thoughts.
Engage in a short meditation by relaxing your body, observing breath, feelings, and thoughts without judgment, and then resting in the spacious, open awareness that witnesses these experiences.
Cultivate a sense of spaciousness and trust in your mind, especially during difficult times, by recognizing that systems regulate themselves and life renews itself.
Address suffering and needs from a place of ‘kind and loving awareness,’ holding them in a larger context to respond effectively without being overwhelmed and to recognize interconnectedness.
When feeling overwhelmed or reactive, stop and pause to step back into ‘mindful, loving awareness,’ observing difficult emotions from a spacious and wise heart.
Live in the paradox of tending to worldly responsibilities while remembering your true nature as spacious, loving awareness, allowing you to engage from a more peaceful and steady place.
Approach mindfulness with a ’loving awareness’ that is warm, open, and non-judging, especially towards oneself, to counteract self-criticism and embrace the world wisely.
Cultivate quiet witnessing to dissolve the sense of separateness from the rest of the world, allowing yourself to feel deeply connected to everything, which can be understood as love.
Reduce the volume of ego-driven ‘solipsistic storytelling’ to get beneath it and access a deeper, more profound sense of connection with the world.
Practice loving kindness (metta) phrases, even if they initially feel artificial, to warm up your awareness, reduce subtle aversion, and rewire your brain for deeper connection and compassion.
Strive to become ‘intimate with all things’ by allowing yourself to feel a very deep connection to everything, moving beyond a sense of separation.
Practice seeing the ‘secret beauty’ or inherent shining quality behind the eyes of every person, regardless of their personality, body, or politics, to foster connection and overcome division.
Dedicate regular time, such as a day a week in silence like Mahatma Gandhi, for meditation and inner peace to gather courage and presence, then listen for how to respond to the world from that peaceful state.
Practice mindfulness not just as presence (being present for life as it is), but also as a mindful response, using the stillness gained to actively ’tend and mend’ what you can in the world.
Integrate both meditation practice and ethical actions, such as right livelihood, right speech, and right action, into your life for holistic well-being and to live wisely.
Consciously choose ’non-hatred’ by deciding not to carry revenge and hatred, as these emotions are toxic and poison your own heart.
Recognize that deep anger often stems from a place of caring; acknowledge this underlying care to shift your emotional response from pure rage to a more constructive frequency.
Actively prevent harm and stand up for what’s right without contributing to hatred; instead, frame harmful actions as stemming from ignorance and pain, asserting your own dignity.
Generate compassion or loving kindness towards people with whom you disagree, primarily for the benefit of your own mind and well-being, regardless of its measurable external effect.
Acknowledge the presence of fear by stepping back and observing its physical and mental sensations, shifting into a space of loving awareness rather than resisting it.
Hold your fear with compassion, not trying to eliminate it, but recognizing it as a natural human experience and choosing not to dwell in it, moving to ‘better living conditions.’
Thank your fear for trying to protect you, then reassure yourself that you are okay in the present moment, recognizing that fear is often future-oriented and not always reflective of current reality.
When talking to children about fear, acknowledge their feelings, explain what fear feels like, and reassure them by emphasizing humanity’s historical resilience and their own innate capacity to navigate difficulties.
Teach children to be discerning about media and political narratives that aim to frighten, emphasizing the vast amount of goodwill and the larger context of positive human behavior in the world.
Acknowledge and embrace shared human vulnerability instead of hiding it, shifting from a default of fighting with one another to finding new ways of relating and supporting each other.
Engage in profound and deep listening with compassion to bring collective pain and insecurity into consciousness, recognizing shared vulnerability as a basis for connection rather than division.
Initiate or participate in local ’truth and reconciliation panels’ within communities to openly discuss past and present divisions, fears, and injustices, fostering collective healing and charting a new course.
Quiet your mind and cultivate inner peace through practice, then use that peaceful foundation to actively engage with and tend to the ‘garden of the world’ around you.
Consider joining Gretchen Rubin’s ‘Happiness Project Experience’ course to identify and maintain habits and resolutions that will bring more happiness into your life.