As Within, So Without

My thoughts about our thoughts and their power to determine our future

I wonder what happens to you when you think about this coming decade.

What images flicker through your mind’s eye? Do you see COVID dragging on indefinitely, global recession, ongoing civil unrest, the rise of populism, Trump clinging to power, the Amazon burning, climate change starting to bite harder?

Or do you see COVID fading into memory, communities being rebuilt, many forms of inequality being surfaced and addressed, COP26 delivering unprecedented commitments to carbon reductions, humanity rising to the challenge of climate change?

And how do these thoughts make you feel? Even just reading my words, even though they are not your thoughts but mine, maybe the gloomy paragraph made you feel fearful, constricted, tense. And maybe the more optimistic paragraph made your shoulders relax, your chest expand, your spirits rise.

Which paragraph made you feel empowered to do something? Which paragraph helped you see possibilities, rather than obstacles? Which paragraph made you feel more creative, resourceful, inspired?

Of course, it’s never that simple. If you’re like me, you have days when you are glass half full, and other days when you are glass half empty. You might flip-flop between the two states several…