EBB & FLOW: PART 1 of 3: THE RIPPLE EFFECT

Excerpts from Chapter 20 (another long-but-leading-somewhere post)

I’m a die-hard believer in the "ripple effect," convinced beyond doubt that every encounter we have with another person creates its own unique domino effect, and that everything we do ripples out into the greater continuum. We can never know how far-reaching our impact on another human person can be, or how far into eternity our ripples might stretch.

When we believe in that "ripple effect," two things become crystal clear: first, that our choices ultimately have an impact on the larger world around us, and secondly, that we really cannot - and aren’t expected - to do it all alone.

As interdependent individuals, we each play a vital role in the world’s ability to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, and to bring an end to war and hatred. We become the hands and voices that must speak into the injustice and inequity. When we have the means and ability, I think it’s because it’s our turn to do the giving, speaking and doing. When circumstances render us resource-less and incapable, then it’s someone else’s turn.

That's what I call the "ebb and flow". We ebb and flow according to our means and ability. But when even one small part of the world refuses to do its part, when there’s more “ebbing” (i.e., stepping out of the flow, refusing to give anything anymore) than “flowing”, the ebb and flow is broken and the impact can be felt throughout the continuum. If enough of the world shrugs its collective shoulders and refuses to care anymore, then the ebb and flow diminishes to a deadly trickle. That’s when famine and disease and war take over, rippling confusion, fear, hopelessness and hatred into the rest of the world.

Only a "united we" can make the difference. Working together in that ebb and flow, all things are possible. Fractured and alone, we are simply not strong enough to stem the spread of darkness forever. Alone, we burn out, capitulate to futility and/or succumb to the darkness.

I used to think that being a "light of the world" meant doing great and wonderful things, like some of my favourite heroes – Terry Fox, Oprah Winfrey or Mother Theresa. How I ached (and tried) to be able to feed every hungry person, clothe every ragged child, give every homeless person my own bed. But my roller coaster rides in and out of depression and burnout eventually made it very difficult for me to find the energy or financial wherewithal to do even the simplest of charitable works. Just thinking about trying to do such things would fill me with overwhelming anxiety and guilt, which would fatigue me even more…a vicious cycle!

It has become quite clear after several massive burnouts that I just don’t have the stamina (or the financial resources) to be an Oprah or Mother Theresa. The severe energy limitations left behind by my depressions and burnouts have forced me to re-vision myself, and find my new niche in the context of world humanitarianism. Having been so steeped in my desire – and somewhat spurred on by a sense of religious obligation – to answer that call to be a light in the world, it was shattering to find myself reduced to being housebound and unable to do anything at all.

It took a lot of soul-searching. I dared to ask some of my most trusted friends what my purpose in life could possibly be, now that I couldn’t actually do anything meaningful! They responded with inspiring tidbits of wisdom, leading me past my old definitions of purposefulness. They helped me to envision the bigger global picture as being made up of a vast, never-ending multitude of smaller pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle. They encouraged me to recognize the infinite possibilities as to how light can be rippled into the world. They helped me to recognize that no one ripple of light is any more or less important than the other.

Even the tiniest battered piece of the puzzle is critical for the puzzle’s picture to be complete. The continuum needs every shred of light we can possibly muster…great, small, planned and visible, or random and unnoticed.

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(We have my step-daughter's birthday party here tomorrow, so I will post part 2 on Sunday)