A Time for Small Stories

Our Era

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. 

There are certain times and eras that go down loudly in history. We are in one of those times.

When we studied history in schools, rarely did we explore the small stories, the personal records, the days-in-their-lives details of the characters whose stories we covered and learned about. Instead, many of us mostly knew about the great victories and large downfalls, the massive wars won and lost, and the names of kings, queens, and generals.

But this new time of unfolding history — this is a time for small stories.

For the story of mothers and fathers.

The story of communities and initiatives.

The story of heart over mind.

The story of focus.

The story - believe it or not - of you.

The way *you* come through this period of time, is everything.

Now why is this something to focus on, and how can we practically do it?

In the throes of war, a big focus is that of finding peace as a solution. It may be branded differently by different interest groups, and may look a certain way on the political front too. But on a person to person level, what we seek is to live in peace with one another.

Yet here’s the thing - peace is not a large noble ingredient that can be placed in the water supply for all to drink. It is created, seed by seed, on a very personal level. On the familial level, on the community level. Peace in the world rests upon the peace we have within, one human at a time.

And so what does this mean for us, one at a time?

Here it is important to differentiate:

If you are currently in a war zone, your primacy focus will be to ground yourself, stay focused, and to ensure a vision of basic safety, protection, and survival. Growing through this may be the secondary, not primary goal right now.

If you are not in an active war zone and have the immediate luxury of focusing on working on yourself through this, here are a few ways to start bringing peace into your own life, which will inevitably have ripple effects to the world at large:

1. Commit to peace within your own heart. When violent thoughts or images arise (be it from cyber-terrorism videos you may have watched or any other violence you have come across) commit to releasing them and replacing them with visions of peace.

Note: it is important NOT to suppress these thoughts. Releasing them is crucial. You can do so with a therapist, a trusted friend, a partner, etc. It is after releasing them that the new visions of peace truly start to stick.

2. Look around at the various things, activities, and relationships in your life.

Make a list of those that bring you a sense of peace, and those that cause a sense of turmoil. Those that bring peace, do more of them. Those that bring turmoil, investigate them.

3. Meditation. It’s a word many of us have heard but most of us worry we’re “not doing it right.”

There is no one rights way to meditate.

Meditating is the ability to focus your attention on your breath while being aware of anything else around you, rather than reacting to things around you. (Look out for a longer article on steps to basic meditation techniques.)

Meditating can connect us with the universal peace and light that always exists, and can give us reprieve and respite from an anxious world.

4. Release the voices of others and find your voice within.

When we spend hours listening to news, hashing over the same topics with friends and family, and watching tens of opinionated videos each day, it becomes difficult to know what our own thoughts and opinions are.

This extends beyond current events - our own voice is important when it comes to decisions in parenting, closeness in relationships, direction and purpose in life, and so much more. Thus taking conscious time away from the constant voices of others can greatly impact our ability to know our own voice.

5. Faith.

There are times where our own hearts and minds can carry us through, and times where what’s happening is beyond human comprehension. In those times, if we can find a way to connect to that which is bigger than all of us, we are a lucky lot.

This is something that extends beyond what we were taught in school or Yeshiva about prayer or religion growing up. Many of us have confusion around things related to that, and it is not a simple topic for everyone.

However times like these are a big window of opportunity to define our own vision of prayer, faith, and even the big question of “what does God mean to me”?

With this too - if there’s unprocessed trauma, guilt, shame, or confusion, know that there are skilled helpers and healers who can hold space while you find your own divine connection to hold onto during these times and beyond.

And so, review these items and see which ones you can put in practice right away. You deserve peace, and the world awaits your ripple effects. We have the ability to be the generation that, when our descendants read about this time in history, we can proudly and mindfully share how we acted in small consistent ways that truly contributed to global peace.

Because this isn’t just about the unfolding of history. It’s the unfolding of you, of me, of the collective us.

בשורות טובות