100 Billion humans

I was thinking…

It is estimated that over 100 billion people lived on this earth before us. About 8 billion inhabit it right now. If we think about the generations that lived before us, consider the great challenges and harshness of their existence, the scarcity and danger, we can appreciate how fortunate we are to be comfortable, safe, and have access to food, water, medicine, and so much more.

But even though we live at a time of great ingenuity, technological advancement, and abundance, we are still very much programmed to respond and react to our world in a way that was conditioned by the harsh realities of generations before us. We are emotional beings. We subconsciously assign meaning to our interactions and experiences, to the way we perceive the world; these interpretations dictate our actions and choices. Often, we believe these actions and choices are based on free-will. On accurate and practical calculations that are logical and serving. But for the most, they are reflexive and automatic.

You see, over generations, across cultures and places, we all experience fears and worries, have blind-spots, and we tend to believe that how WE see the world, must be how anyone else should.

When we can transcend the limitation of our thoughts, to develop a deeper awareness of self, to accept uncertainties and let go of what we hold-on to blindly. Then we can begin to appreciate that of these 100 billion that came before us and the 8 billion in the world right now, no one is like anyone else!

That each one of us is unique and whole. That every person must have a “zone of genius” that is exclusive to them, distinctive than others, and is a true gift.

We can then cultivate compassion of self and others, accept differences, and learn how to create the mindset and habits of lasting happiness.

I invite you to remember that awareness, compassion, and acceptance start from within and with only one breath.