Our Best Life [publisher's letter]

This month’s feature article, reminded me of some of the conversations I’ve had lately. I’ve found that some people are completely overwhelmed and afraid of what’s going on in the world. Stories of national and international significance become a primary source of worry, and some of these people are rendered incapable of functioning well in their daily lives because of the anxiety that comes with things that are out of their control. And although these stories may (or may not) be true, they have taken the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Although I’ve found myself falling down this rabbit hole from time to time (I mean, how can any of us totally be immune to the condition of world affairs?), I really try to keep in mind the Serenity Prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Worrying about things, after all, does not make them go away or contribute to the resolution of anything. And the more we take in information, primarily through the news, the more we feed the tendency to worry about things over which we have no control.

I try to stay away from the news, other than having a basic understanding of what is going on. I may not be a politician, activist or global economist, but I can do something―I can basically try to live the best life possible each and every day at the local level. I can do the right thing (which often comes from a gut feeling) when it comes to things I can actually do something about. I can be a good citizen. I can have a grateful attitude about my life.

If we all try to live our best life by doing beneficial things that we do have control over, it may go a long way to straightening out our tendency to worry and live with anxiety over the state of our world’s affairs.