Do you know many people from other parts of the country? How many of your friends, family, and acquaintances live in other states?
Share why if you wish.
Category: Others
How Do We Improve People’s Lives?
Sometimes it feels as if everyone is struggling these days. In response, if you wanted to improve someone else’s life, what would you do?
Chances are, first and foremost you are worried about your own well-being. You need to pay the mortgage, get the shopping done, score tickets to the game, and so on. And everyone else is doing the same.
It would be nice, though, if other people made your life a little easier. Even something as small as letting you merge in traffic rather than cutting you off. A little bit of slack in one area might mean you have more time or energy to put toward something else, and it all could snowball to great effect.
Well, then, what about the reverse? What can you do, without it being too onerous to you, to improve the life of the people you come into contact with?
Obviously, the people you spend the most time with provide you the greatest opportunity. You might see your family members every day, and your co-workers and friends almost as much. You know about their lives, and you probably have a pretty good idea what would make them better.
But there also people you have minimal contact with. Folks in line at the coffee joint. Fellow commuters on the freeway. Shoppers at the local grocery store. Without knowing as much about them, there are still things you can do.
And of course, you know yourself best of all. What would make your life better? What could someone else do to help you out, even a little bit? Can you do that thing for someone else? Is there something you might even be able to do for yourself, to make your own life better?
Related questions: What are you doing to make the world a better place? What can you do to improve your surroundings? What will you do today to make your tomorrow better?
What Are The Benefits Of Forgiveness?
Forgiveness is hard work. It doesn’t come naturally, so it is worthwhile to ask: why should we be forgiving?
One of the biggest hurdles is that forgiving someone feels like you have abandoned your principles. If someone has wronged you, to forgive them seems like an endorsement of the wrongdoing. There should be consequences for betrayal, not approval.
Of course, that’s not the way forgiveness works, even if it might seem like it. Your principles are intact. You believe the behavior is wrong, and therefore you would not do it. What is at question is how you treat someone else.
Another issue is that when you forgive someone, it feels like it is an external action. “Give” is, in fact, part of the word! You are giving something to someone, and they may not even understand or care about the hurt that they caused. That seems wrong.
But again, that is a misconception. If you hold on to a grudge or keep close resentment over something, that is, at heart, a self-harm. You’re the one who is impacted. You think about it, you change your behavior, you stew over it.
Forgiveness allows you to let go. Acknowledge that it was a bad thing, but don’t let it continue to have a hold over you. It may be that the other person is privately ashamed of their behavior, and to forgive them might mean that you both are the better for it. You both get to move on with your lives.
There are other benefits as well. Can you think of additional ones? When was the last time you forgave someone, even under trying or difficult circumstances?
Related questions: Forgive or forget? When was the last time you apologized to someone? How do you deal with someone with whom you don’t get along? What gives a person value?
Does Social Media Isolate People?
Social media is designed to be, well, social. But does it actually have the opposite effect, isolating users?
People who use a social media platform do it to keep in touch with people.
You might use Facebook to keep tabs on your family, or maybe LinkedIn to see what your co-workers or others in your field are up to. You might find people who share your interests on Meetup, or perhaps you follow your favorite celebrities on Instagram. Or, alternately, you may just like watching funny videos from random strangers on Tik Tok.
Whichever platform you use, one of the frameworks commonly used is to track and display your connections. They literally display the size of your social network.
That doesn’t sound isolating at all. Just the opposite, in fact. You are plugged in to everything that is happening with the people that interest you.
The end result, though, can be quite different. While you are socially connected to people, that connection is most often just online. There is no body language, no touch, no physical interaction at all. For animals that evolved in a tribe, that lack of in-person communication can be isolating.
In addition, seeing pictures from your friends and family of their highlights might only remind you of your own shortcomings. Look at the delicious meal that you are not eating! On the vacation you are not taking! With the beautiful family that you don’t have!
On top of that, there is the possibility of doom scrolling, and being bombarded with dis- and mis-information.
How do you see this? Is social media a new way to connect with others? Or is it instead a way to make you feel more alone than ever?
Related questions: What do you get out of social media? How has social media changed your social life? Why does social media often bring out the worst in us? Can an Internet friend be a true companion?
How Do You Support Others?
Helping to support people in need is one of the most fundamental of human traits. How might you go about it?
Supporting others is something we are called upon to do at various times in our lives.
From a strictly transactional point of view, it makes sense to do this. After all, there will no doubt be times in your own life when you will need to rely on others. To make sure that help is there when you need it, it makes sense to provide your own support when you are able.
It’s also true that helping others simply feels good. Even when it might be difficult or cause some hardship for you, the happiness or relief that you might bring to someone going through a difficult time can be worth it.
Moreover, you probably want the best for your friends and loved ones. You want to ease their struggle, if you can. Not because you expect something in return, but you want someone you love to have a better life.
So assisting in providing a framework to assist people makes sense. How might you do that?
It might be difficult to provide a simple answer. After all, the ways in which people need support can vary almost infinitely. It might be difficult to list all possibilities.
One way to help is to imagine you were in their shoes. What kind of support would you need in that situation? Is that something you can do, or you can mobilize others to do? You might also ask what help is needed, if you’re unsure.
Can you think of other ways? Are you attuned to who in your orbit needs your support?
Related questions: How can you help? When have you asked for help? What are our responsibilities to others?