I knew a woman who was kind and funny. She got a job as a police dispatcher. Within a couple of years she became negative, cynical, joyless.
She dealt daily with criminals, people with stories about how they wound up on the wrong side of the law, drug dealers, drug users. She seldom saw beauty and truth. There were no random acts of kindness.
I felt so sad.
When I reflect on the last year, one thing stands out–how many people have lost their kindness, their grace toward others, their joy.
I came across this thought while reading through my eclectic information gathering.
How have circumstances affected us?
Have we become more hardened, resentful, afraid?
These actually go together. Fear is at the root of many negative emotions. Fear of loss. Fear of the future. Fear of someone taking my job. Fear of others whom I do not know. Fear of the future.
However, we all know people (I hope) who have grown wise and understanding as they age. They no longer have anything to prove. They see that others have struggles, too. They see evil or foolishness and avoid it. They walk with God.
The Dalai Lama points to a wisdom that we also find throughout the Proverbs. It is our choice.
Every day we arise and we begin making choices. We can fill our minds with words of wisdom. We can fill our minds with the news headlines. Our choice.
We can choose how we react to the news. Do we allow our emotions to go crazy and get all worked up? Do we take a breath and allow the perspective of God to let us see beyond the news.
It’s not that I wish to ignore bad news and act as if it didn’t exist. That is a sign of mental illness. It’s just that I choose what I focus on.
We become what we think about.
Faith Venture 
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