Excerpted from the Book: Empowering Resilience, Now Available on Amazon.com.
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Remember Your Blessings, Things Are Pretty Good
It is hard to fathom the fact that some awful things happened in this world less than 100 years ago, and how far we have come in our technological and civilization advances of our modern times. I study history and have a special fascination for some reason with Russian history because of its depth and complexity with what the people in Russia’s history have endured over the years. While I live here in the United States, studying world history and cultures of other countries has always brought me a sense of understanding of how good I have it in the time and place I live now. I try to never forget history and what our ancestors went through for our lives to be possible today, and what they endured to make our lives better.
In the early 1920s, Russia endured one of the worst famines in the history of the world. Approximately 5 million people died purely from starvation. The Russian Revolution and several years of a Russian Civil War created a perfect storm that drove the people of Russia to a level of depravity and awfulness that we can’t even imagine today. The people were so hungry that they sometimes resorted to cannibalism.
In the 1930s, a new dictator named Joseph Stalin was in power… and not to be outdone by his predecessor, Vladimir Lenin, he oversaw the Great Famine of Soviet Ukraine. It is estimated that well over 3 million people died from a completely man-made famine that can be described as a failed communist experiment by some, and an act of genocide by others.
After this, there was Nazi Germany and millions of Jews were herded into concentration camps and killed. People who were living a normal life one moment were seeing their family members die weeks later. Families were torn apart, and things would never be the same again for the millions of people that World War II affected.
These were tough situations, and there are still photos online, readily available, of the history lesson of how bad things really were. This wasn’t a movie or TV show like we would see streamed on our screens today. It was reality in its truest form, as harsh and difficult as it might be to understand or imagine in today’s world.
I bring these past historical events to you today for perspective – nothing more, nothing less. Let’s face it, if we don’t learn from history, we are sure to repeat it.
The point here is to live in the gratitude and thanksgiving for what you have and step out in faith for what you are trying to achieve in your life. We are in the Golden Age right now of our time in many ways. Don’t let life get you down. Get in front of your problems and face them down.
If you were sitting at a table across from a Holocaust survivor or someone who survived the Russian or Ukrainian famine or the other horrors of a revolution or world war, you could be assured they would tell you to not take what you have for granted and to live each day to the fullest. After all, you probably have a much better opportunity to do well for yourself in our time we live in today than they could ever have dreamed of having. Don’t miss this.
The point of this history lesson is that overall, things are never as bad as they seem in the world we live in today, although there are still wars and other perils people face daily. It’s hard to argue that things are pretty darn good. Live in this truth. Don’t look at the world through the lens that everything and everyone has dissolved into a giant train wreck or dumpster fire. Some things indeed have. I am not avoiding that reality. I am only giving perspective. If you are reading this right now, you probably live in a good time, and there is always hope for better days ahead. Peace can only prevail when people love themselves and each other.
God is literally made up of love. It is the strongest emotion and power in the Universe. Don’t miss the best days of your life when things sometimes seem at their worst. Our ancestors would have given almost anything to have what we have in our world today, and what you have in your home, office, school or other place you work or play. Perspective, again, is a great teacher.
So here’s the question: How do you see the world? Is it a dumpster fire of problems, or filled with hope for better days and gratitude and thankfulness for what you have, had, and will have in the future? What are your insights and plans for making your corner of the world better for you and for those around you? You can only control the controllables. Make every day, every effort, every instance to make a difference count with love, peace, ease, and an empowering resolve. Count your blessings. Be thankful and grateful for where you are and where you are going. My suggestion is not to just find several things to be grateful for but to JUST BE GRATEFUL!
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