Current times feel and to a certain extent, are chaotic. From turmoil in the US political process to societal value divides to an endlessly intense news cycle, things are looking glum. In these times it’s easy to lose your temper, and become emotional at every small thing. However, there is no greater responsibility on our shoulders than the ability to stay calm and peaceful in our surroundings. If you wish to change and balance the chaos around you, you must first work on yourself, and your ability to control it.
Behavior is important, and something everyone must manage. Acting wisely and thoughtfully helps you set the example you wish to see in the wider world, and that’s a wonderful thing to promote. We’d argue that the best ways to behave are:
Temperate
You should temper your anger and emotion. For example, a protest of the current administration (while rational from some perspectives,) must be done in the right way, despite how riled your beliefs may be. You can’t always rely on the best criminal defense lawyer to help you out of a jam. Sometimes, you simply need to control your emotions, no matter how wild and affronted you may feel.
Open
Listening to others is the one attitude this entire planet needs more of. We’re all too quick to butt in with our opinion, too willing to tell someone else how they should view the world. In all circumstances, these leads to animosity and a feeling of hostility between parties. It’s not how healthy communication takes place. For this reason, it’s important always to stay open, and give people the benefit of the doubt. Nobody expresses a heartfelt idea without coming to that conclusion through some emotionally true means. Of course, certain ideas you should not tolerate, but you also shouldn’t be too quick to misconstrue ideas.
If you believed both sides of the current political divide, you would view all right-wingers to be Nazis, and all left-wingers to be communists. The truth is always a shade of grey. Allow people to speak for themselves, provided they are respectful and also allow you a platform to counter or agree.
Learn
Again, too many people are quick to concrete their opinions. Research has indicated that people’s opinions are likely to become even firmer in the presence of contradicting factual information, not less. If we all stay aware of this habit, we should give ourselves more room to find truth.
Face it, no matter who you are, and how decorated or celebrated you are, you simply do not know everything. You always, always, always have things to learn. Genius’s such as Stephen Hawking are people you might consider to have a pretty good grip on things, but these people are oh-to-aware of the scope of their misunderstanding. Exercise a little humility, and you can be sure your life will be more open and willing to experience more.
With these tips, your behavior is sure to be bolstered, and your life is sure to be improved.
