Tomas: You ever wonder if the world is changing? Like, for the worse?
Abe: All the goddamn time.
Tomas: I see it all over. Not just in the big ways. It’s little ones. Sure, the weather is changing, resources are running out, and everyone seems to be loads crazier than before… But whatever is happening now? It seems way bigger. End of days-type business, you know?
In this issue, two men are on a train, discussing changes in humanity. It’s hard for this to not resonate. Our world, and everything in it, including all of us, is changing at a pace that we have not seen in the history of humanity. Change breeds uncertainty, and rapid change creates such a high level of uncertainty that the result is fear. You can see it everywhere, regardless of political leaning or spiritual belief. People are afraid and trust in others is diminishing. This fear is being exploited by media and corporations who see it as an opportunity to capitalize on this trend, offering home security systems, homes in “safe” gated communities, healthy this, secure that.
If you pause and take a step back, it is easy to see how insane this has become. Personally, I feel there is still a way out. Yes, the world will change. Yes, people will change. How that change manifests is still up to us. I choose to help foster a more positive change, and as such am doing small things on a personal and local level. Small changes ripple out and become larger shifts. Never underestimate the impact that your smallest decision has on the world.
Stuff Jeff Reads 
It is insane and can be overwhelming. I don’t watch the news and occasionally look at it on my phone, but it’s advertising too. I think the only way to deal with it is to make the small gestures in our own communities. I don’t get the negative vibes from people around me, just on TV and on the Internet.
Sadly, I have gotten negative vibes from people, some of whom I had to end my friendship with. At first I felt bad about it, but life is too short for me to allow people to make me miserable. It’s one thing to have different opinions and ideas, another to be a raving lunatic.
Vibes vibes vibes. It seems we’re all a mix of good and bad and sometimes even bad or abrasive vibes can be purifying. But yeah, all in proper measure. I believe I pick up from the web (good and bad) and other local situations (good and bad). The reward and challenge of being sensitive, I guess.
Your post also reminds me of the Christian saint Thérèse (The Little Flower). She emphasized humility and serving God thru small acts that sometimes only God would fully appreciate. 🙂
Small acts can have a big impact.