There is a lot of bad juju in the world these days. It’s really unfortunate. Ugly wars are going on, people are fleeing their countries in droves, terrorists are bombing beautiful cities and people, and here in our country there are disgusting shootings in schools, churches and even hometown bars. Seems like the whole world is feeling disenfranchised, divided and out of sorts.
Who would have ever thought it would come to this?
Yet, we’re so very fortunate to live in Laguna Beach, which is paradise compared to most of the rest of the planet. But even here, where life is really, really good, we are sometimes too ready to get angry, honk our horns, and perceive the negative.
Perhaps we could use an attitude adjustment.
It’s my belief that a person’s negative energy—or positive energy—can greatly affect everyone around them. A perceived injustice, a faulty interpretation of the expression on a person’s face, or a firmly held belief about a situation, an individual, or even the world order, can color whatever a person sees, regardless of what’s actually happening.
Yes, our world has changed and it’s a little bit frightening out there, to tell the truth. There are problems here in paradise, too, and we often have difference opinions on how to fix them. For one, traffic in Laguna has gotten just horrible these days, and for another, the population demographics have changed so much that property values are out of reach for everyday people. But for those of us lucky enough to live here, well, we have it pretty dang good.
Maybe if we lighten up a little and reach out to our neighbors, it can even be better.
Sure, there are things to complain about, but maybe we can make an effort to send out those positive vibes. Perhaps if we’re a little more understanding of each other and we really try to see things from another’s perspective, the whole world might start moving in the right direction.
And that would be a pretty darn good thing.
Lisa Hand, Laguna Beach
Golly, Lisa, whoda thought that just lightening up would reduce the high price of housing and traffic congestion all at the same time. You’re some kind of genius!