Month: September 2026

 “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

This quotation is by Anne Frank who, along with her family and others, went into hiding during World War II because they were Jewish.  They were discovered and sent to concentration camps, and Anne was only 15 years old when she became ill and died.  Her father survived and, when he returned to where they had been in hiding, he discovered her diary.  Through his endeavors, Anne’s diary was published with the title The Diary of a Young Girl, which included the above quote.

I have written other posts based on Anne Frank’s words because I have been moved by the wisdom that she expressed, especially at such a young age, and also that she expressed that wisdom at a time when she and so many other women, men, and children were being persecuted and killed by Hitler’s Nazis.

In saying that “nobody need wait” Anne is referring to all of us, that all of us can help to improve our world.  It’s not just certain people with certain talents, experiences, and opportunities—it’s each one of us.  It’s about making thoughtful choices, giving of ourselves, interacting with others in a respectful and nonjudgmental way, and in many other ways adding to that which is positive in our world. 

It’s understandable that at times we question whether what we do can make enough of a difference.  But as many other wise people in addition to Anne have said, every act of kindness does make a difference.  And, of course, the more of us who make those efforts, the more the positivity will grow.

So let’s not wait a single moment, to use Anne’s words, to begin doing our part to improve our world.

“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.”

This quote is by Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, who lived from 1809 to 1865.  He spoke these words when he was in the Illinois House of Representatives, 20 years before he served as President during the Civil War.  His words reflect the way he approached life, both in his earlier years and during the war when one of the struggles was to end the terrible injustice and cruelty of slavery.

Thankfully, there are many people who devote time and effort supporting causes they believe to be just.  Those efforts have resulted in a higher quality of life for innumerable people, opportunities that previously had been withheld becoming available, more people (including women) having the right to vote, and many discriminatory practices being made illegal.  There continue to be many societal causes that need our support, some of which are ensuring that sufficient food and affordable housing are available for all children and adults, doing actions to protect land and water resources and reduce climate change, and decreasing violence. 

In addition to supporting societal and global causes that are just, we can also apply Lincoln’s words to concerns that are more individual and personal.  Each of us adds to that which is just in the way we think about and interact with other people.  When we are nonjudgmental and respectful toward others, we help to make life better for them and for us.  And when we endeavor to be more humble and more generous with our time and abilities, we also make life better for them and for us. .

Lincoln refers to the probability of failing.  It’s essential that we don’t let our fear of possible failure in these and other endeavors keep us from continuing to support just causes.  Trying to discern guidance from our inner voice and then trying to follow that guidance, both for societal/global causes and for help in making personal changes, is a  valuable way to be living as we should be living.  Trying to follow that discernment will help us to overcome the fear of failure and to continue to work toward that which we believe to be just.

“Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less.”

This quote is by Mother Teresa.  I’m sure that during her many years of providing care to people suffering from poverty, end-of-life illness, and other serious difficulties, it was essential for her to have patience.  She helped with providing care personally and also through the Missionaries of Charity which she founded.  Missionaries of Charity programs are now located in many counties and assist a great many women, men, and children.  Her words speak from her life experience and point out how we can gain by being patient.

We live in a fast-paced world.  There is emphasis on accomplishing a lot, on competition with other people or entities, on not “missing out” on popular events, and so on.  That fast-paced way of living often leads to our feeling impatient, at times with ourselves and at times with other people.  Sometimes our impatience is even directed toward people who aren’t the cause of whatever is underlying it.

Although at times I need to remind myself to be patient, I hadn’t thought about how being impatient limits our experiences until I came across Mother Teresa’s words.  As she says, being  impatient decreases our learning, seeing, feeling, and hearing.  Are we seeing the expression on someone’s face that might help us understand how they are feeling?  Are we being empathic when someone is having difficulty completing something by the deadline?  Are we listening carefully to someone’s explanation of delays that were not in their control? 

When we’re impatient we also tend not to notice that which is positive around us, such as appreciating the helpfulness of others, seeing the beauty of the sky when we’re walking somewhere, hearing people’s greetings, joining in with others who are acknowledging a coworker doing excellent work.  When we’re so focused on whatever it is we’re impatient about, we miss out on the many positive things that are happening.

I plan to keep Mother Teresa’s words in mind to help me to experience more that is positive.  I encourage others to keep her words in mind too.

“Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.”

This quote is by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, poet, and teacher who lived from 1926 to 2022.

As Nhat Hanh’s words suggest, being able to dwell in the present moment can help us to deal with feelings of anxiety.  When we focus on the present moment, we’re able to stop thinking about things that happened in the past, even what happened earlier that same day, or concerns about the future, the unknown.  Both are often sources of anxiety.  It’s a reality of life that there are many things we cannot directly control.  Some are large and affect many people, such as wars and natural disasters; others are more personal, such as having relationship problems and worries about people we care about who are struggling with challenges.  As we do what we are able to when dealing with various difficulties, we also need to take care of ourselves when those difficulties cause anxiety.

Nhat Hanh’s referring to anxiety as the illness of our time reflects what is often spoken and written about. There are many articles and books about the prevalence of feelings of anxiety by many adults of all ages and by some children also.  As with all emotions, the degree of anxiety varies considerably.  In addition to concerns or challenges we can identify that are causing us to feel anxious, there are also times when we feel a low level and often present anxiety where it isn’t clear what might be causing it.

When we feel our anxiety rising, doing deep breathing is one approach that helps many people.  There are several types of breathing techniques, but they all have in common concentrating on our breathing so that we step away mentally from other thoughts. A basic form is to breathe in slowly through our nose to a count of four, expanding our lungs, hold the breath to a count of four, and then slowly release the breath through our mouth to a count of four.  Deep breathing also is effective because it stimulates our vagus nerve which cues our bodies and minds to relax.

Deep breathing and other “in the moment” self-help approaches can assist us with less intense feelings of anxiety.  For those who experience frequent and intense anxiety, I encourage meeting with a therapist to explore what might be underlying it in addition to doing deep breathing and other self-help skills.  I highly recommend meeting with a Jungian-based therapist, if possible.

If you’re not already in the habit of doing deep breathing and/or other types of coping techniques that help you to be in the present moment, I encourage you to do so.  In addition to caring for others, it’s important that we care for ourselves and thus to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.