I’m feeling frustrated, and that’s good.

With frustration comes great emotion, and great emotion is exactly what we need to move us into action.

We all want to be like the great monks that sit under trees, enlightened. I’ve read stories where monks are untouched by people’s anger and unfazed by being wrongly accused of misdeeds.

They accept all things just as they are and trust that the universe knows what it’s doing.

But sometimes it’s good not to be zen like the monks.

From time to time, we need to be angered, to be moved by emotion, so we can encourage change. Anger can be a catalyst that helps us to become the voice of the voiceless or to stand up for what we believe in.

Emotion is the fuel that empowers us to make a difference.

Just tonight while flipping through Facebook, I saw an article posted about Melania Trump. Everything from the title to the photo angered me. After finally deciding to not judge a book by its cover, I opened up the article to see if there was anything of benefit inside. Unfortunately, there was not.

There will be times in life when we do not agree with someone’s opinion. Nevertheless, we should try to be open enough to see their point of view. If it can be presented in such a way that you can see where they’re coming from, or understand why they think a certain way, it helps in finding common ground.

Doing this can help us to become more flexible in our thinking and allow us to expand the limits of our views.

Yet occasionally, people are just being mean!

The same bullies that knocked our books out of our hands as children and scribbled hateful words on our lockers in high school have grown up––and many haven’t changed a bit.

Now as adults, they hide behind their computers or whisper the same hateful messages of gossip and ignorance in the gym locker room or wherever.

I believe in you. I read ur timeline & I see what ur doing & your rage is thinly veiled pain. But u know that. I know this feeling. Ps My back Fucking sux too. see what happens when u choose love. I see it in you.

— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) December 29, 2017

It wasn’t kind when we were kids, and it still isn’t now. Some would give the excuse that children don’t know any better, but what is the excuse for adults? No doubt these are the parents of today’s children who are growing up to be bullies themselves.

It all starts in the home, and it is our responsibility as adults to set the example for our future generations.

We have to stop reading and sharing articles that put people down and shame them. Articles and pictures that we read, like, and share all get recorded. With each click, we are telling people and companies what we want to see more of.

Clearly, we all have something in our past we are not proud of, and I think it is time we start putting ourselves in the place of others before we act.

“Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” ~ The Golden Rule, Luke 6:31

I don’t care what religion you are apart of—we should all join the religion of kindness.

In today’s society, it’s so easy to just hit share or like. Information can spread like wildfire. So before we hit that button, we need to ask ourselves these questions:

Truthful or not, is what we are about to share going to be of benefit to others and our world?

Does this story inspire those who read it or make them feel worse?

Are these words calling people to take a positive action?

What is the takeaway, and can people apply it to their life?

Is the article educating people with new information?

Not all messages are happy-go-lucky. I get it. No one feels good or smiles after reading about the man who hit his wife, how pollution is destroying our planet, or that animals are being abused. Yet, is there a call to action there that inspires the reader to help make a difference? Or is the article just there for shame and blame?

We all know Melania has naked photos, but do we really need to read about that? She is somebody’s mother, somebody’s daughter. I’m sure she has made some mistakes in her life, perhaps marrying Donald Trump is one of them, but why are we shaming her, and who are we to judge? We have all made mistakes on one level or another.

It all starts with us.

If each of us would just take responsibility for ourselves and stop following the herd and mob mentality, the world would truly be a better place. We just need to start thinking for ourselves and acting from a place of kindness.

Let’s lift each other up instead of pushing each other down.

If we are going to share a message, let it be of benefit, and let it educate and empower others. We have to stop spreading mind-dumbing content that just numbs us from being present. Instead, share stories that bring us closer together and help us realize we all want the same things—to be happy, loved, and accepted.

We will then be creating communities instead of enemies.

I know it’s temping to spread gossip and fake news, but let us just stop and take a moment to reflect before we share something.

It’s all in our perspective and in our power to help make each other better, or to place blame and shame on one another. The choice is ours.

You see, even that distasteful post about Melania has inspired me. We can always make good out of what we perceive as bad.

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Bonus: Tim Brod – King of the Bees

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Author: Anne DeLima
Image: Twitter, Pexels/Vladyslav Dukhin
Editor: Travis May
Copy & Social Editor: Yoli Ramazzina