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Suggestions for Calm?

There is so much unrest and dis-ease in the world.  London has been in flames and chaos and turmoil.  Food is running out in Somalia and a severe famine and drought are turning things upside down.   Protests in the streets of Israel for affordable housing brought out almost 20 percent of the nation.  Massacres take place in Syria as Bashir Assad, a brutal ruler tries to hold on to power. Libya is in the midst of a civil war as rebel forces try to topple the regime of Ghaddafi. Norway grieves for the lives of the nearly 100 young people that were murdered in cold blood. The market’s volatility keeps everyone jittery.  Japan still is struggling with the effects of the earthquake, tsunami and radioactive poisoning. Alabama is trying to recover from the devasting tornados. And the list of tzuris goes on.

In a global world and in an interconnected world we feel and see the tragedies that previously we were oblivious too.  In other decades news took time to travel.  It was delayed. It wasn’t in full color.  But now they are all immediate.  And this can be overwhelming.

So how do you remain calm in the midst of a storm tossed sea we call life?

One thing that works for me is prayer.  It allows me time to center. To take a deep breath.  Both private prayer and communal prayer allows for a moment of reflection and of firmly planting one’s feet in a zone that for just a short while could be unshakeable.

And that strength of place and time and spirit can be a hedge against the swirling forces of change, tragedy and troubles.

Let the God in you give you strength to face life’s uncertainties.