Yesterday I used a quote that included the word ‘evil’. The ‘e’ word is not a word that I use often, nor one that I like to use at all. The word itself is small and inclusive which is what makes it so dangerous. When we perceive the ‘e’ word as something small and compact, we think it is easy to stay away from. We begin to think ‘e’ is this very obvious tight edged thing that we would never in a million years pick up and carry into our lives. I think this is perhaps the greatest misperception we could ever have. I envision the ‘e’ word to have no firm borders…. I envision it more like a vapor. Anytime I crack the door open to darkness in my life, that vapor can seep into my world, and can settle quietly into places that I may not even notice. The opportunity to crack that door open happens hundreds if not thousands of times in a day. A white lie here, a small cheat there, and a few too many times of convincing myself that its ok ‘just this once’ to knowingly veer just a tiny bit away from what I know is right. Those first steps into this new territory initially feel foreign and bumpy. Foreign and bumpy gets our attention, but we as a species acclimate to subtle changes very quickly. Once we acclimate, what was unfamiliar becomes comfortable and then the tendency is to stay where we are- which is veered just a tiny bit to the left. This is where that vapor starts to seep in, but it’s so slight we don’t even notice. I am a true believer that it is the small acts which rule the world…. the small acts of ‘not right’ add up, and their sum becomes exponential in ways that we cannot even imagine. Scary, huh? Yes it is, but it’s not as scary, when you remember the other equation that has just as much power. The small acts of goodness add up too- and when we focus on these small acts of good together as a group, we get to make use of that wonderful math concept known as ‘an exponent’.
This mathematical truth is exactly why Rx for the Soul is here. Right now, you along with several thousand others consume this medicine for the soul by reading a daily post. Every day, in small ways, The Daily Dose points your attention to the right. This is a minute act, but when carried out repetitively, we end up en route to a very high mountain. High mountains always sit to the right, and they are tough to climb… but slow and steady makes this trek something every one of us can accomplish. Having lots of good company along the way makes the path well-lit. There is power in numbers. Your intention to stay to the right sets your route, but its the group energy of ‘veering right’ together each day, that gives Rx for the Soul its power. By my calculations, our shared intentions make us the equivalent of an army so large that its membership total needs to be written like this:
18,449,748,940,177,252,938 x 10 to the 662nd power
How did I come up with this equation? It’s the sum of 2 to the 2200 power ( 2,200 being the approximate number of daily readers right now). The ‘2’ in that equation has been a long time coming for me. Rx for the Soul comes to you each day not just because I write it. For the first time in my life, I have someone who stands next to me as I do my work in this world. She is behind the scenes, quiet, small, and relentless in the acts of good that she does each day on behalf of Rx for the Soul. She does not get paid, she does not get credit , and she works seven days a week and often long hours into the night. Why??? Well, it’s a long story and really not mine to tell, but I know I am not incorrect when I say that she has felt the amazing power of veering to the right just a little each day… and its completely changed the course of her life. Her companionship has completely changed mine as well.
My hope is that Rx for the Soul is helping you to accomplish this same thing each day… just a small veer to the right, done in good company, which makes it a source of power in this world much greater than any of us can ever imagine. I started this journey with Rx for the Soul completely unaware of where it would take me. I still don’t know what the destination is, but I now know it’s not just my journey- its our journey. In two short months I have learned how to share the road with a professional partner, and as we have forged a path forward, 2,200 fellow travelers have joined us- thank you for being one of them. Today’s Rx reminds us that the dreaded ‘e’ word is always around waiting for us to veer just a little bit to the left. Don’t be afraid of that- just be aware of it. There are thousands of ways to move toward that high mountain each day, and Rx for the Soul is just one daily nudge among them. When one person inches toward the right, their world changes. When a small army of people inch toward the right together, the world changes.
Relax- We’ve got this! We don’t need to be loud, and we don’t need to be fast. We need only to be small, quiet, and relentless in our good – knowing that when we veer to the right, we merge with the light.