05 Feb In an ideal world . . . (DON MIGUEL RUIZ)
We humans are certainly made our mark on this planet. And yet, if we were asked what
we had to show for humanity’s years
of evolution, what would we say?
Would we say that we’re free of
worry and conflict? Would we say we
finally understand how to be the best
humans we can be? It would be wonderful to say that our beliefs no longer
drive us to do terrible things. It would
be great to say that our minds no
longer wage their internal wars. It
would be nice to say that humans
have become far too wise to turn against each other. It would be nice to
say that about our species, but we
cannot—not yet, at least.
In an ideal world, humans get
along with each other for their own
benefit and for the benefit of humanity. In an ideal community, people
cooperate in order to prosper, and
they appreciate their good fortune.
They value life and care for the land
that nurtures them. Ideally, they respect themselves and everyone else.
In an ideal family, children are
made to feel safe and appreciated. Parents are inspired teachers and vigilant
protectors. The elderly continue to be productive. Groups of people form
societies, of course, but no society
tries to undermine any other. To-gether, they build greater commu-
nities, and together they ensure the
well-being of every citizen.
In this world of our imagination,
governments may still exist. An ideal
government presides over a country
with respect. Its leaders are wise and
farseeing. The best possible congress
is one that legislates with conscience
and compassion. Its laws are clear and
just—and the rules apply to everyone.
In this ideal world, people are also
able to govern themselves justly. What does it mean to govern ourselves? It
means we are in charge of our own
thoughts and responsible for our own
actions. We refuse to walk blindly
through life. We see exactly what is
and not merely what we prefer to see.
We don’t permit the past to take command of the present. We view our personal reality the way a great artist
would—with an eye for beauty and
balance.
In an ideal world, we don’t punish
ourselves repeatedly for one mistake.
We don’t indulge in self-pity. We don’t
manipulate emotions. We don’t gossip or seek out drama. In an ideal world, we have no de-
sire to judge or to blame. We are not
defeated by guilt and shame, nor do
we inflict shame on anyone else. In
other words, we govern ourselves in
the same way we want to be governed:
with respect.
There is much more we could say
about that ideal world, but it’s impor-
tant to consider why this world
doesn’t actually exist for most of us.
THE THREE QUESTIONS
DON MIGUEL RUIZ
