October 3, 2007

Change the World: What if We Chose a Different Color?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 5:35 am

Don’t Decide in Anger

Change the World!

Awhile back I wrote about stories I would make up about the grains of the mahogany in the headboard of my childhood bed.

The wavy lines were roads to villages where people had feelings that came in colors — anger went from red to orange.

And in the villages, they couldn’t see when in my mind I’d change the universe. On joyful days, I’d see the wood in shades of purple. On quiet days, it would be blues to greens. Rarely there would be yellows. On angry, lonely days I’d see it go from red to orange.

Red to orange. How I remember that feeling.

Anger is a lonely place.

In the response, a friend, brad4d, spoke of wisdom and anger…

“Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind” ~ Rabelais ~ means to me, anger erases wisdom.

How skewed my thinking becomes when I feel angry. I lose sight. I lose perspective. I forget other people. I lose the wisdom and love of a lifetime. I lose the person I want to be.

Most times, I’m far from anger. Those days I’m a decent human being.

I know we couldn’t do it forever — I know we couldn’t all do it simultaneously.

But . . .

What if just once a whole bunch chose a different color? What if instead of the red of anger we chose the gold of compassion? How wise might the world start to be?

We can change the world, just like that.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.


Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog, The Big Idea |



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10 Comments to “Change the World: What if We Chose a Different Color?”

  1. October 3rd, 2007 at 8:19 am
    Mihaela Lica said

    Gosh, Liz… This is beautiful. It sounds strange, I know, but:

    Anger is a lonely place.

    has a romantic rhythm within…

    I’d add to your words: anger is eating you up and feed up hate too. Anger will put you down. Anger is your enemy. And there was nothing, ever, good coming out of anger.

  2. October 3rd, 2007 at 9:00 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mihaela,
    Anger is only anger in the same way that fire is only fire. Both can harm us, especially if we stand inside them — they will consume us.

    Pure anger, I think, might have a place, but I’ve only touched it once. All other anger I have known has been anger plus . . . when anger has self-doubt, insecurity, or other emotions as part, it’s a nasty cocktail.

  3. October 3rd, 2007 at 9:19 am
    Ruth (easywriter) said

    Anger can, when harnessed to a single purpose loosen chains and beat back oppression… but at such cost. Anger in our day to day living has little purpose, use determination and be well informed of all points of view to further yourself, your objectives or your business.

    “Anger is a lonely place.” How haunting and true. Liz I love that you “see” colour.

  4. October 3rd, 2007 at 12:15 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Ruth!
    Anger bears a cost. Rarely is the cost worth the result. It’s a metaphor best left there.

    Easy, I don’t write nearly as well as you. ;)

  5. October 3rd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
    Ruth (easywriter) said

    I totally agree that it should remain metaphor…And… you write beautifully and with enormous versatility, I do believe I am an acquired taste. :-D having fun with it though.

  6. October 3rd, 2007 at 7:08 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Ruth!
    Let’s go in a room and compliment each other to death. :)

  7. October 3rd, 2007 at 11:45 pm
    Terri said

    When I’m angry I don’t see color. I’m not sure I see anything. I become consumed by the anger. It’s almost like the “real” me is floating next to the angry me and can do nothing but watch the train wreck. As for beating back oppression, as Ruth brought up, I think passion, conviction and maybe righteousness are powerful tools that can hopefully be better harnessed than anger.

  8. October 4th, 2007 at 7:25 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Terri!
    I used to do the same thing. Then someone asked me this question . . . “What do you think would happen if you put your feelings back inside you?”

    It was a most powerful question. It changed my life in an instant. :)

  9. October 6th, 2007 at 9:28 am
    April Groves said

    Late to the conversation, I know. But, I read it and couldn’t leave it…you do that to my brain a bunch :)

    What if just once a whole bunch chose a different color? What if instead of the red of anger we chose the gold of compassion?

    But I like red…a lot. I speaks to be of passion, love, and excitement. And I like bunches of other colors too. And it seems unfair to blame the colors for our hang ups…so what if we all decided to choose a different emotion…the red of passion instead of the red of anger?

    Liz - you are so good for my brain and my heart. I’d stay in a room and compliment you anytime!

  10. October 6th, 2007 at 9:47 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi April!
    Never late . . . always welcome. :)

    You make a good point. I’ll go with your view of the situation. :)

    I’d hate to banish red from the world altogether — even in a metaphor. :)

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