Where are you pointing?

When we draw attention to things, we give them power. Through our words, through our actions ... we’re able to say, “Look at this. Don’t miss it. This is noteworthy.”

But how much of our time is spent pointing out flaws, versus highlighting the good?

Failure versus success?

Petty versus significant?

Trivial versus meaningful?

When we discuss these lesser things — when we gossip about them, share them, meme them — we are making a choice to elevate them. These hollow or even injurious things … they become consequential because we make them so.

If we’d like to see more goodness in the world, we might start by taking more time to acknowledge where it already exists, and less time pointing to everything else.

stephen