Remember the story of Aladdin and his three wishes? Laguna Playhouse is presenting a fun twist to the tale called “Aladdin’s Winter Wishes.” I have not laughed that hard in a long time, yet within the humor, the sassy dance moves and hip music, there were some thought provoking moments.
If you had three wishes, what would they be? When I ask, most people say more money, world peace or lose weight.
Most of us want these, so let’s go a little deeper (not to say these wishes would not benefit us, but I wonder if this is what we would really wish for given the opportunity).
I know my first wish would be to ensure my daughter has a healthy and happy life, but it is not that simple. I also know from a psychological perspective that happiness and growth comes from struggles and stretching ourselves when we are uncomfortable, so why would I want to make her life comfortable then? Often we find happiness through our struggles.
So what if my wish would be to see world peace? Most of us think we want this, but what does this actually mean? I do wish people were kinder to each other. It is painful sometimes to watch how cruel people can be towards each other.
I put together a recipe I think would lead to some form of world peace, as it is much more than being kind to each other.
- We would start with making peace with ourselves first.
- We would help each other, not violate others rights.
- We would choose love over hate, forgiveness over anger.
- We would take ownership of our own deficits, challenges and mistakes without blaming others.
- We would think of the greater good rather than what is good just for ourselves.
- We would respect different cultures, different ideas and just differences.
- We would come from a place of doing no harm to another or ourselves.
- We would not harm the earth.
- Just do good and give when you can.
- Give the gift of our talents to others freely.
- Live within our values and morals.
- Make good of our word.
- Smile as we walk past others.
- Have compassion for others challenges and help them where you can.
- Love and accept ourselves with all our imperfections.
We do not need three wishes to accomplish the above. We can daily, weekly, monthly apply these in our own lives.
I can’t help you with more money or weight loss wishes, but I have a feeling if we accept ourselves for who we are we will find peace within ourselves, and maybe our desires might just mean a little less to us.
Martin Luther King said “If we are to have peace on earth… our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.”
President Franklin Roosevelt said “The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man or one party or one nation. It must be a peace that rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world.”
And finally, Mother Teresa’s words say it all: “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
Yes, the idealist that I am says this is where it starts and where it ends. You treat your family with love and they will treat others with love, creating world peace.
Contact Dr. Shelly Zavala at DrZavala.com or Drzavala@mac.com.
