With tragedies like the Charleston shooting dominating our headlines, it’s easy to get lost in our own anger and frustration.
But is that the way to achieving attainable results? Spiritual advisor and ESSENCE Festival Empowerment speaker Dr. Deepak Chopra says there’s a better way of enacting change within our society.
“You inner being knows all the answers, but we tend to never get in touch with our being; we just react,” he told ESSENCE. “So instead of being reactive, observe the reaction to react, then ask yourself, ‘What’s the solution?’ And if enough of us do that, the solutions are there.”
As we sit and watch the news reels delivering the tragedies plaguing our society, Dr. Chopra advises that we hit our inner “pause button,” breathe and ask ourselves the following three questions:
1. How can I serve?
2. How can I help?
3. How can I find a creative solution?
He says that it’s when we channel our inner strength—and the strength of those who came before us—that we can achieve true results.
“The Black community needs to say this is a time for us to look at all of our mentors, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Rosa Parks to all the athletes to all the musicians,” he said. “The archetypal energy of all these great people is part of our collective soul. We need to get in touch with our collective soul.”