Opinion
OPINION: The ripple effect
Duane Gines | Guest Writer
I will start by quoting Peace Pilgrim: “Every good thing we think, say, and do has a positive effect whether we see the results or not and ripples on and on forever.” Every interaction, even a “tremendous trifle,” can uplift or diminish others.
Building on this idea, an attitude of gratitude determines the altitude of our living, regardless of our longitude or latitude. Let’s consider how gratitude enhances the ripple effect that we have on others.
My daughter challenged me to set a goal to practice Lent this year. Lent is a Catholic tradition that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. Usually, during Lent, people give up something they like that isn’t particularly beneficial to themselves or others. However, it can also mean committing to improve in some area. For my goal, I chose to increase gratitude. Each day, I go over my “gratitude list” and recall in detail people who have blessed my life. I try to visualize the specific events where this happened. If those people are still alive, I try to contact them and thank them for their positive influence on my life.
I want them to know about the positive ripple effect they had on me, even though they may have forgotten it long ago. It has always led to some great catch-up visits, so I do recommend it. Letting people know that they are appreciated and why they are appreciated is a very worthwhile endeavor. Abraham Heschel reminds us (I paraphrase) that people of our day are losing the power of celebration. Instead, they seek amusement or entertainment from a spectacle, but celebration is a positive state of mind that expresses reverence and appreciation. Celebration is a confrontation that gives attention to the transcendent meaning of one’s actions. I would call it the ripple effect.
For years, I have been giving away handmade bracelets “just for the hill of it” to people I meet. Most of the gifting was done on the Timp Cave trail, where I have made many friends. Whenever I give a bracelet, I tell recipients that it symbolizes how we are all strands in the fabric of life and that each of us is important. I remind people that by working together, we can solve the problems of poverty, violence, and pollution that plague our planet. Over time, I have seen many ripple effects from the bracelets and the brief messages shared on the trail. Many of these fellow hikers, in turn, share their own inspirational messages with me, which I always appreciate and try to pass along.
I suspect that most of us who have found joy on the journey and have made an effort to pass it along to others throughout our days have had a significant ripple effect. My hope is that all of us can find ways to create positive ripples in our beloveds, our families, our friends and others we meet. I regularly remind people that they are MAGNIFICENT, and that is actually an understatement. Not everyone is easily convinced, but I assure them that it is true.
On that note, to increase our gratitude, Einstein suggested, “A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends upon the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself to give in the measure that I have received, and am still receiving.”
Let us commit to daily gratitude and intentionally create positive ripples in the lives of everyone we encounter.
