Do you have an urge to give up? This thought has been with me for the last couple of weeks. While decluttering my office of twenty-plus years, I came across some unfamiliar pamphlets. I have no idea when, where, or why I acquired them, but I can tell you they are definitely old. For only $1.00, you could order 100 trifolds to pass out to your friends. All transactions were to be done by mail as no email address, website, or telephone number was listed.

Decidedly Christian, the writing implores us to turn to a higher power to bring peace to the world. We could apparently do this through prayer, invocation, and creative thinking. The missive supports the United Nations, saying we can be “delegates through thought for international cooperation.” Just think. If humans all over the world would only spend time meditating on peace and harmony, we could send constructive help daily to the great Assembly of the United Nations. (Who knew?)

The missive was produced by a company called MGNA in Greenwich, Connecticut. When I checked the internet, there was no trace of this organization.

GIVE UP- HOW LONG TO FIGHT?

What blew my mind was that one of the pamphlets began with: “In these days, when the press and radio keep us constantly informed of world events, and television brings us graphically face to face with every crucial situation, we are all taking part to some degree in the affairs of the world.”

Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr was right. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. (The more things change, the more they stay the same.) While I am generally a fan of the power of positive thinking, I no longer believe that the world will ever be at peace or that I can somehow make it happen.

During my lifetime, I’ve lived through the antiwar protests of the sixties and seventies and worked in the trenches of the Civil Rights movement. Today, I feel as if we are back to square one. And frankly, it depresses me. I tried and, while I helped bring about change that benefited many, those changes were not permanent.

GIVE UP- THE MENTAL RELIEF

It’s a relief not to have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I can listen to the news and work to discern what I can control and what I can’t. If I’ve done everything to change what I can control, then I can sleep at night.

GIVE UP- THE ALTERNATIVE

The reality is that the only thing I can control is myself—how I react to the events swirling around me and whether I live according to my values.

I can:

• Support those whose worldview corresponds with mine—emotionally and financially.
• Be compassionate to those with whom I disagree.
• Vote my conscience.
• Speak up when I feel my elected representatives are headed in the wrong direction.
• Temper my expectations.
• Focus on making the day the best it can be.
• Immerse myself in the positives of friends and family.
• Be kind to myself.

GIVE UP- LAST THOUGHTS

Those pamphlets give me no joy, only a reminder about how naïve I was in the past, thinking that I could change the world or that we humans would give peace a chance. They are bad memories and deserve a spot in the recycling bin, headed for a new life. Meanwhile, I will renew my commitment to following the Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”

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