Which state will you choose to live in?

In the past week, I’ve observed various behaviours in the world at large:

The support and rallying round of an army of awesome people to help the tragically stricken city of Houston.

A man taking a homeless stranger by the hand to the supermarket to buy him a meal in Brighton.

A group of friends, both new and old, bouncing around a dance floor with nothing on their minds except loving spending time together.

The outpouring of emotion when someone in pain discards the belief that they are the problem and for the first time in years sees a bright light in the dark sky of their mind.

I’ve also observed:

People attacking each other needlessly and pointlessly on Facebook.

Impatient drivers honking their horns when waiting for more than a second to pull off as the lights change.

The annoyance of passengers on a plane delayed for genuine safety reasons.

The vitriol of politicians more focussed on scoring points than taking meaningful action to help others.

We don’t control the weather, the traffic, the way our boss acts, the media or anything else that exists outside of our own mind.

We do control our emotions, thoughts and actions. Therefore we all have a choice as to which state to live in. Bliss or pain. Often we choose the easy path and submit to emotions that come all too easily. Anger, greed, fear, entitlement, impatience...

But if we can take a beat and breath, let some space come between us and our emotions then we can choose a different path and exist in a different state. A state that seeks to foster happiness, cohesion, gratitude, compassion, love and joy.

Once we do that and take control of our state, our behaviour, actions and outcomes will inevitably change for the better.

So which state will you choose, heaven or hell?