Consider how social movements start and take hold. It has something to do with critical mass. When enough people believe and act on certain beliefs, social change can happen. I take comfort that there are many people who want to live in a reasonable society as much as I do. I think we can all agree that the current state of Western society doesn’t work so well for a large number of people. A classic SNAFU.

Often we believe there is little we can do as individuals to affect the world around us. Ultimately change comes down to starting with “the man in the mirror” as the late singer Michael Jackson put it. Once we get that, we can begin to look inward to find out what doesn’t work in our own lives. Then we can decide if we want to undertake the difficult process of change. Many don’t.

I have experienced how positive change in ourselves can positively affect others. I was profoundly tone-deaf to this when I was younger. My belief system was badly off-kilter in the wake of a trauma-filled upbringing. I had a lot of learning and unlearning to do. Today, I believe there is little I can do about other people’s mental health, I choose to not make their suffering worse. As a choice, I am as kind and respectful as possible to everyone I encounter. I try to be one of those “make somebody else’s day” people. And while I am not able to cure emotionally unbalanced people, I no longer have to be one.

For a long time, I chose crazy. Drinking to excess. Believing I was going to die young. (It excused a host of deplorable behaviors.) Putting up with other people’s deplorable behaviors. Not setting healthy boundaries with others and treating myself with disrespect. Staying too long where I wasn’t wanted. Self-pity is an unprofitable indulgence. In a society suffering so much sickness and fragmentation, what keeps me optimistic are the pockets of sanity and sanctuary I encounter.

As I comb through the internet in my writing journey, I find countless beacons of hope. Great blog posts on healing and building community. There is a plethora of spiritual guidance and insight available out there that isn’t the slightest bit preachy. Just thought-provoking. And loving. I see this in my 3X Weekly Online Writer’s Group. The members of our group all have similar values and concerns about the world. Each time we meet, we reinforce those values and each other. That’s the very definition of community.

The pursuit of a saner life seems to be fomenting a counterbalance to the current widespread craziness. It is big work. The Dalai Lama was recently asked how the current epidemic of widespread anxiety and depression could be healed. He advised that people be less self-centered and to help each other. Seriously. That sounds like solid, old-school advice from a wise old monk who’s seen some living. (EDNOTE: I’m aware of the current controversy surrounding the Dalai Lama. I choose to ignore it as it is not germane to my point or his record.)

One day, there may be enough people looking away from their devices and poll numbers long enough to focus on the collective goal of creating a healthier and more inclusive society. We can hope for a critical mass of people moving deliberately in that direction that will tip us over into actually making a better world so. That is wildly optimistic, I realize. But something’s got to give. What is, ain’t working.