As we stand at the threshold of a New Year, the air is usually filled with resolutions about personal improvement—diets, fitness, or career goals.
But as we reflect on the challenges of the past 12 months—challenges felt nationally, within our local communities, and in our private lives—a more profound question emerges: how can we leave a lasting and positive mark upon our world?
In the last year, many of us have faced rejection, frustration, and opposition.
We have seen that people do not always act as we desire, and life rarely follows the scripts we write for it.
When we are met with negativity or even harm, our instinctual “default setting” is to react in kind.
However, there is an idea that could truly change the world, and it begins with a simple but costly promise: “It stops with me”.
Beyond the Golden Rule
Most of us are familiar with the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would like them to do to you.”
Hugh Mackay, in his book The Good Life, suggests that this is a foundation for a functional society.
But there is a step beyond even this.
It is the decision to act out of who you are—or who you aspire to be—rather than allowing circumstances or the behaviour of others to dictate your response.
When someone is unkind, the world expects us to be unkind back.
When we are met with aggression, the “equation” of human interaction suggests we should multiply that aggression.
But the person who decides that their words and actions will be determined by their own character, rather than the character of their opponent, breaks that cycle.
The Cost of Discipline
This approach is undeniably costly.
It takes immense self-discipline to resist the urge to react.
At times, it may even feel unfair—why should we remain composed when others are not?
Yet, this is the only path that offers the possibility of a truly positive outcome.
It is the promise not to continue the cycle of suffering and violence.
By refusing to pass on the negativity we receive, we become a “circuit breaker” for the pain in our communities.
A Necessary Qualification
Choosing not to react is not the same as being a doormat.
It is important to qualify this: choosing character over reaction does not mean leaving ourselves in harm’s way.
Self-protection and self-care are vital duties.
Maintaining our own health and wellbeing is what preserves our ability to act positively in the world.
True “pay it forward” thinking requires us to be healthy enough to give.
A New Year’s Vision
This year, instead of a resolution that focuses only on the “self,” perhaps we can adopt a resolution that focuses on the “mark” we leave behind.
If we can commit to being the point where a cycle of grievance ends, we do more than just improve our own lives.
We create a pocket of peace.
We prove that we are more than just a reaction to our circumstances; we are individuals of character.
That is an idea that doesn’t just change a year—it could change the world.
Enquiries regarding the Interfaith Network, City of Greater Dandenong: administration@interfaithnetwork.org.au or 8774 7662.
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