Photo by Lianelys Cabrera
Diary Entry #1:
I have to admit that I express myself better through visual creations, hence the embroidery piece that goes with this mini-essay. Still, given the topic of this month, I’d like to take the time to dive deeper into the concept of harmony and its synonyms. Here’s a collection of unfinished ideas, and I hope that some of them make sense:
How can we achieve harmony? In society, in our relationships, and even within our own selves?
Within: Above all things, we need to find harmony within ourselves, which I constantly struggle with. Recently, I noticed that we have a weird habit of acting based on the outcomes of our actions. Frequently, we do things thinking about the possible mental, emotional, or physical retribution and usually end up disappointed. Freeing yourself from expectations, whether good or bad, and practicing awareness can be a way to be in harmony with your inner self.
Interpersonally: When thinking about interpersonal harmony, often people answer with the typical “we need to be more empathetic,” but in a society where the level of empathy varies drastically, we need to take it a step further. In that sense, it would be beneficial to teach ourselves to value other’s experiences critically and intuitively. Why is it that only when you imagine yourself experiencing other’s suffering do you understand their perspective? Why does it take us so much effort to help and understand others? I encourage you to practice empathy until it becomes an instinct or a reflex rather than a consequential response. Maybe then, the harmony will transpire effortlessly.
Society: Now, when talking about our society, things change a bit. Do you ever feel like we are too individualistic? We are hyper-focused on our own lives and often forget about what is happening outside our bubble. This immediately makes me think of that much-needed unity. The word unity makes me think of multitudes coming together in harmony. That is where virtue lies; understanding that we are all very complex beings, and our experiences differentiate depending on our identity. As you might have noticed, life is not as monochromatic as many wanted you to think. There are a plethora of colors, textures, and shapes in this life. At the end of the day, who and what determines what is different or what is normal? So, maybe we should embrace and admire our differences to live harmoniously.
To achieve that harmony in multitudes.
Kindergarten 