When we look at the world around us, with its many serious problems, including poverty, injustice, war, overpopulation, and environmental degradation, it’s all too easy to become either angry and frustrated on the one hand or passive and despondent on the other. But not only are these responses ineffective at bringing about change, they are also part of the problem to begin with.

In order to bring about positive change in the world we need to engage with the outer world, but it is also crucial to activate  our inner world. If we want to see greater awareness in the world, we have to start with ourselves and cultivate awareness. If we want to see greater harmony and less strife we need to learn to become more adept at handling our emotions and respond to frustrations with more patience and kindness than we do when we just react.

Meditation can help us with that  — a notion that Mahatma Gandhi would have agreed with. Meditation helps us recognize destructive emotional patterns and  develop a new mental freedom so that we can choose more helpful responses. The cultivation of mindfulness leads us to recognize  the former and the cultivation of lovingkindness helps us discover alternative,  more compassionate responses.

It’s not easy, but meditation helps us become the change we wish to see in the world.