Where does our influence on the world begin?

When we throw a pebble into water, ripples form. One touches another, and together they become a single movement. Throw in another pebble and new ripples appear. They cross, influence one another and form a new whole.

I sometimes wonder why we do not see that people work the same way. Every movement we make affects those around us. But that movement does not begin when we speak or act. It begins earlier, with what drives us from within.

That is why two people can respond very differently to the same situation. The situation is the same, but each is moved by something different. This colours how we see, listen and feel, and ultimately how we respond.

Yet we often focus on the other person: what they say, do or should have done. Less often do we pause with what moves us from within and how that affects the people around us.

Awareness begins when we see that we do not exist in isolation. Our influence begins with what drives us from within. From there come our words, our choices and the way we meet another person.