In my 20s and 30s, I would write letters to myself to offer hope in my darkest days. I would promise to open them a few months later and contemplate my growth since then. In 2006, just after a bitter breakup, I wrote a love letter to my future partner. Reading it now made me realize what I wanted in a significant other I actually needed to cultivate within myself. You can be the author of your own love story of yourself.

The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) sits deep in the heart of Virginia. Its motto is “One Truth, many paths.” How often do we bicker on the periphery without recognizing what’s deep in the heart of the argument? Saying that we are “saved,” “woke,” or “chosen” sets up more division and exclusivity. Rather than having a clenched fist, we should extend our open hand.

In a world that seems to be broken, it’s easy to fall back in despair. Instead, we can remain steadfast in our faith and hope. We look deep in our community and ask, “What small act can I do to keep hope alive?” These small acts of hope can build upon one another. Small acts of hope around the world can illuminate the world.

If you read about some of the great spiritual role models in history, you’ll know that there was something that drove their actions. Oftentimes their role was to shake up the status quo when people became complacent. As so many people turn away from religious practice, I can’t help but wonder who will emerge as our spiritual role models? Who will lead the people through spirit, rather than desire for power?

All living beings experience suffering. How we react to suffering is our choice. We can resist our suffering, which can bring on more suffering, or we can investigate it as birthing a new way of being. Many great leaders have emerged because their suffering brought them great purpose. In the case of this pandemic, will we return to our old lives and routines, or will we find a new way of living and being?

In a culture that thrives on accumulating material possessions, we attribute power to those who have “the most.” We create false idols out of people who have great power, wealth, and fame. But the great religious traditions say that material possessions inhibit our ability to connect with the divine. The difference between a religion and a cult is the religious leader sacrifices himself for the sake of others.

It’s easy to get caught up in our drama. Can we step outside of it a few moments each day and reflect? We revisit ways in which we might have spoken untruth or acted carelessly, and we aim to do better next time. We also revisit moments where our thoughts, words, and actions have brought divine joy. By practicing this “Examen,” we recalibrate ourselves and remember our True North.

We mistake boasting for confidence. We attribute material success to our own doing, and oftentimes we forget how our privilege might have gotten us there. If our ego gets out of hand, God leaves us to our vices, which eventually leads to ruin. Therefore, when we boast, we should recognize that all things are fleeting. Even if we are in a high place, we should respect those in low places, because God loves them equally.

When we don’t investigate what we believe, we might be led down a path of untruth that might seem honest and noble. Lance Armstrong felt compelled to maintain his untruth because the ends justified the means. But does that mean it’s ok to be dishonest? What about the people who believed the lies? How do we know the truth if we don’t invest in knowing it? Or are we more attached to proving others wrong than accept the possibility that we might not be right? Sorry I rambled a bit.

Political leaders and legal professionals like to employ many words, but they do little to effect change. Three words that Jacob Blake’s mother said are the most necessary: “Search your hearts.” Julia Jackson’s words transcends her frustration and pain to appeal to something deeper within all of us—our hearts. This is the message we all need—to ask ourselves if we want to continue hurting ourselves and others, or if we want to heal.