The subtler one's awareness, the more powerfully it can heal.
Let us not demand of ourselves that we alone must be the agent of change. In a fire brigade everyone passes along a bucket, but only the last person puts out the fire. None of us know where we stand in line. We may be here simply to pass a bucket; we may be called on to play a major role. In either case, all we can do is think, act, and say. Let us direct our thoughts, words, and actions to peace. That is all we can do. Let the results be what they will be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We all play a part in creating change, and it’s important to focus on our thoughts and actions rather than seeking to control the outcome.
Deepak Chopra emphasizes that change is a collective effort and that each individual has a role to play, regardless of how small it may seem. He uses the metaphor of a fire brigade where everyone contributes to extinguishing the fire by passing buckets, illustrating that our efforts, no matter the magnitude, are vital for peace and transformation. Ultimately, he encourages focusing on our thoughts and actions, accepting that the results are beyond our control.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, you could cite this quote to inspire people to contribute to change.
More from Deepak Chopra
All quotes →To promote the healing response, you must get past all the grosser levels of the body - cells, tissues, organs and systems -- and arrive at a junction point between mind and matter, the point where consciousness actually starts to have an effect.
It is only because you take your mind to be yourself, and make it dwell on what you are not, that you lose your sense of well-being.
The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself.
According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don't bother you anymore. You become light hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.
I will practice acceptance. Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur. I will know that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it should be. I will not struggle against the whole universe by struggling against this moment. My acceptance is total and complete. I accept things as they are this moment, not as I wish they were.
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The natural cure for an ill-administration, in a popular or representative constitution, is a change of men.