Our evaluation of others always needs to balanced with an equal measure of evaluation towards ourselves. None of us are merely cogs in a machine, with our lives being made miserable solely by the actions of others. We are not merely acted upon. We are also actors ourselves, affecting others with our own behaviors. Our responses are never merely a mechanistic backlash, for which we have no responsibility, but are the result of how we interpret events, and the meanings we assign to things that happen.

If the world seems chaotic, it is always necessary and helpful to address the portion of that chaos that relates to what is going on inside of ourselves. That is not to say that the rest doesn’t matter, but that we are not in a position to address the storm that rages outside of us until we’ve understood and accounted for the one that rages inside of us. Doing so does not guarantee that the world won't ultimately fall apart, but it does guarantee that, if it does, I will not forget who I am in the midst of it. It is more likely, though, that the world will not ultimately fall apart, and that part of the reason it won't is that I, along with others, have gotten ahold of my own reactions, and struggle to find a way to reason peacefully about the disputes that remain.

If I don't come to grips with my own internal reality, and take responsibility for my own reactions, I will not be in a position to experience peace, even if the external disputes become resolved. I will still be the victim of my internal storm. In a world that is out of control, self-knowledge and self-control are not merely a quaint, Victorian prescription. They are indispensable conditions for a better possible tomorrow--for all of us.