Stress is caused when you think that a situation should ultimately be changed yet in the short-term you are powerless to change it.

An activity is a hassle when you think it ultimately doesn't need to be done yet in the short-term seems necessary.

Changes in perception can alter your feelings of stress/hassle. If you realize something is ultimately necessary and doesn't need changing, then the stress can evaporate. Or you may see that the situation or activity wasn't what you thought it was, so there's nothing to be stressed about. Or perhaps you find a way around the situation or activity.

The world is immersed in cruelty and greediness. Many wish for a supernatural hero to right those wrongs -- but calls for help go unanswered. We, the average citizens of the world, are helpless as we witness the injustice.

But are we so benign? In our daily lives do we perform small acts of cruelty? Do we sometimes let hate build up in our hearts? Do we occasionally take more than we deserve?

Perhaps these small acts of discord combine with the discord of those around us like drops in a bucket -- forming a large pool of greed and cruelty. Maybe the world is a reflection of ourselves. If that's the case, then we have the world we deserve -- the one we created.

But if our little acts are enough to cause major injustices, can't they also bring about the opposite? If we hold back on our cruelty and instead comfort others, if we take only what we need, if we shine a light on the dark crevices in our own lives, can't those actions ripple through to the larger world?