We are all human. Be it short, tall, white, black, poor, rich, angry or sad, we all have bodies, minds and hearts. We all feel. We are all capable of love, hate, envy, joy, sadness and compassion. As you see, we share many remarkable common bonds. Another astounding bond is this big beautiful planet we all live on. It is home to all of us. We use its water, farm its land, climb its mountains and walk its woods. When the tsunami of December 26th smashed into our lives, and the images of huge ocean waves sweeping away villages and people entered our living rooms, our egos quickly fled and we realized how frightfully frail and precious life is. Many of us opened our wallets and hearts, trying our best to help people thousands of miles away. These fellow humans had a different culture, skin colour and religious belief. We never met these fellow humans and probably never will. Yet as the news of the tsunami invaded our comfortable living rooms our differences didnt matter. The heart pounding images of Mother Nature wiping out entire villages with horrific ease made us drop our petty problems. At that moment we shared the realization that sometimes life just isnt fair. Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes life is brutal. At that moment our hearts were enveloped in horror, sadness and finally compassion. Resolution #1 Give something back. What is the purpose of life? To give something back. If no one gave back, what kind of world would we live in? We humans have evolved over millions of years. And as the supreme animal on earth we have sprouted something fantastic, which we now refer to as our conscience. Our conscience separates us from the rest of the animal species. We do not live on instinct alone. We understand the difference between right and wrong. We have spent thousands of years philosophizing about right and wrong, whether it be in religious or non-religious circles. But conscience is a double-edged sword. Our conscience holds the seeds that flower into beliefs and ego. Beliefs and ego can become twisted, corrupt, and self-serving. Beliefs and ego allow brutal dictatorships to flourish where civilians are subject to poverty, torture and, finally, death. Wars continue to rage on, with technology instantly bringing us the latest body count, political dancing and endless philosophical debate. Life is unfair to many on this planet. But hope is in the fact that we do have a conscience. And that conscience can be the catalyst to life affirming beliefs creating remarkable acts of thoughtfulness and compassion. Resolution #2 Let compassion become part of your daily ritual. Whether it is for the world, the nation, the city, the community, the self or your neighbours pet dog. We are plugged in, tuned out, surfing, Blackberrying, beeping and booping. We are becoming like the Borg of Star Trek fame, marching blindly along on the never-ending road of technology consumption. We are subject to advertising assimilation, a constant bombardment of ads -- and the ads are now becoming frighteningly sophisticated, as they are a developed for us by our very own keystrokes. We install anti-spyware on our computers, in our own homes, to combat the constant battering of technology and advertising assaulting us everyday. Corporations will be unrelenting in the future as their IT machines mass produce tools of consumerism trying to snare us all in a web of technology purchasing. Technology is definitely a double-edged sword. Resolution #3 Get out and look up at the beauty of the ever changing and expansive sky once in awhile. There is a whole world of natural wonders waiting for you out there. Communing with nature will help you realize that were all in the same boat or, on the same planet, as it were. Looking at Earth from space, you cant see borders, you cant see skin colour, you cant see religion, and you cant see wealth or education. In the words of John Lennon You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one Please consider this article for your website, blog or ezine. Permission to reprint if by-line stays intact and links are activated on the Internet. |
