Wednesday, October 17, 2007
social resonsibility
Hello friends,
You should all check out "Touching the Void", it is a book by Joe Simpson, and it was also
made in to a movie. They are both fantastic, an absolutely incredible survival story. It is
amazing what we are capable of when put in to a life and death situation.
Also, I have to mention my favorite book in the whole world "The Giving Tree", by Shel
Silverstein... I know we've all read it, but every time you go back and read it, it has a new
meaning in our current lives.
Everyone knows someone, or many
people who are angry at what is happening in our world. They choose to focus on the
negatives and add to the negative energy that is already there, by providing how much
they dislike that very thing. It's just like what Mother Theresa said about not going to
anti-war rallies... Instead, she said she to give her a pro-peace rally, and she would be
there. We already know that there are situations and people in this world that are
causing pain and destruction in many forms, we can mostly all attest and agree that
things like abuse, waste, pollution, war, social injustices, racism, sexism, and so on and
so forth do not contribute to the well being of eachother or our planet. However, to emit
negative energy about these issues is contributing to their power, and taking away from
our own.
I wonder how exactly we access the piece of our minds that acknowledges these
hardships and struggles, and not let it take us down. How do we go direclty in to survival
and proactive mode? It seems with many issues, that there is no hope, that we have
gone too far, and to give all of our efforts to such a thing is pointless. I wonder if we can
turn around what has become of industry and excess. We have so many commodities
and so much convenience and overproduction of just about everything here in the states,
that it is hard to imagine all the big box companies going out of business, all of the fast
food joints handing over the keys to local farms and nutritional/recyclable food and
products.... there I go on a rampage. The point being that how can it be flipped? It's too
big, so to complain about it, and "grieve" as the author said in Mountain Music, seems
fair.
I think that Social Responsibility maybe leads to the idea that we have a responsibility to
whatever we can personally aid, or however we can effect change, sans matter of size.
If we break down all the "big" issues, such as industrial production, and political
disasters, there are smaller catagories underneath. It's a breakdown and root system
that can be more easily accessed if we just take a hold at the bottom and chew on what
we can digest. It's like building untangling fishing wire, if you start at the end and follow
it up slowly, taking care of each little pain of a knot, eventually, you'll get closer to the
big knot... plus maybe by then, someone will come along and give you a hand.
This story really ties in to "the secret", I watched it again yesterday late at night, and I
realize I have to continue to remind myself to switch my thoughts from hopeless to
hopeful. It only takes a moment, but once I do, it's as if everything around me is more
supportive and you even start to see hope in things that have nothing to do with what
you've been worrying about. Like two beautiful rainbows downtown today after the rain,
wasn't it beautiful!!!!?
For those who read so far, thanks for letting me wander as I often do, and thanks for
listening!
tunnel vision
What does this kind of tunnel vision say about our society? Are we too pre-occupied to
open up and look around us to see where and how we can help? Yes, it's interesting isn't
it. I was driving home from work this weekend, and after turning off the stereo (it had
just started raining, and I wanted to listen to it)... I realized as I drove by all the people
walking on the streets late at night, that each one of those people was someone that I
missed interating with, because we were in different zones. I was doing focused on my
driving and ultimately getting home to bed. But they were walking through the beautiful
rain and talking to eachother. It is the same with cell phones and internet, it has cut off
a lot of alternate and old fashioned modes of communication. We do not talk to
eachother anymore, is there any way to avoid this? It's strange that just less than a
century ago it wasn't like that at all. All of this new tehnology and lifestyles of
accessibilty have come to be in the last few generations.
I wanted to mention a book that really ties in to all of this and the question that Heather
gave us. The book is called "Awareness" by Anthony De Mello. Also, I wanted to
mention the movie or the book, "The Secret". The more positive energy we put out
there, the more it moves around and affects others. I think there is a lot to be said for
positive and negative, doers and don'ters, and pesamists and optimists. You can choose
whether to smile at strangers, or make small efforts, and contribute to the better good,
even if it is in very small doses. I think that we are shaped and molded to be scared,
nervous, suspicious, and blinded in the ways that we grow up, but if we take the surface
off of our first impressions of the rest of the world, we can relate to everthing a lot
easier.
For myself, I wonder if I am doing these small acts of kindness for the right/wrong
reason. When I really think about it, I am helping others, whether it be just a common
courtesy, being polite in conversation, or helping them outside with their groceries, no
matter what size it is, I am ultimately doing it to feel better about myself. Is that selfish?
Anthony De Mello talks about just this in his book, it's really incredible. I'm going to have
to read it again. I think that's about it for now, what I'm really trying to get at is that we
just have to decide and make a choice to step outside the mold, even if it goes against
our upbringing or our standard or norm, we choose to pay it forward, there it is. One by
one, I think that it could have a domino effect, and eventually we all will be looking out
for eachother....
"The things that you are aware of, you are in control of... The things that you are not
aware of, control you". ~Anthongy De Mello
Thanks for Listening.
Virginia
