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When I look at the current state of affairs of our world, it seems almost impossible to change. How can I, one person, even start to make a change? Which crisis would I tackle first? Poverty and hunger? The growing gaps between health and disease or between illiteracy and education? Maybe climate change or the shortages of food and water?
These are just some of the growing list of crises that currently affect our world. Each on its own could completely change the fate of our world and yet they are all happening at all once. Right now!!
So how can each and every one of us start to make a difference? The answer is really quite simple, almost too simple for people to believe.
The only way to change the world is to consciously choose how we show up in the world. Each and every choice we make at every moment of our lives has the power to affect the world around us. As we make these choices we are deciding the fate of those around us and consequently the world around us at the same time.
For example, do we let the car next to us switch lanes at the last moment or do we speed up because he is dumb for waiting for the last minute? Do we respond with kindness to the clerk at the grocery store who maybe wasn’t so kind because she is having a bad day? Do we pick up a piece of garbage we see while out walking our dog or do we just keep walking because it isn’t “our” mess to clean up?
Just a few examples of how each choice we make will have a ripple effect on the world around us. Perhaps a smile and a “have a nice day” is what that store clerk needed to see and hear to turn her day around. Maybe picking up after others is just what our community needs to see that people do care and inspire it to come together as one.
There are four major areas of choice that I want to discuss that can have a huge impact on the world around us. The choices we make in each area can truly affect the whole world, in fact they already are having a profound impact on the world. The only thing is that right now it is not the kind of impact that benefits the world or is sustainable by any means.
The first area is Media. We are inundated with messages all day long. We are exposed to thousands of ads and other programming everywhere we go. Some of this, like billboards, we have no choice as to whether we are exposed to it or not. For much of it though we do have a choice. We have a choice in the music we listen to, the movies and shows that we watch, the books that we read and so on.
Many people would say that it is all nothing more than “just entertainment” and that there is nothing more to it than that. I would disagree. What we put into our minds turns into the building blocks of our reality. We create our own realities. If we are putting garbage into our minds then it is no surprise that we have the current reality we have.
However, if we choose to turn off the news, “reality” t.v and such, and instead fill our minds with programs that spread a message of unity, peace, love, and cooperation then the output of our minds, and thus our reality will be much different.
Next, I want to talk about Food. Food is where things can get truly revolutionary. When we start to buy and eat local foods we make a huge impact on the world. We are not only supporting local businesses but we are also decreasing the amount of fuel and other things that are used to ship food around the world.
The majority of local growers are small, family-owned farms and are not huge corporations. They also tend to lean towards growing organic foods too. When we buy organic instead of GMO’s we are hurting the big corporations where it matters. Their pocketbooks. We are sending a message that we want clean, healthy and sustainable food choices. There are lots of restaurants and cafes that only serve local foods and they are a good place to start in supporting local people instead of giant corporations.
Growing our own food can be the most revolutionary thing any of us ever do. Imagine how different the world would look if instead of lawns we all had a garden. We could exchange food with our neighbors, grow the community and also have enough left over to share with those who do not have enough. What a world it would be.
The third area is business. This touches on what I just mentioned about hitting corporations where it matters. Their pocketbooks. This is when they start to take notice and make changes.
I do not personally believe in government or voting for a political party or candidate. I do believe in voting with my dollar though. In my opinion, this is the only kind of voting that makes any difference.
This is why I buy organic even though it is more expensive than the other stuff. This is why I do not go to Starbucks or McDonald’s. I do the best I can to only spend $$ in support of businesses who care about the world that we share. Of course, there are some things that I currently cannot avoid. Such as, buying gas for my car that runs on gas. That is why I said I do my best. Every single dollar counts though. Every dollar that goes to organic food is one less dollar that goes to huge corporations like Monsanto.
Every dollar that goes to local, small businesses is an extra dollar that goes towards a child’s tuition or for them to play sports. When we support these kinds of businesses we are not just making a difference in their bottom line, we are making a difference to the families of the people in our own communities.
The last area I wanted to mention is conscious living. What I mean by “conscious living” is just being aware of what we are doing and the consequences of our actions.
Like I said above, there are some things that I currently cannot avoid like buying gas for my car. I can, however, ride my bike to soccer practice. I coach a women’s soccer team and the girl that runs it with me lives two minutes away from me. Instead of taking two cars we carpool to 95% of the games and practices. I carpool to some of my own games with a guy on my team too. These are the kinds of choices we can make every single day to make a difference in our world.
At this stage in my life, I have begun volunteering for a wide variety of causes. The biggest cause I volunteer for is Personal Development. I also work in the field too. When I volunteer there it is because I believe that the more people that are aware and conscious of their choices, the better off the world will be. I have also been a part of giving back to my community in a few different ways as well.
In short, each and every one can make a difference in the world today. In fact, we each have been making a difference in the world for a long time now. The only question I have left for you is, is it the difference that you want to be making? Are you leaving the world a better place than it was before you got here? Never forget that at any point in time you can change what you are doing and make a new choice.
If you loved what you read here please share this with your friends and family. It is only together that we can move forward. Thank you.
“It’s in the way we choose to live our lives each day that the essence of our choices-the theme of cooperation or competition, the power of love or fear-is imbued into the field that connects all things. It’s these choices as well that ultimately show up in the way we deal with the crises in our world.” – Gregg Braden – Taken from his book “Deep Truth” – Would definitely recommend reading it to learn more about how we can change the world.
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