Be A Part of a Better Future
Category Archives: Kindness
You Make a Difference
The Dalai Lama said, “Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much…whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, and good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities. We must share in other peoples’ suffering; even if you cannot help with money, to show concern, to give moral support and express sympathy are themselves valuable. This is what should be the basis of activities; whether one calls it religion or not does not matter.”
Sometimes we think our actions do not make a difference. They do. You have an impact on the world. To that end, please join me and see how many of the behaviors below you can incorporate into your life.
1. Have Meatless Mondays.
2. Plant a tree in someone’s honor or give a tree as a gift.
3. Turn off your laptop or iPad when you are not using it.
4. Set your thermostat one degree warmer in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter.
5. Ride your bike to work or school.
6. Recycle your garbage.
7. Use a re-usable water bottle.
8. Install a water filter instead of buying plastic water bottles.
9. Put solar panels on your roof.
10. Plant a vegetable garden.
11. Buy organic food.
12. Do not idle your car when it is parked.
13. Bring your own re-usable bags to the grocery store instead of taking plastic ones.
14. Use public transport.
15. Walk to work.
16. Take shorter showers.
17. Turn off un-used lights.
18. Keep your lawn pesticide free.
Kindness –an amazing story
I just read a wonderful story about a 7-year-old girl in Istanbul, Turkey who recently saved a disfigured, very sick kitten. The story really touched me because this little girl dared to help when everyone else turned a blind eye to the suffering animal. Every day people would walk by the starving, crying, mite-infested kitten that had lost an ear and most of her teeth. They refused to look at the cat because, quite frankly, she was ugly and sick. Luckily, the little girl did not turn away. Instead, she took the kitten to her father. In turn they went to the animal hospital and ended up saving a life. The cat went through many surgeries but is now healthy and happy. She is named Gülümser, meaning “she who always smiles”.
This little girl reminds us all to open our hearts and act from a bigger place. How often do we turn blind eyes to suffering and pain? How often do we try to shelter ourselves from what is unpleasant or ugly? Have you ever noticed how great it feels to do something nice for someone or an animal? Have you ever noticed that feeling goes deeper and lasts even longer than buying a new suit or eating more ice cream?
I am always amazed by genuine kindness and care. Some say kindness, care, and love are truly the only answers. This little girl opened her heart and looked beyond the ugliness. She saw beauty when others could not. Can you see beauty where there seems to be none? Can you be the person who makes a difference? Join me.
Valentine’s Day
February 14th will soon be here and with it, lots of chocolate. A few people will go to the movies, out to dinner, or for a walk in the park. Others may stay home and enjoy a quiet day.
As someone said to me, Valentine’s Day is a great time to cultivate our hearts and be grateful for the love we have in our lives. Pets are a great source of love. They effortlessly add smiles to our faces and warmth to our hearts. I started to wonder, what if we had a holiday called Animal Day? We could take some time to play with our cats and dogs, and celebrate the entire animal kingdom.
Climate change is affecting animals. Experts predict that one-fourth of the Earth’s species will be extinct by 2050 if we do not reduce global warming. We already lost the golden toad in 1999. And we could lose polar bears in the next 100 years because of melting ice in the Arctic. Polar bears use the ice to hunt. If there is no ice they are forced to go on land and find other food sources. But the question remains if polar bears can do so and find the right food alternatives.
For those of you who are penguin fans, the Adelie penguin is at risk because of declining krill stocks. Krill live under ice sheets in the Antarctic. Penguins eat krill. As the ice retreats and krill populations fall penguins have to spend a lot of energy to find food. This makes it harder for them to raise their young and breed.
There are so many amazing creatures on this planet. They are worth fighting for. I love giraffes, seals, zebras, dolphins, elephants, cougars and orangutans. What do you love? Slowing the rate of climate change is crucial for many animals. It can mean their survival or death. Without animals we are impoverished. We have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference by reducing our carbon footprints, using alternative energy, reducing pollution, and ditching fossil fuels. Our actions affect others –especially animals.