Be The Change

Mahatma Ghandi, ye wise philosopher full of peace, once said "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Okay, so this works if you see that the world needs change, but there are many people who think everything is just hunky-doorey. Well guess what folks, it's not! Again, let me remind you... melting ice caps, polar bear extinction, warming planet.

So here's a little suggestion. Try it for a day. Heck, be daring. Try it for two days. Shift your perspective. In each of your daily routines slow down and think about the consequences of your actions. Stop and think about the life cycle of that next throw away item you're saving for, about your actions as you carelessly toss that wrapper into the wind, as you walk by a person in need. We create the world we live in, through our actions and our perspectives. By slowing down just a bit, putting ourselves in another's place, and even going so far to consider what our world might look like through the eyes of future generations, we have the ability to shift our actions and our perspectives.

And, as I write this my mind drifts to the acceptance speech that Sean Penn so eloquently spoke of at the Academy Awards. While it may not be directly related to our earth it is related to the shifting of perspectives. There is a vast need to open our minds and our hearts. We must shift our perspectives for the sake of removing the ignorance and narrow-mindedness that currently plagues our world. As Penn questions, "to sit and reflect and anticipate the shame and disgrace in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue in this way to support." You might know what this quote is alluding to, but really, it can be applied to many areas. In the end, we simply must be the change that we wish to see.