Quote of the day:
“There's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” — Scott Adams Think about it: Kindness is a good thing however, in our busy lives it is often easy to overlook the needs of others. Here is an exercise that may help you initiate a chain of kindness and thus a ripple effect that can touch many lives. --Picture yourself in the center of a set of concentric circles. You're in the center, but the focus isn't on you. Within the first circle are your family and closest friends. It's probably easy to identify the needs of at least two or three of these people. Write them down. --Now picture the next circle, your colleagues and acquaintances. Make a note of their names and needs. --Now picture the widest circle, people whom you don't know personally, but whose needs you are aware of, jot down the ones who come to mind and their need. --Take your list and try to do one favor for each circle each week. Each month do the exercise again and make a new list, repeating the process of helping one from each circle and experience the joy it brings into your life, not to mention the difference you are making in the world with the ripple effect you are causing.
0 Comments
Quote of the day:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Gandhi Reflection: Sustaining the environment has become a serious concern of nearly every nation. Debates on how to best achieve this are continuous and often contentious. Overwhelmed by the complexity of the issue, most of us look to scientists and others with more knowledge and resources to find solutions. However, Abdul Kareem is one man who hasn’t waited on anybody else. Here is his story. If you were to visit him at his home in southern India, you would see acres of rich forest with abundant wildlife. In a part of the world where water is often in short supply, his land and the villages around it have no such problem. But it hasn’t always been that way. Twenty-five years ago, the area was a series of dry, rocky, lifeless hills. Kareem was strangely drawn to the area during visits to his wife’s family, who lived there. “I would walk around the area and see barren hillsides,” he recalls. “It was a heartache of a sight, and yet the pull on me was strong. I suddenly realized that I had often—though only for brief moments—dreamt of the Kaavu of India’s collective memory. They were the Sacred Groves that every village had once upon a time. I had been told of them as a child. I think I had subconsciously yearned for one.” On an impulse, he bought five acres. In spaces between rocks, he planted saplings of trees native to the region. The well on the property barely yielded a bucketful of water at a time, so for three summers Kareem used a motorbike to haul water from a source a kilometer (about 2/3 mile) away. During this time he also bought adjoining land from neighbors who were happy to exchange their desolate properties for cash. The fourth year, Kareem’s efforts began to pay off. The new vegetation, sparse as it was, helped his land retain more rainwater. The water level in his well rose, and that made it possible for him to gradually plant and tend the rest of his property, which had grown to nearly 13 hectares (32 acres). The transformation was slow but steady. As the saplings grew, birds flocked to the area and sowed the seeds of a variety of other plants. A natural revival was underway. Year by year, more vegetation grew, more wildlife arrived, and the water table continued to rise. As a result, other wells within a 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) radius of Kareem’s, now also have more water. With few resources at his disposal, Kareem has changed his part of the world, day by day and step by patient step. Source: www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/inspirational/abdulKareem.html This is just one man’s story on how he changed his part of the world. We can all do something, even if it’s not as grand as this, but every bit helps. Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on making a difference.
Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on making a difference.
Quote of the day:
“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple.” — Scott Adams Reflection: In my writings, I often speak about making a difference and helping others. I encourage you to do more for others, but I don’t often give practical examples. Today I share one such example with you—an excerpt from Anna Perlini, co-founder of Per un Mondo Migliore, a humanitarian organization in the Balkans. This is an illustration of an alternative lifestyle choice to escape the frustrations of our greed base society. Ivan and Francesca often expressed their frustration in trying to adjust to a society that was losing its values. They wished they could adopt a different lifestyle, but didn’t know how. Then, on one of my more recent visits, it was immediately obvious that something was very different. For one thing, their dining room had extra tables, which quickly filled with what seemed like a river of lively children from the neighborhood. Ivan was busy serving and introduced me to Claudio and Manuela, another couple who not only lived in their small town, but also shared a similar vision. Later on, I got to know other families who were also part of a network called Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale (Ethical Purchasing Groups). The aim is to cooperate in order to buy food and other commonly used goods directly from producers or retailers at discounted rates, while also emphasizing the use of local and fair-trade produce, and reusable or eco-compatible goods. Ivan and Francesca (and their now three children) were some of the founders of the local branch, and needless to say, they always found a way to direct some love and attention to their “neighbor near or far.” “If we want a message of love to get to others, we need to send it. If we want a lamp to keep burning, we need to keep feeding it oil.” As time passes, it’s clear that what was once an experiment has grown into a tried-and-proven alternative life choice. I’m not suggesting that we all start Ethical Purchasing Groups but it is good food for thought—how one couple changed their little part of the world for the better. Quote of the day:
“Discovery of a solution consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” — Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Reflection: Whenever I hear someone bemoaning the state of the world, I'm reminded of something I first heard many years ago, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." It is easy to identify the problem as being due to "all the injustice and suffering in the world." This quote, I later learned, was by U.S. civil rights activist Eldridge Cleaver. It didn’t tell me how I could become part of the solution, but it did reinforce my growing conviction that I couldn't turn a blind eye to problems. If you want to be part of the solution, try to do your best, day by day, wherever you are, and it will make a difference. Will you dare to be part of the solution by thinking something different? Quote of the day:
“You, the people have the power—the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.” – Charlie Chaplin Reflection: With the world in so much turmoil, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the almost-daily bad news of terrorism, disasters, violence, war, and human suffering. I sometimes feel my efforts are like a drop of water in a vast ocean of what needs to be done to truly help the world and make any difference at all. In the stirring speech by Charlie Chaplin’s character in his movie "The Great Dictator," he said, “We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness—not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. “Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. “You, the people have the power—the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.” The above-mentioned movie was produced in 1940. The message was true then, but how much more can we relate to this challenge today! I believe spreading peace on earth can work in much the same way. Changing the way you see others, being kind to those who cross your path, doing kind deeds when opportunities present themselves without expecting something in return. Sometimes it just takes a kind word or a helping hand when most needed, t to show us what a beautiful world this can be. Quote of the day:
"Acceptance of what has happened is the first steps to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune." —William James Reflection: I came upon this great story and wanted to share it with you. One day I hopped in a taxi to go to the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car pulled out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and nearly sent us to the hospital!” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.” He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is to not let garbage trucks take over your day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Be thankful for the people who treat you right and pray for those who don't. A quote a day helps you remember what is important.
Here are this week’s quotes on making a difference.
Quote of the day:
"The influence of a beautiful, helpful, hopeful character is contagious and may revolutionize a whole town.” — Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter Reflection: Sometimes we think there is no way we can make a difference in the world. Next time this thought crosses your mind, remember the following account: According to Ken Keyes Jr., the author of The Hundredth Monkey, some natural scientists were observing monkey behavior on the island of Koshima. These monkeys lived primarily on some sort of sweet potato that they dug out of the ground. One day a scientist noticed that instead of just eating the potato fresh from the ground, the monkey washed it in the stream first and then ate it. This was a new behavior—none of the other monkeys did this—but “monkey see, monkey do,” and before long all the monkeys on the island were washing their potatoes first and then eating them. There was no rational explanation for this sudden change of behavior, so the scientists documented it as the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon. Go ahead and be the first monkeys. Start your project. It does make a difference. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|