Over the last 5 weeks I have written about making 2008 your best year ever. I have focused on what you can do to make your life exceptional. Today I want to focus on what we can all do together to make the world a better place. There are many things going on that we can be grateful for especially in our communities where people care about people. Take some time, in the next few days, to list what you are grateful for and make that a regular practice.
On a national and global level there are many things going on that will challenge the best in us to step up and make a difference. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself and those you love and devote some time each week to be a positive force for change in this country and for the Earth. Please choose one of the list below or come up with your own important issue and then get involved. Involvement could include: writing editorials, starting your own blog, getting involved with an organization, communicating with your elected officials, starting your own NGO, join together with others to work in support of an issue, or come up with new and innovative actions to make a difference. Here is my list of issues worth taking on:
The War in Iraq – this war has never been about terrorism, it is about political and corporate power. The soldiers have not died to protect us, they have died because Bush and Cheney are hungry for power. This male need for dominance and control needs to end or all humanity is in danger of being wiped out by our ever more potent weapons. We need to bring higher consciousness and heart into this mess and quit killing each other under false pretenses.
Earth – our planet is a very precious place and we have been abusive to it. Oil and other profits driven corporations have no ability to see beyond their profit and loss statements. We need clean air, clear water and a healthy atmosphere to survive. We are the ones that must stand up for the planet or we will not have any place worth living. There is global warming, there are major problems caused by us humans. All scientist agree except for those paid by corporations to say otherwise. We can recycle. We can drive less. We can demand that the present alternative technology be utilized rather then suppressed (See the movie Who Killed the Electric Car?) We don not have time to waste on this issue.
Healthcare – All citizens of this country should have low cost health care. The only reason this is not happening here in the US, as it is in all other modern democracies, is that insurance companies and other invested groups think profits are more important than caring for people. (See the movie Sicko) The movie doesn’t even include advanced universal health care countries like Norway or Sweden. Profits vs compassion seems like a major area of disagreement between “we the people” and those in pursuit of profit. There are ways we can all benefit from working together. To care for those in need will enrich our souls.
Congress and Government – Congress and our national government are broken. The people are losing out badly because they are no longer represented. Those with money and influence have all the say. How come Bush and Cheney have not been held accountable for their almost endless list of abusing power? How come Congress has just sat there and done nothing to represent the needs and concerns of the people? There is so much we need to do here to clean this mess up. Our elections need to be free of money influence. Our elections need to be transparent. Our officials need to be help accountable. Our halls of Congress need to be cleared of lobbyist. Our politics need to be cleared of “religious” attempts to tell us how to be. And so much more needs to be done so the people are once again represented.
Other issues worth taking on include: the education system that needs new life, the prison system that is about punishment not rehabilitation, the separation of church and state, equal justice for all including all of life and much more.
Choose an issue and sign up to get involved. Remember people like Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandella, Rachel Carson Desmond Tutu, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King and so many others who followed their own truth and their heart to make a big difference in the world. You can too.
Have a wonderful 2008 and be the difference you want to see in the world.