Change From the Bottom-Up

After yesterdays rant I decided I need to be more solution focused. I wish I had answers for the some of the issues I wrote about yesterday. I have some ideas I want to share with you and then encourage you to share ideas with me and with other readers.

First idea is that inside of each of us are some very strong callings, intuitions, purposes that need to be listened to now. If you find you get all upset, incensed or exasperated over an issue like health care, hunger, peace, environment, clean water or whatever, than most likely there is something there for you to explore. That reaction in you means you want something different than what is. So see where you have high reactivity and go explore what you can do to make a difference. If you have a lot of passionate responses than you have much to do in this lifetime, so you better get started.

The next idea is to not focus on what is wrong for very long. If you do, you can slip into a “poor me” state of mind which does not do you or the world any good. Instead bring your thoughts to what you want to happen. Like being involved in eliminating world hunger; seeing the end to all wars; a world of justice for all; universal health care for everyone on the planet; clean water and air for the next 7 generations; and many other great results. Then get involved either as in individual or join with others

The third idea is that there are now over a million NGO’s (non government organizations) involved in changing the world from the bottom-up. Positive change most likely will not happen from the top-down. These organizations are value driven and represent the passion and mission of other concerned citizens of the world. Find an NGO that is on a mission you want to get involved in. Give them your time or share some of your financial and other resources. People working together can make a powerful difference. Check out www.wiserearth.org. and www.pachamama.org

The fourth idea is to work for two causes that will change the landscape of our democracy. The first is to join others and insist on election reform that includes a clear paper trail for all votes. This election reform must also include the ending of special interest funding for elections. Elections must be free of influence money. The second part is to limit corporate power. If greed and power are allowed to continue to be the driving forces of corporations than our democracy is on a crash course. Corporations were set up to benefit the people, not for the people to be used for the benefit of the corporation. With these two reforms everything else will more easily come into balance.

That was my four ideas for today. What are yours? What are the changes you see as most important? Leave a comment below and let’s see what ideas people come up with.

By the way if you are in the Denver area this weekend, I will be giving a talk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Earth Works Expo in the Denver Merchandise Mart on Five Things You Can Do to Change the World and also selling our peace t-shirts at our Peace Together booth. Stop by and say, “hi”.