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A Better Place.....
Hello friends,
I have been thinking a lot lately about how I am contributing to make this world a better place. I do not feel like I am doing enough, and would love to hear ideas from everyone here about what you do to make this world a nicer, more peaceful place. Volunteer work that you do, people that you help, things you do for the environment, etc etc.
Any good ideas??
I have been thinking a lot lately about how I am contributing to make this world a better place. I do not feel like I am doing enough, and would love to hear ideas from everyone here about what you do to make this world a nicer, more peaceful place. Volunteer work that you do, people that you help, things you do for the environment, etc etc.
Any good ideas??
0
Comments
What I do is treat each person with whom I come into interaction respectfully. It sounds very mundane and it is. Treating everyone as I would want to be treated is no easy task--it requires constant mindfulness of myself and others as well as attention to the situation and environment within which I find myself. Of course, I'm always 'waking up' or bringing myself back to the present moment, so it's an ongoing process...
Take, for example, the simple service encounter. I don't know about where you live but people who are "checkers," people who ring me up at the register in a store, are mostly treated like automotons, human robots. I've rarely seen customers say anything more than the simplest greeting and almost never look at a checker in the eye. I feel checkers are mostly treated as the job they do, not as individuals.
I make a big effort to look them in the eye, say a greeting and try to pursue light conversation. After a moment, usually the response is grinning, ear to ear. Sometimes the response falls on jaded ears and I drop it. Whatever the reaction, I do my best to let them know that I see an individual, not a job. We are not our work!
This is just one example of seeing and honoring the individual respectfully by treating everyone with whom I come into as unique and equal.
I used to go into London most weekends and you get quite a lot of homeless people up there. I once got into conversation with a young guy on London Bridge and he explained to me his situation and that he was desperately trying to get himself back on his feet again. He said that the worse thing, apart from having to beg, was being ignored by people. Just to be acknowledged was enough, even if he wasn't given any money. Since then I always make a point of acknowledging them when asked for money. Even if it's just a friendly "sorry, I'm afraid I haven't got any change". If I do have some change, and I can spare some of it then I'll give them some. I know there's the argument that they may use the money for drink/drugs/whatever but that's up to them.
I must point out though that I'm not doing it to make myself feel better or anything pompous like that. I just like to think that I'd never be in that situation but you never know what's round the corner so, as you said, I try to treat people as I'd like to be treated.
Plus I make malas for all the reprobates on here !!
When I have no money or food to give I always look them straight in the eye and give them the warmest smile I can when I say "Sorry" and I try to really "see" them and make it clear that they are being seen with love and not pity. I've been poor and very close to living on the street. I've dumpster dived a few times. I know it could be me. I know that very well. So there's nothing difficult in showing my love. I'm not doing anything special. I want to love them and I desperately want to comfort them.
In Montreal when I was younger my group of friends always wanted to go downtown to one of the clubs to party on the weekends. I liked to leave them in the club and go outside and sit on the steps with the alcoholic homeless guys and share my smokes and talk. These places were constantly patrolled by police on foot and I was never in any danger. I've held a few crying homeless guys in my day. LOL! I also learned the history of Persia and a lot of physics. I've had very long conversations about English literature with ex professors and tons of socio-political debates. I even struggled with wanting to cite one of the men with whom I talked a great deal in one of my history papers but couldn't find any way to do it and he wouldn't give me his name, for obvious reasons. But I couldn't just steal his ideas and pretend that I came up with them. That was a little frustrating. I'm sure he'd been a history prof at one time.
The only homeless person I ever met that I didn't like was the one in Montreal who was begging for money from a line of people who were waiting for the bus. I was in line as well and when he came up to me I emptied all my pockets and gave him everything I had. He then looked at the pile of change in his hand and swore because there were pennies and nickels in it and he violently threw it into the street cursing. I was so mad I yelled something like "Hey! You mother#^%** How dare you, you son of a #$**&?!!" I was about to jump on him but the bus came. I fumed for hours over that one. I could still smack him today. LOL!
One young guy, younger than me, in particular comes to mind when I think back. He was bi-polar and unpredictable so I had to keep security in mind but he did everything in his power to let me know he wasn't a threat. I was very poor myself at the time and couldn't afford a winter coat so I had a whole bunch of shirts and sweaters on. He used to hang around the bus station where I caught the bus for work (I was one of the working poor) and one day when I had some money and I was off work I went to look for him at the station. There was a little coffee shop there as well and when I found him I brought him with me to the coffee shop to have breakfast. He ordered the same thing I did but apparently he couldn't eat because he ended up gently pouring his coffee onto his plate. LOL I laughed and laughed but the server looked at us like we were nuts! The next and last time I saw him he had a bag with him and he gave it to me and said "I got you a coat. I hope you like it." And it was a beautiful used but clean winter jacket and I wore it for two winters. Even though it was green. Not my colour. LOL!!
When I had more money I supported all the usual groups, Greenpeace, Amnesty, PETA etc. And I did a lot of fundraising for charities. But nothing compares to the joys of hanging out with homeless people. They were poor in material comforts but rich in life experience. They were like brown paper packages tied up with string.
Love,
Brigid
except me.:whatever:
Thanks anyway mate, just trying to sh** stir!
I appreciate the fact that you do make malas Frizz. Much metta and good Karma to you!
regards,
X
:ausflag:
......Not 'all of a sudden'....
You should have been responsible all the time... Eightfold Path, all that hooey... ya know.....?
Of course, I forgot about that. The help I've received here has been enormous, it really can't be overstated.
Thanks for the reminder.
Brigid
Lately, I have been helping at a local thrift store organizing clothes and such. It's not much but it saves the people that work there some extra time. Just act kind and gentle and don't act in a threatening manner. You can't go wrong.
While checking out at a store, for example, I used to be in 'my own world' and not pay attention to the employee. The past few months I have made a point of befriending them...especially if they just had an ornery customer before me...the difference in me and them is incredible. It is such a joy to put a smile on a stranger's face.
The other thing I try to do is instill these qualities in my students: writing thank you notes to our cleaning staff, teaching them to say hello to people they see on school grounds...
That's beautiful.
Brigid