SAVING THE WORLD

One of the most fascinating observations I know of is that almost everyone would like to save the world, or at least help in the process.  There are many different ways that this looks to different people.  When we think of saving the world, some people think of the big things like cleaning up the environment, stopping human trafficking, Reducing world pollution, getting clean water to every person in the world, tackling the world hunger problems, and the like.

Some people think politics, diseases, experimental drugs, endangered species, equal rights, particular freedoms, etc.  Some folks start smaller, cleaning up their neighborhood, scrubbing off graffiti, relocating a wild bear, running a local dog rescue, becoming a social worker, a nurse, a doctor, a therapist, etc.  It may be that we do little things in our daily lives such as volunteering at a soup kitchen, donating to a children’s fund, recycling, teaching our children to appreciate the beauty of the world, and so on.

When I look at my friends on social media, the majority of the videos that are shared, the types of things they are proud of, and the things people get upset about all show me that we, as a whole, want things to be better.  Everyone is wanting, hoping, doing something to make life better; we just don’t seem to agree on what it is that makes life better.  A great deal of the time I see people wasting time bickering about what they should do, what’s right, what’s wrong, who should be allowed to do something, and even whether or not something is actually important.

It seems to me that the first goal we need to have, is to find a place of agreement on how to help each other save the world, on what salvation would actually look like.  Is it religious?  Is it science?  Is it political?  Does it have to be one of those things?  Perhaps saving the world starts someplace we aren’t even sure of yet.

Perhaps saving the world begins with an understanding of what harm actually is…

Perhaps it starts with what an agreement as to what good and evil actually are…

Perhaps saving the world requires that we first begin to understand why living beings do what they do, so that we can stop the cycle of fear and aggression.

I believe that if we can get out of the Monster/Victim Cycle that we can save the world: in all the other beautiful, wonderful, amazing ways that people are inspired to do.  Getting out of the monster/victim cycle isn’t easy, but it is simple – and that is what I would like to contribute to help save the world.