The Global Conversation

Tag: new year’s resolutions

  • “What Then Can I Do?…”

     

    I’d like to propose that we make some New Year’s Resolutions that aren’t quite the usual ones.  Oh, I think it would be commendable to resolve to lose weight, exercise more or quit smoking, but in the context of this site, I would like us all to consider something more.

    Here, in the space of The Global Conversation, we do a lot of “conversating”…we talk a lot about the state of things, and wonder what we can do to forward a new paradigm.  We put theories of what might be done out there, but we never seem to acknowledge much, or for very long, what is actually, and already being done!  I came upon an article at Truthout, by Gar Alperovitz and Keane Bhatt, that intrigued me greatly, entitled “What Then Can I Do?  Ten Ways to Democratize the Economy”.

    This article makes note of the current problems such wealth inequities, politics, “social and economic pain”, the environment etc., and asks “What can one person do?”

    Then it proceeds to list the ten ways it feels most of us can, right now, begin to create the paradigm we desire.  They site examples of how these things are already working around the world.

    Now, I’m going to admit to you that some of the things, for me, are going to be easy to do, (and I’ll bet you will be able to guess which ones those are), and some have me hoping that those with the background to fully understand what the heck they are, see the article, and step up and step in and aid in this creation!  Boy am I glad those people exist in this world!  But I am willing to bet that there is at least one thing on this list that can help you declare and to do what you have chosen to Be in this world, and that you can resolve to do!  (I think the last one is the most fun, but you will definitely have to go to the full article to understand why!)

    There are so many, many good things happening out there in our world these days, that are being overshadowed by all of the chaos…I think that articles like this show that CWG’s assertion that just when it feels like you want to quit is exactly when you should strengthen your resolve, because what you have been working for us just over the ridge.

    Here, then, is the list, and if you want to see the full article and fill in the blanks, go to this link, where, at the end, they also give you the opportunity “to start a conversation…”

     

    1. Democratize Your Money!

    Put your money in a credit union-then participate in its governance.

    2. Seize the Moment: Time For Worker Ownership!

    Help build a worker co-op or encourage interested businesses to transition to    employee ownership and adopt social and environmental standards as part of their missions.

    3. Take Back Local Government: Demand Participatory Budgeting!

    Organize your community so that local government spending is determined by inclusive neighborhood deliberations on key priorities.

    4. Push Local Anchors to do Their Part!

    Make nonprofit institutions like universities and hospitals use their resources to fight poverty, unemployment, and global warming.

    5. Reclaim Your Neighborhood With Democratic Development!

    Build community power through economic development and community land trusts.

    6. Public Money for the Public Good!

    Organize to use public finances for community development.

    7. Stop Letting Your Savings Fuel Corporate Rule!

    Get your workplace to offer more retirement-plan opportunities for responsible investment.

    8. Democratize Energy Production to Create a Green Economy!

    Get involved in public and cooperative utilities to fight climate change.

    9. Mobilize the Faith Community!

    Get your religious organization to move its money to a local financial institution involved in community development.

    10. Make Time for Democracy!

    Fight unemployment by joining the fight against work.

    ( for full article)

    So, what can you do?  Resolve to start Doing your Being this year!

     

    (Therese Wilson is a published poet, and is the administrator of, and Spiritual Helper at, the global website at www.cwghelpingoutreach.com  She may be contacted at: Therese@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

  • ‘Tis the season

    This is that special time of year when we dream about peace.  We visualize prosperity and proclaim that old acquaintance be forgot.  We experience the giving and receiving of gifts and most people find themselves feeling rather charitable.  Yes, compassion fills our hearts and olive branches are extended.  The world’s armies put down their guns and break bread with their opponents.  We all come together and unite for a fleeting moment on Christmas Day.

    Well, at least that is how all the songs and movies depict it anyway.  What actually happens for many this time of year doesn’t quite fit the bill of “joyful and triumphant!” Many people find themselves stressed over the financial burden of the holidays or the pressure to purchase the perfect gift for their special someone.  How could I not mention those in recovery and those who are still suffering with addictions?

    This time of year can be very challenging to the newly sober person.  There are Christmas parties where even casual drinkers drink too much.  The expectation is to let loose and live it up.  For a recovering person, this isn’t an option and most people can’t understand that.  For those with addiction, one is too many and a thousand is never enough.

    But the end of the year is a great time to reflect over the past twelve months. It is good to look at our lives from time to time and decide what is working for us and what is not.  For many, we will look at our physical condition and decide that it is time to make some changes.  Come January 2nd, the gyms, yoga studios, Pilates classes and the YMCA will be standing room only for three or four weeks.

    Deep inside, all of us are yearning for the same things:  happiness, joy, contentment, peace, and freedom.  We just have no idea how to get it.  Does it come from things? Does it come from others? If you love me, will everything be okay?  Do we attain happiness from money, food, sex, drugs, being right?  What is it? And why do we have such a difficult time finding it and holding on to it?

    I believe we have set up a system of living that just flat out doesn’t work.  Most would say, “If I had more money, I would be happy.”  The facts simply don’t prove that.  Very few people who win the lottery actually find happiness.  Many end up in a deeper pit of despair in a very short time.

    Happiness is a decision. Not a simple one, I might add, but it is a decision.  And it would seem many of us are simply incapable of making that decision. Why do you think that is?  Is it our ego? Are we hardwired for “my way or the highway”?  Isn’t it time we break out of the “do it my way or else” paradigm?

    I believe that we are becoming more conscious with time. I can look as far as my own life and see that my own beliefs have changed drastically since I was a child.  I have expanded my view of the world and strive to continue to do so.  I can also see in the children of today that they appear to be well-equipped to take us to a higher place.

    I choose to believe we are going there.  In fact, I believe we are already there; we just don’t know it yet.  When asked, “Why do you strive to change the world’s view of God?” my reply is simple.  It would appear to me that the world’s perspective of what God is and wants for us isn’t working.  Now, I am not going to force my belief on anyone, but I do not hesitate to bring it up in conversation when I see the opportunity.  I know my perspective of God changed, so why can’t others?  Why can’t we all keep an open, flowing, and ever-willing-to-change view of God?

    Let me ask you this: If given the opportunity to be right or be happy, which would you take?  Now to take that one step further.  If all you had to do was consider that what you believe to be true about God may not be the whole truth, and by doing so could bring you to a higher state of happiness, joy and freedom, would you take it?

    (Kevin McCormack, C.A.d ,is a certified addictions professional and auriculotherapist.  He is a recovering addict with 26 years of sobriety. Kevin is a practicing auriculotherapist, life coach, and interventionist specializing in individual and family recovery and also co-facilitates spiritual recovery retreats for the CWG foundation.  You can visit his website here for more information. To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • A “Dear James” letter

    I was born on the last day of the year.  So the annual transition of “out with the old and in with the new” feels especially pivotal to me as I reflect with gratitude upon what once was, I look forward with hope and anticipation for what is yet to come, and I explore more deeply the larger reason for my birth.  And, yes, I do make some “New Year’s Resolutions”; however, they have nothing to do with resolving to fit into last year’s pair of blue jeans.  And while more money flowing into my bank account rather than out of it would bring some much-needed financial relief, I will not be making that my top priority either.  Nor will I be committing to get a better job or setting my sights on traveling around the world sampling exotic foods.

    Part of the reason why I believe New Year’s Resolutions “fail” is because the purpose for which we enter into such agreements with ourselves has very little to do with the purpose of our lives.  I am sharing a letter I wrote to my 18-year-old son, as it captures the essence of how I feel about the arrival of a new year.  The gifts I have been given the opportunity to receive and give within the context of my relationship with my son have been some of the most profound and life-changing.  And I believe deeply that by allowing the gifts to flow through me to you, they become a gift to us all.

    “Dear James,

    As night gently falls on 2012 and the promise of a new dawn in 2013 hangs in the air, billions of people around the world will be resolving and committing to make changes in their life, hoping to stick to long-lasting resolutions that will finally deliver to them the things in life we all desire most — abundance, prosperity, better health, joy, security, happiness, and love — believing that this time, this year, their well-intentioned efforts will resemble more than simply a “to do” list for the first week of January.

    I wonder if you, too, feel that yearning, if you hear a beckoning to a higher calling, if you desire to make new choices with an eye on shaping and defining not just your experience for a particular year, but with an eye on shaping and defining the entire purpose of your life.  Ah, the purpose of life — the question that has perplexed scholars and religious teachers around the world, the question which has led countries into war and tested and stretched the fabric of every relationship we enter into, the question that is most looked at in the final moments of our physical being here on earth:

    What is the purpose of my life?

    My Beloved Son, I am here to share with you the answer.

    I will begin by sharing with you what the purpose of your life is not.  As my good friend, Neale, has shared many, many times, the purpose of life has very little to do, if anything, with “getting the girl, getting the car, getting the job, getting the house, getting the spouse, getting the kids, getting the better job, getting the better house, getting the promotion, getting the grandkids, getting the gray hair, getting the office in the corner, getting the retirement watch, getting the illness, getting the burial plot, and getting the hell out.”

    And so far, in the 46 years that I have been blessed to have on this earth, this has demonstrated itself to be true – life is not about any of those things.  I’ve had most of the things on that list, and some of them more than once.  And I am here to tell you that the purpose for my life was not realized or remembered by “getting” or “having” any one of them.

    So if life really isn’t about any of those things, then what is it about?

    This is what I know to be true:

    The purpose of your life is to create the purpose of your life.

    When you were a very young child, it mattered not to me whether you played baseball or joined Cub Scouts, whether you went swimming or read a book, or whether you ate pizza or spaghetti.  And now, as a young man who is living on his own, it matters not to me which career you choose or what area of the world you reside in, what you have for dinner, how you enjoy your spare time, or what kind of clothes you wear.

    Do not confuse “not mattering” with “not loving.”  My love for you is without conditions.  These choices would only matter to me if somehow the level of my love for you was attached to a particular outcome designed by me or hinged to a misguided idea that somehow you could fail in this Life game.

    I want for you what you want for you.

    And here is where it gets even better, James:

    God wants for us what we want for us.

    Society will tell you that in order to “earn” God’s love, you must be a certain way and do certain things.  Have you questioned this for yourself?  Have you wondered why a God who is “unconditionally loving” would place such conditions upon his love?  Have you dared to imagine a different kind of God?

    And if God wants for us what we want for us, and the purpose of our lives have nothing to do with what we have or what we get, what will the arrival of a new year mean to you?   What will you strive for?  What will you draw upon to ascribe meaning to the experiences in your life?

    Your life is an opportunity.  Within every occurrence, there is an opportunity for you.  And within every relationship, you are an opportunity for someone else.  Will you see those moments and embrace those gifts, both those that are being given to you and those you have to give?  As the world collectively and consciously welcomes the New Year, perhaps the largest number of people purposefully and simultaneously placing positive energy and intention into the world, how could our world not become a better place?  Where will you be in that process?  And WHO will you be in that process?

    What will you decide and what will you declare the purpose of your life to be, my beloved son?”

    What will the arrival of a New Year mean to you, my friends?  A new car?  More money?  Fitting in last year’s blue jeans?  Or perhaps at last the answer to one of life’s biggest questions:  What is the purpose of my life?

     (Lisa McCormack is the Managing Editor & Administrator of The Global Conversation. She is also a member of the Spiritual Helper team atwww.ChangingChange.net, a website offering emotional and spiritual support. To connect with Lisa, please e-mail her at Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com.)