Thought For the Day

"If we want to improve the world we cannot do it with scientific knowledge but with ideals. Confucius, Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi have done more for humanity than science has done. We must begin with the heart of man—with his conscience—and the values of conscience can only be manifested by selfless service to mankind." Einstein

This is exactly the attitude necessary if we wish to live together in harmony now and in the future. It is necessary in intentional communities, villages, and cities. A new paradigm must incentivize this.

People speak of being spiritual or awake, but if it doesn't include humility (seeing that on an absolute scale, we are all equal in value), being kind and helpful always and whenever possible, as well as a lighthearted and playful manner, and recognizing the sacredness of all of existence, don't let your ego fool you into believing that you are spiritual.

Just as hope serves as an antidote to despair, false hope or hope based on false premises only perpetuates illusions.

In these trying times, the best antidote for despair, is to engage in activism, selfless service to mankind. Discover your passion and align with others who share that passion and find ways to leverage your actions to maximize your effectiveness.
__________________________________________
Addendum: A child with loving parents, gets used to always receiving and at some point when it doesn't receive what it wants, will throw a tantrum and become angry and sometimes aggressive. It has learned to believe that its life is only about receiving and has developed expectations around that.

It seems that in order to feel gratefulness, one must experience contrast if one is to appreciate what one has. How much more grateful one might be to receive food for anyone that doesn't often have sufficient food compared to someone who is accustomed to 3 meals a day.

At some point the child must learn that life is about reciprocity and caring for one another and not just receiving. For the sake of the parents, the sooner a child learns this, the more peaceful the home life.

If one can feel grateful every time a dog is not barking, or all the time, one might consider oneself spiritual or awake.