About Support4Change
Created in the belief that one website can help make a difference in this crazy world
BY ARLENE HARDER, MA, MFT
How can we go beyond our current state of mutual mistrust and build a world that does not constantly teeter on the brink of the next man-made disaster? What can be do about other challenges facing us today, such as guns in our schools, domestic violence, child abuse, an uneven health care system, hunger, poverty, prejudice, homelessness, and mental illness?
Consider the following statistics reported by the Population Institute, using information gathered by the World Wildlife Fund, World Watch Institute, National Wildlife Federation, and United Nations Development Program.
 One quarter of the global population living in developed countries consumes 80% of the world's total energy.
The USA alone accounts for 6% of the global population, but consumes 30% of its resources.
20% of the global population consumes 70% of its material resources and possesses 80% of the wealth.
A child born today in the United States, for instance, will by the age of 75 years produce 52 tons of garbage, consume 10 million gallons of water and use 5 times the energy of a child born in the developing world.
How can we live more peacefully and equitably on this fragile planet, the one that will be inherited not only by your children and grandchildren, but by your descendants hundreds of years in the future? I believe the first step is to realize that the only thing we can do, the only thing we have the power to do, is to turn our attention away from the complex issues that are beyond our immediate control and focus on ourselves.
By that I mean we can pay more attention to where in our lives we can make a difference. And the kind of difference we will make depends on what we focus upon. If it is to consume more, to drop out of public debate (the United States' electorate is already among the lowest participating democracies of any in the world), and to believe we can tell other people how they must live, we'll only make the situation worse.
However, there is almost no one who did not have some kind of relationship, parenting, work, emotional, or health problem that needs to be addressed. Focusing on what those personal goals might be can go a long way toward making the world a better place.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if each of us would strive toward strengthening marriage and friendship, raising loving and resilient children, deepening faith, expanding creativity, working toward development of healthy bodies rather than the idealized "beauty" of thin models, living with joy and enthusiasm despite aches, pains and chronic illness, making a commitment to our work, and discovering greater purpose and meaning in life?
When we commit ourselves to be the best we can be, and to live up to our highest ideals in our personal lives, we will automatically improve our homes, our places of work, our local communities, and the world at large.
© Copyright 2002, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT |
