So I have a request for you all. We need to solve some serious issues in the world today:
Call To Action:
Need to:
- Stop Poverty
- Eliminate Homelessness
- Eliminate Crime
- Reduce Global warming
- Reduce Unemployment
- Find a Cure for Cancer
So we're now in a situation where the newspapers are pretty depressing, the federal deficit is in the trillions, the state of California can't balance it's budget, pollution is everywhere, crime is growing with issues like laptop thefts and then things get alot worse from there. What kind of world are we leaving to the next generation?
So there are political organizations out there that are supposed to fix the issues. I'm not sure those are working very effectively so I'm talking about a grass roots effort. Ok, so we can't solve all of the worlds problems but we can at least get some pretty smart people focused on some serious areas that make a difference. There are a lot of folks out there with either resources or time...so it's time to do something and make a difference.
What am I talking about it?
It's time for a different approach. It' time to look at situations differently. Need to go wide and look at situations from a global perspective now that we live in a 'flat world'. Need to go deep and look at situations from a detailed perspective. Need to look at the root-cause of problems and attack those issues. Life can definitely be different if we do something about it.
All lives have equal value in this world so we need to work together in a cooperative society so that we can have a win-win situation. Need to eliminate waste, create value, we need a productive society based on basic principles. If we don't we're talking about all of the side effects and problems of a dysfunctional society. I don't want to see higher taxes and an increasing US federal deficit to be the answer. There's gotta be a better way that requires some creative minds and hit this issues head-on.
How?
So, how should we deal with it. If we can't fix everything overnight, let's at least understand what's going on. Let's focus on the root cause of the problems and attack the source of the problems. As you go through and look at some of the problems like prison over-crowding, figure out why people are going to prison. Look at the root cause and you may find the root with insufficient education. If that's the case, let's fix the problem.
High School Graduation Rates
You know the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did an excellent study and found some disturbing numbers with the lack of high school graduates in the USA. Only 70% of high school students graduate from high school. (Link: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/high-schools.aspx) What happens to the other 30%? I know there are reasons why things go wrong but it's time to hit those issues and solve those problems. In this day and age, we need to have 100% of the high school students graduate. Maybe folks should look carefully at what it takes to meet the 100% goal. For example a good pre-school education for kids can create some solid learning principles that can make the 100% High School graduation a reality.
School maybe difficult due to family situations. Maybe a broken family or economic hardship. True there are situations to explain the concerns but the challenge is to overcome these concerns. I look around and see some folks that have done some amazing things with there careers, now it's time to hit some real issues.
Back in June I was touring the United Nations in New York City, it's an amazing place. looks like all of the right principles are being discussed.
- End Poverty & Hunger
- Universal education
- Gender Equality
- Child Health
- Combat HIV/Aids
- Environmental Sustainability
- Global Partnership
The UN is working in some excellent areas and continues to need support. It's a pretty challenging time and the impact of the economy is affecting progress. Check out: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/index.shtml
The Power of Love
The other day I saw a bumper sticker. "When the Power of Love can overcome the Love of power then only the world will no peace". This one really hit me when I look at world leaders. Looks like the Ego situation becomes too dominant and then we lead to a lack of peace in the world. It's time to turn the situation around and focus on the power of love.
So focus on the source of the problems and the key issues. Looks like for every problem we need to ask why and really understand what is happening. I don't have all the answers but figure the answers are out there.
I know the readers of this blog all come from different backgrounds and that makes things pretty interesting. I'm looking to broaden that base to really understand what is happening in this world. Look at folks from different countries, different religions, different economic situations. There's the wealthy and there's the homelessness. I understand certain schools in the bay area are providing exposure to homelessness by inviting those have lost their home to schools so students can better understand what's going on. There's different people from different cultural situations. Hindu's/ Muslims, Israelis/ Palestinians. Imagine if you can have people with these different backgrounds work together, play together from a young age. Remove the political differences and have people hang out with each other, play sports together Let's focus on what we have in common, not our differences. Let's use technology to unite, communicate and overcome those differences.
Maybe we need to go back to basics. Many folks are going through some pretty tough times, with the unemployment rate increasing and the problem with foreclosures. If we go back to basics and look at what we need such as food, shelter, hopefully the basics can be provided.
Disasters
The challenge is that there are a lot of things on everyone's wish list and we don't always get everything we want. What's worse is when mother nature comes along such as storm or earthquake and wipes out everything, Life definitely has it's challenges. How should one handle natural disasters floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, cyclones, volcano eruptions? Link:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/08/f-natural-disasters-history.html Work together and cooperate, need awareness and contingency planning, need local support to ensure folks can deal with such issues.
In life, we need to keep things in perspective. Look at the life cycle from when a baby is born and as a child grows up and becomes an adult, it's pretty amazing. A child comes into this world with nothing and is ready to soak in ton's of information. What we want is for every child to be nurtured with love, support and then gain plenty of knowledge to get through life's challenges in a positive manner.
I'm not saying there are answers for every problem but there are a lot of resources out there. The challenge is when the ego gets in the way and folks say I can do it all by myself and I don't need any one to help. Sometimes people get lonely so a little teamwork and a good support network can go a long way.
Balance
It is critical that we have balance in our lives. Someone who is an extreme workaholic will burn out and then again the couch potato will not go very far in life. To go back to the basics means to keep the body, mind and spirit in balance. Maintain that work-life balance, stay fit and enjoy life without those side effects.
Stress
If you don't maintain harmony and balance, there will be stress. I see a lot of people that live high stress lives and then anger takes it's course. It's not right. How does one reduce stress? Stay healthy, eat a balanced diet. Many people have a problem with time management. Maybe we all try to do too much in a day. At some point you have to prioritize and focus on the important things in life. Get your work done, take care of your errands and have some fun...but don't over do it. Find a way to relieve stress, maybe it's yoga, meditation, or just take a walk. If you can manage the stress you can go far in life.
Cancer
Now there are certain illnesses that make life extremely difficult. I was talking to a friend the other day about cancer. He indicated that some folks just can't understand illnesses like cancer or Parkinson's disease. It is not based on any specific action you have taken but it just happens. It's tough finding answers but there is some excellent research being done in these areas to find a cure.
I've been looking at hazardous materials and the list of restricted substances continue to grow. There are a lot of substances out there that are carcinogens and are capable of inducing cancer. We find them everywhere in cigarettes as well as a lot of materials and products that we deal with every day. I'm sure you have heard about the problems with lead. How about the phthalates in plastics? There are alot of materials used in products that are not good for people or the environment. We need to move away from those restricted hazardous materials and utilize natural products. There are many companies doing some excellent work to better understand where these materials come from . If we can find the source, understand the effect, hopefully the world can be a safer and healthier place.
What I'm looking for is to get some great minds together and solve the issues. Make it a better place for the next generation. Don't ruin the environment, make it a cleaner planet. Don't increase the federal deficit, reduce the burden that the next generation will need to deal with.
Don't overspend to put yourself in debt and then complain about bills. Life should be a little more simpler where people do the kind of work that they find fulfilling. Work for the sake of working, for the pride of making accomplishments, for getting a job done. Keep advancing in your career so that you can build up on those accomplishments. When there are setbacks, stay strong and keep moving forward. I think that some folks who run into challenges get scared and run the other way. Somehow, we need the internal strength to keep going and stay one step ahead.
Diwali
I'm writing this blog during the time of Diwali 2009, the Hindu festival of lights. Isn't it amazing how you can take a dark room, light a candle and watch the room light up. Watch how light spreads and glows. Light up your life with happiness and watch it spread. Diwali is a special occasion. One is reminded to wake up from the slumber of ignorance and pursue knowledge. As light dispels darkness, so should knowledge dispel ignorance. As people celebrate Diwali, they are reminded to light the light of wisdom and spread goodness. Did you catch President Obama's Diwali message? You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuiAW_6XKVM&feature=channel
Pay it Forward
As you find situations of appreciation, don't forget the thank you and the best thing you can do is to pay it forward. If someone does something good for you, do something good for someone else. Just like in the movie, 'pay it forward' can spread some good wishes along way. (Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward)
Things Money Can't Buy
The other day I was listening to a discussion between two people. One person said I want all the things money can buy and other person said I want all the things money can't buy. It's an interesting perspective and I want to emphasize the importance of those things money can't buy: Love, Respect, Trust, Friendship, Happiness, Health, Knowledge, and Peace. We need to continue to remind ourselves of this perspective and really focus on things that are important in life. People who emphasize these non-materialistic values can really go along way and live a much better and more meaningful life.
LIFENET
I am going to focus on a new group called Lifenet. Learning and Inspiring for a Fulfilling and Enriching life. People have a lot of untapped potential they are just not using. People tend to waste time on trivial things and sometimes create their own difficulties. Can we get past the little things are focus on things that make a difference. I know everyone is busy but busy doing what? Can we somehow get out of the 'rat race' and work together to live a better life. If we can increase our potential to do more in life and be more productive, we can live better and happier lives. We need to build a foundation where some basic principles are emphasized so people all around us can live a happy life. Under Lifenet, the focus is to maintain balance and then do more for society and more in this world. Need to work on the issues discussed in this blog. Eliminate waste, live in a cooperative society, focus on the basics and then give back to those in need. I'll be talking more about some of the good work being done through charitable organizations in future blogs. I'll be providing some specific details and recommendations moving forward and would really like to get your feedback.
Summary
In summary, I'm saying if you run into a problem, learn as much as you can until you find a way to deal with that problem. Do some good things for society and work together in a cooperative manner to address concerns as they arise. We have some real challenges around us and we need some smart brains as well as folks who have some time to help. When there is an issue, drive to the root cause of that problem to really understand the source of the concern. Take a global perspective to the challenges around us since we do live in a world where many situations are inter related. Need to work with people with good intentions work through charitable organizations and then we can really solve some critical issues in the world. Finally, enjoy life, have fun, and peace on earth!
Your comments are welcome.
Ken
