Jane Goodall Institute

I feel like I have been dreaming for so long about exactly how I want to contribute in this world.
Almost 5 years ago I studied abroad in Norway, where I had begun working on an application for Greencorp.  In Norway, we hardly had class.  Maybe an hour a day, and no homework, no test, not until the end of the semester.  Basically I had a lot of time. To do absolutely nothing.  But I worked on this applicaton.  The question for the application was, "If you could do one thing in the US and be successful at it, what would you do?"  After learning about global warming and food miles and generally our disconnect with nature, I decided that I would initiate greenhouse building across america, to help improve our access to fresh foods despite the climate.

From there, my brother helped me edit this essay question, and showed me a permaculture video.  I fell in love with the idea of creating beautiful fertile life from a completely barren desert.  I decided that was what I wanted to do.  I turned up of course not getting accepted to Greencorp, but it was for the better.

My ideas over the years, have changed, relatively they've had the same overall idea, to connect the gaps between us and our environment.  To reduce carbon emissions, protect pristine ecosystems, and restore the landscapes that we've over-used.

Looking at everything the Jane Goodall Institute is involved with, I am just so inspired by their work.

I love how they are taking such a holistic approach to environmental conservation.  Nithya gave me the idea to start contacting organizations that are an inspiration to me and that I could see myself being of use to after college.  Definitely Jane Goodall's Institute is one of them, and I just got done writing an email to them.  We'll see if I hear back.  If nothing else, I can sneak myself in by volunteering.

I am just so touched by all the amazing people in our world, and the incredible work that they do and have created.

http://www.janegoodall.org/cc-livelihoods

If you feel like making a difference to families of chimps and the ecology of the planet you can donate here:

https://www.janegoodall.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=21

Fullspeed forward

I was so touched by Maggie's story.  The story I posted yesterday.  It really got me thinking about the world.

I've lived in India, New York and Utah, I've seen poverty.  My heart has broke while witnessing some of these situations where people or animals are living in terrible conditions on the street.  The best I could muster at those times, was to bless them.  Although I have given money at times, and more often I have given food.  These measures, don't create change.  And perhaps only fuel these problems?

It's too easy to blame the government, individuals and everything else who may be to blame for these conditions we dislike seeing in the world. And we go home feeling angry, sad and confused, how can we allow this to happen in the world?

That is called victimizing yourself.  It has nothing to do with the person you saw on the street or the some 'corrupt' government.  You are allowing yourself to beat up on you!  You are not embracing yourself as the fully embodied individual that you are!

If we want to live in the world we want.  WE have to create it.  There is no other way.  We can't sit around and cry about our surroundings.  We have two options.  We can accept the world the way it is, or we can actively pursue embracing love in this world.

I used to feel that the only place for me in this world, was in some remote, beautiful exotic village where I could live free of gasoline, energy, grocery stores, etc.  Where all my food was homegrown and everything I needed was in an arms grab away.

Maggie in her video talks about, creating the world that you want to see.

Life isn't about escaping into some dream world, and denying whatever reality you have right now, just waiting for the pieces of your life to fall into place.  What steps can you do today, to make where you are that piece of heaven, that you have always been looking for.

Nithya, showed me a video today about a man who stopped walking -- instead he only gets around by dancing.  This happened one day after visiting his mother, his mother's health was compromised and just before this visit he thought that she wasn't going to be alive once he got there.  Turned out she was feeling fine, and she was well.  He was so happy that he hadn't lost his mother, he was dancing the whole way home.  He said it felt so amazing, that he never stopped dancing!!  Something more interesting about his story was that before this incident he felt that he lived in such a miserable town, that everyone had miserable looks and no one was happy.  Now he says, everywhere he looks people are smiling.  His attitude changed his world.  Upon interviews with others who live in the same town, they all had positive remarks to say about this man, about how he always brightens their day and is such an inspiration, that he can always be happy like that and he doesn't care what anybody else thinks.

So, I'm here.  I live in a town with less than perfect public transportation, dependence on grocery stores, and automobiles.  But I am alive.  And I am here.  I can not go on believing that things as they are, aren't as they should be, without any effort on my behalf to create the kind of place that I would like to see.

It's complete junk to believe that you cannot make a difference in this world.

I've decided to get involved in whatever capacity I can.  I can take wild food foraging classes or join meet up groups.  I can research local greenhouses to buy winter veggies.  I can research on how to run my car on veggie fuel.  I can actively get involved on campus and see if I can promote sustainable energy sources and better public transportation systems.  I can take advantage of living in the west, by making connections and fundraising for holistic projects locally and or abroad -- for our brothers and sisters in places like Kenya, where 1 dollar goes a lot further than it can here.

Be thankful for where you are.  See the opportunities which surround and support you everyday.

It's impossible for us to go back to the way things used to be.. horse and buggy.. growing all of our own food (well maybe it is still possible)) But it's totally unlikely that all of us are capable of these things.  So what are the next steps, how can we move our human family forward?  In what ways can we support each other, both locally and abroad?  In what ways can we actively engage our neighbors and friends for the rights of those who may not have a voice, the wild areas in our towns and the animals who may be subjugated to tests and or abandoned or lost.  Whose life can we impact today, and how can we contribute to the greater good of our beautiful world.

Thank you.